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College Freshman’s Worst Nightmare Comes True
Freshmen have a lot to worry about. “What will I wear on my first day? Do we have assigned seats? What if I get lost? What if my roommate is a slob? What if my roommate hates me? When is lunch?” That’s not even including the topic of community bathrooms. “Do we have a bathroom schedule? What if I take longer than the 3 minutes assigned?” or the dreaded: “what if I clog the toilet?” Well, this dreaded option was a reality for this poor University of Utah freshman; we’ll call her the anonymous pooper. You read that right. Anonymous pooper, the poor soul, clogged the co-ed community toilet. She did what any sensible freshie would do when they can’t find a plunger and left it for the janitor to handle (no one wants to claim that thing). As if this could get any worse- there is a group message going off about said clogged toilet. #wasntme The anxiety-ridden anonymous pooper is now panicking. Naturally, she sent out the last-resort SOS to mom. At least she has a sense of humor. Lucky for anonymous pooper, her mom had a solution other than transferring schools: Unicorn Gold (an odor eliminating spray with gold nanoparticles to completely eliminate odor, or in this case: multiple-day clogged-toilet stench). She sent a box of Unicorn Gold spray to the University, along with Squatty Potties (to ease that bathroom timing anxiety we talked about earlier). What a good mom.
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Back to School Pooping Tips
America’s kids are heading back to school. Yay!!!! Summertime often means going to bed late, sleeping in late, eating junk food, drinking sweet drinks, traveling to fun places and all-in-all messing with healthy diets and bathroom habits. Therefore, lots of kids and adults for that matter, need to hit the reset button once school starts. Time to get back into a routine which means reestablishing good eating, sleeping and a healthy bathroom ritual. Our body does better with a good night’s sleep, eating a healthy breakfast and attempting to go poop before we are off to school and work. In fact, our brain sends a signal to our gut to poop shortly after we eat breakfast. This is called the Gastrocolic reflex. If we establish the routine of listening to our bodies, we will feel lighter during the day and our brains and bodies will function better. This routine also helps us avoid a very common and consequential issue amongst many school age kids where instead of listening to their bodies urge to go, they hold their poop inside. The result, over time this can stretch the colon and interrupt the body’s natural propulsion or movement of poop out of the body which can then lead to constipation. The longer the stool is held in the colon the more it dries out, which makes the problem even bigger. This typically will lead to frequent stomachaches even to the point where some kids and adults end up in the emergency room. They often think they have appendicitis when, in fact, their “pipes” are clogged, stretched and need to be cleaned out. I like to analogize your intestinal tract to your sink’s pipes as I do in my book. Both can become clogged and both can require a clean-out to resume proper flow. Therefore, much like the kitchen sink, if you put the right stuff down your “drain” making sure to keep a steady flow by listening to your body and using the Squatty Potty for the final push out, you won’t have stretched out clogged pipes. So, what is a good, healthy breakfast comprised of and how do we know our diet is healthy overall? Well, most of the time our body directs us to these answers by what our poop behaves like. I highlight these characteristics in my book discussing what I call the 5 S’s. I tell my patients all the time that they must be good poop detectives making sure that they pay attention to the 5 S’s and telling their parents if they have poop problems. The 5 S’s Their clues: Shape, Soft, Sink, Shape and Shoot Shape – logs, hot dogs, snakes – NOT tiny meatballs, rabbit poop, baseballs, footballs Soft– not hard Sink– it should mostly sink Shade– brown-not black, not red Shoot– you should sit on the toilet, and with Squatty Potty’s help, it should “shoot” out. No straining, no pain, no need to push for several minutes. If you or your child’s poop isn’t behaving like the 5’s, you might have a problem. The root of the cause most often is DIET. So, back to a “healthy” breakfast. Drink water first, during and after meals. No animal milks. The only animal milk that is good for us comes from humans, not other animals. Cow’s milk makes our guts unhappy, unhealthy and constipates us. The good bacteria in our guts hate it. It causes a war in there! Really, dairy (cow’s milk, goat’s, yogurt, cheese, ice cream) in general should be limited or not consumed at all. Don’t worry. Your bones won’t crumble without them. You will get plenty of calcium if your gut is healthy because a happy gut absorbs nutrients better and can even make vitamins and minerals. A healthy gut comprised of a healthy balance of bacteria (microbiome), is directly influenced by our diet. Cow’s milk does not make it happy/balanced. It angers and inflames it! Drink water, not juice! Eat foods from Mother Nature, not from plastic wraps or bags. Chew fresh fruits rather than drink them. Vegetables, eggs, lean meats, legumes, etc. If you need sweet, steel-cut oatmeal with cinnamon and a little real maple syrup or honey with tons of fresh fruit would be a good healthful choice. Avoid the processed food choices: cereal bars, granola bars, pizza, lunch meat, “itos”-Doritos, Fritos and Cheetos, and no “ades”-Gatorade, Powerade, Koolade, no juice, no soda. WATER!! Make sure your kids can bring their water into the cafeteria at lunch. If not, they will be given choices like juice or cow’s milk – white, strawberry, or chocolate. Drinking water and listening to your body’s cues to poop will prevent constipation. Adding the Squatty Potty toilet stool, will likely assure you and your family will be expert poopers and live happier and healthier lives! Be poop detectives, eat and drink healthy and use the Squatty Potty to eliminate your perfect poop!!!
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Pooping While Pregnant
This is a post about how the Squatty Potty changed my life. I don’t know how or why I didn’t let this beautiful stool into my life sooner. I had many opportunities, as I owned one for a few years before I actually tried it. Maybe I was playing hard to get? I regret the time we lost, but I can for sure say it’s the real deal now. True love. I hate to admit it, but I was desperate the first time I used the Squatty Potty. We have a strong relationship now, but our love blossomed out of a last resort situation. I have IBS that comes and goes with constipation. Sometimes I’m ok to eat that grilled cheese sandwich and sometimes it clogs me up for days. No one likes a stomach full of poo. In fact, it’s on my list of top 5 least favorite things. And then I became pregnant. Yikes. My nurses, as well as all my pregnancy apps warned me of possible bowel complications that come with hosting another human being inside of you. There is only so much room to get things moving, if you know what I mean? I think I was just so happy to be pregnant, and I’ve already dealt with poo troubles from my IBS, so it really can’t be THAT bad, right? Oh, and my anti-nausea medication causes MORE bowel issues? It’ll be ok, I’m having a baby and it’s all going to be awesome! Wrong. Ok ok, the having the baby part is still awesome. The difficulty pooping? Not so much. I started taking stool softeners which helped about half the time. I was struggling. My husband suggested I finally try the Squatty Potty. Me, being hormonal, thought this was a dumb idea and nothing could save me from the poo plugged abyss. But remember, I was desperate. For goodness sake, I was practically getting a hernia! I pulled out the Squatty Potty from under my toilet and sat for a moment. Never rush a poo. Little by little my bowels were relieved from pregnancy poo’s evil grasp. It was a miracle! I no longer had to strain to poop! As our love grew and grew, I realized I had to take a trip out of town and couldn’t bear the thought of leaving my Squatty Potty behind. This was really the only way to poop easily and effectively for me, especially in my pregnancy! Guess what? The Porta-Squatty exits just for this purpose. I never knew I had this much love in my heart for a poop stool. I had to tell all of my friends and family what they were missing out on. I could not keep this love for myself! A lot of them are pregnant as well and they have all found such sweet, sweet relief from using the Squatty Potty.
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The Potty Training Tool You Can’t Live Without!
You’ll miss many things once your baby grows up, but changing dirty diapers is probably not one of them. Potty training horror stories are a common conversation amongst parents, but they may not stop there. Did you know that improper elimination in your child can lead to all sorts of health issues later in life? We’re not here to scare you, but we are here to educate you- with the help of an expert. Dr. Steve Hodges, a pediatric urologist and author of “It’s No Accident”,“Bedwetting and Accidents Aren’t Your Fault", “Jane and the Giant Poop”, and “The MOP Book”, has made his main focus dysfunctional elimination in children, due to the growing issue. “A lot of the issues lead back to how they poop. We found that if kids don’t empty their colon fully, it backs up and leads to urinary tract infections, bed wetting, day time wetting, and not to mention constipation. It’s way under diagnosed and way under treated. I focus a lot of my career directly on this problem. You can’t teach a young child to relax their pelvis. You have to relax your pelvis to allow those muscle to empty well. You can’t just tell a three-year-old ‘relax your pelvic muscle’ so they have to be in the right position or nothing works right.” Potty Pets is a toilet stool designed to put your child in the natural squatting position right over your own toilet. Squatting to eliminate is proven to straighten out your anorectal angle to prevent blockage of fecal matter in your colon and allow for a more complete elimination. Potty training can be difficult. Dealing with urinary tract infections, constipation, and bed wetting is even worse. Teaching your children how to properly eliminate from the start is the answer. Often times, children are a little hesitant to try out the “big kid potty”. We go more into addressing their toilet fears here. Many fears are validated; I mean, no one wants to fall in or off of the toilet. This is why we created a seat that securely sits on top of the toilet seat. The dog’s or bear's nose doubles as a step, allowing your children to safely and securely get on to the potty when they need to go. We’ve made potty training a safe and comfortable environment to let those potty fears flush away. Unlike other potty training tools, you won’t need to graduate from Potty Pets. As your child grows, you can take off the ‘hat’ topper to create the perfect height for your child. It’s even light weight and easy for them to carry. Creating a tool they look forward to using is key. With your order, you’ll receive stickers for you and your child to customize your Potty Pet your own way! Dookie The Unicorn also makes a great potty training pal. Dookie is a stuffed unicorn with a stuffed rainbow poop insert. You know that if Dookie the Unicorn poops in the big kid potty, they will too.
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Should I Squat to Poop?
Are you sitting on the toilet while reading this? Great timing, but not so great posture. Let me explain. Although The United States has been quite attached to their modern commode, many countries around the world have squatted to poop for centuries, and science is starting to catch up. Your body relies on a bend in the colon, (where your poop lives) and the anus, (where your poop says hi) to keep everything stored until showtime. Your Puborectalis Muscle helps keep your poop in place by kinking your colon, much like a bend in a garden hose stops the flow of water, when you’re sitting or standing. This muscle is helpful for when you’re sitting and don’t want to poop, but unhelpful for when you’re sitting and do want to poop. Your colon’s sweet spot comes with the squat. This tells your Puborectalis Muscle to fully relax. Squatting straightens the kink and allows for a complete elimination. Need the facts? We got ’em. A researcher named Dov Sikirov asked groups of study participants to poop while squatting. He compared how long each bowel movement took and the effort required. Sikirov published his results in Digestive Diseases and Sciences and found that in a squatting posture, subjects required, on average, only one-third the time to poop. Plus, subjects who squatted rated the experience as much easier than those who sat.In Japan, researchers took this quite a bit further. Six patients had their rectums filled with a contrast solution that could be seen under X-ray. The patients then ‘released’ the fluid from a squatting or a sitting position while being filmed with X-ray video. The videos showed that the anorectal angle increased significantly from 100 degrees to 126 degrees, from a sitting position to a squat, making elimination much easier in the squat. With this knowledge, Squatty Potty’s founders created a solution: a stool that works hand in hand with the modern toilet. Squatty Potty is designed to tuck in under the toilet when out of use, is the correct height to simulate the squat depending on the height of your toilet, and allows for healthier elimination for people of all ages.Select Squatty Potty models are sold in stores at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Costco, Target, and Ace Hardware. Squatty Potty sells online at the Squatty Potty website, Ebay (make sure to read this if buying through ebay), and Amazon. We refer our Canadian patrons to Canadian Tire, Cayne’s, Bed Bath and Beyond online, or Amazon.ca. You can search for a retailer near you here. Just wait, there will come a time when people will scratch their heads at that strange dark time in history when folks sat straight up to poop.
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Meet the Team: Judy Edwards, Squatty Potty Founder and Co-Creator
Editor’s Note: Welcome to another “Meet the Team” post — an ongoing series where you have the opportunity to get to know the Squatty Potty family on a more personal level. After all, Squatty Potty is about more than just enhancing the bathroom experience. We’re all about people and about our work family’s commitment to helping you and your family live healthier and happier lives. It is our hope that by getting to know us better through posts like these you will join us in our mission to change the way we poop, one “stool” at a time. Today, we’re pleased to introduce you to the matriarch of the Squatty Potty Family, Founder and Co-Creator, Judy Edwards… The face of a company known worldwide for helping people poop isn’t exactly what most kids dream of becoming when they grow up, but that’s where fate and family led Judy Edwards or “Mama Squatty,” as she’s called by friends, family, and colleagues. We can only surmise that after raising seven children, Judy eventually became too pooped to poop, which led to the birth of her family’s brain child — Squatty Potty. Judy, her husband Bill, and their son Bobby built their first Squatty Potty in their garage in 2010. Since then, she has become a squat-on-the-pot evangelist, promoting the health benefits of squatting to poop while helping to market our company’s products through TV, radio, and other media. To find out more about Judy, we recently sat down with her (yes, she sat; she didn’t squat) and asked her a few probing questions. Our questions followed by Judy’s answers and our snarky replies follow. Squatty Potty: What did you do before coming to work for Squatty Potty? Judy: I was what I like to refer to as a “work-at-home mom.” I raised seven children, which was quite a challenge by itself, but I also managed the books for my husband’s businesses and found ways to earn extra income out of our home — via online auctions, websites, and so on. I didn’t really think about it at the time, but I now realize that by engaging in those activities, I was nurturing my entrepreneurial spirit and developing valuable skills. I also began to appreciate the power of the internet and what a powerful tool it could be for driving business awareness, service, and sales. Maybe having seven children and two adults sharing bathrooms drove the innovation of Squatty Potty — a device that helps people eliminate Squatty Potty: Where did you go to college? Judy: After graduating high school, I enrolled in the School of Hard Knocks, where I’ve been studying and offering tutoring sessions of my own for 50 years now. One of these days I hope to graduate, but then I’d probably just continue on to grad school. Wow! You just took the concept of the “ten-year plan” to a whole new level. Are you sure you’re not a millennial? Squatty Potty: Where did you grow up and what did you want to be when you grew up? Judy: I grew up in Orem, Utah, on a fruit and dairy farm, where I learned early on the value of hard work. At one time, when I was sweet 16, I aspired to be a fashion designer, but I always just wanted to be a wife and MOM. And I am happy to say that my dreams have come true. I have been married now for 50 years (to the same man!), and I’m the mom, grandma, and great grandma to a gaggle of Edwards’ offspring. I love every minute of it and would not trade any of them (well, maybe one or two at some point in time, but we always manage to work it out). I can honestly say that they are all keepers, even my longtime boyfriend and hubby. All kidding aside I have done exactly what I wanted to do and am now surrounded by an amazing family and a successful business. Doesn’t get any better than that! Wife, mom, innovator, and entrepreneur. You’re right, doesn’t get much better than that! Squatty Potty: Unicorn Gold — which nonconventional scent should the company consider adding to the line? Judy: Maybe something that smelled like pizza. Thanks, Mama Squatty, you just ruined our favorite food for us . . . Squatty Potty: What’s something most people would be surprised to know about you? Judy:I have seven children, 22 grandchildren and five great grandchildren, I have been married to the same man (my high school sweetheart) for 50 years, and I started a successful business at the age of 60. Let’s see, 60 minus 50 equals 10. For your husband’s sake, we hope you’re over 60, though you certainly don’t look it. Squatty Potty: A penguin walks into a bar… what does she say to the bartender? Judy: Well, if the bar was in Utah, she’d probably ask “Where’s the bathroom?” After traveling all that way from the Southern Hemisphere to Southeast Utah, she’d probably need a bathroom. That’s the first thing I’d scope out. The perfect segue to our next question . . . Squatty Potty: Toilet paper — over or under? And what do you think of people who choose the other option? Judy:Definitely over. Under isn’t cool. It’s like someone’s playing a practical joke on you. A horrible, awful joke indeed Squatty Potty: What superpower do you have or would you like to have? Judy: I would love to be invisible (there’s so much good I could see and do and no one would ever know). Nope, we can’t allow that. You’re the face of Squatty Potty! Squatty Potty: Please tell us about your hobbies or interests outside of work? Judy: I am very interested in ancestry and family history and am an avid researcher. Whenever I meet someone for the first time, I ask where their family is from — their country of origin. I think it’s important to know where you come from and know something about your ancestors. It gives you a greater sense of purpose. We’d love to hear about your family history. Perhaps another time.
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How To Be A Poop Detective
I am a mom, practicing Pediatrician and author from Phoenix, Arizona. I recently released a children’s book, How to be a Poop Detective. I highly recommend all humans squat when pooping just like toddlers instinctually do when they are eliminating in a pull-up. This is how our bodies are constructed and meant to poop. Therefore, I am extremely confident in my endorsement of the Squatty Potty®. It is one of the most ingenious inventions I have come across in my medical career. Why? Because we have a pooping-problem epidemic in this country and as a doctor, I am on the front line trying to teach families why and how to fix this. Entire aisles in stores are dedicated to a billion-dollar industry to unnaturally aid and assist our nations problematic pooping process with drugs. The Squatty Potty has been a miraculous addition to my crusade because it, like my book, offers a natural approach to help all Americans, big and small, poop easier. Squatty Potty and I have merged our happy-pooping mindset by modifying my book to create a Squatty Potty edition. In that, it displays the obvious reasons for our marriage. I am proud and excited to part of the Squatty Potty family and to share my labor of love with you. My calling, passion and motivation for writing How to be a Poop Detective, The Squatty Potty Edition stems from over fifteen years of practice where I have daily discussions with kids and families about dietary decisions which support a well-functioning digestive tract and how this relates to different health conditions. For this reason, I strongly believe that ‘poop education’ is an essential component of medicine and should be discussed on a routine basis. I regularly teach my patients and families that healthy poop indicates a healthy gut and thus, a healthier body. We also discuss how important it is to eliminate the “trash” in their “pipe” or colon daily. We talk about how to detect foods and drinks that clog our pipes and those that help to move them along and show how these choices along with the Squatty Potty, create a happy and efficient elimination process. How to be a Poop Detective, The Squatty Potty Edition helps to teach kids and parents all about what constitutes normal pooping. Many kids and parents are grateful for this education because they are unaware their bathroom experience isn’t what it should be. It is important to learn the “5 S’s” of poop: Shape, Soft, Sink, Shade and Shoot. Through this exercise, the smiles, giggles and curiosity often transition to amazement as we come to learn that constipation is an unrealized issue and a key factor responsible for their various ill symptoms. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine said, “all disease begins in the gut”. I know many patients, both past and current, who will attest to the fact that when simple dietary modifications were made and the “5 S’s” monitored, their children’s disease states improved or were alleviated completely. Their asthma went away, ear infections declined, eczema disappeared, constipation resolved, urinary tract infections stopped, acne cleared, heartburn reduced, chronic abdominal pain stopped, and many lost weight because of cutting calories from unhealthy dietary sources. When you combine my simple approach with the Squatty Potty, everyone’s poop literally shoots out with ease as it should. They become professional expert poop detectives. Prevent constipation and have “the best poop of your life” with simple dietary modifications in addition to using the Squatty Potty! To conclude, the top five reasons to improve health by emptying your colon easily and successfully with a Squatty Potty: An empty colon allows for better ability to empty your bladder. Yay! It makes both #1 and #2 easier. An empty colon means less chance of having a bellyache. Chronic abdominal is so commonly caused by a full and constipated colon. It is one of the most common reasons for kids and adults to seek medical care. An empty colon eliminates the worry of having to hold your poop if you have fear of going in public. This is a real problem for many kids going back to school. An empty colon eliminates the need for pharmaceutical stool softeners. An empty colon decreases the potential for bedwetting and wet underpants due to an overfull colon and therefore, an overflowing bladder. I have found it to be an important addition for many families to aid in the potty training process. I am excited to recommend everyone use the Squatty Potty and to read and learn from How to be a Poop Detective, The Squatty Potty Edition. Here is to healthy and happy gut health and happy pooping!
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Ever wondered why you get butterflies in your stomach when you feel nervous or stressed?
It is thought that, as well as nutrition and lifestyle choices, our state of mind may actually impact our digestive system. Interestingly, it seems the deal works both ways: scientists are increasingly convinced that the contents of our digestive system may have a major impact on our state of mind. Did you know: that 100 trillion microorganisms live in your intestines: that’s more than 10 times the number of human cells in your body. Just like weeds compete with flowers for space and nutrients in a garden, ‘bad’ bacteria compete with ‘good’ bacteria inside the gut. If the gut environment is healthy, ‘bad’ bacteria struggle to flourish. We obviously want the good bacteria and all of their powerful benefits. There are Clostridium Butricum- which produces important fatty acids, Bifidobacteria- which produces vitamins, and Lactobacilli- which boosts immunity and protects against carcinogens! A healthy gut environment stimulates the digestive process, aiding the absorption of nutrients, and helps provide gut wall resistance. A healthy gut environment prevents growth of harmful, pathogenic bacteria, and breaks down poorly digested food. In return for their hard work, the bacteria get to thrive in a safe, nutrient-rich environment. Wondering how the gut affects the brain? Over 100 years ago, Russian immunologist, Elie Metchnikoff, proposed that a healthy gut environment could help combat senility and suggested that the good bacteria found in yogurt would increase a person’s longevity. Today, researchers are beginning to understand the role of gut bacteria in immunological, metabolic, and neurological diseases: what we eat can alter the composition and function of the gut bacteria and this has an effect not only on the metabolism, but also on the brain function. Who knew the two were so close! The gut and the brain communicate more so than you’d think. Microbial compounds communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve, the largest nerve in the body. Gut microbes interact with the immune system, which communicates with the brain. The gut releases hormones and neuroactive compounds which travel through the blood stream. They communicate so much so that scientists have named the gut the “second brain”! Did you know: that the digestive tract forms over 70% of the the body’s immune system? Or that the nervous system of the gut contains more neurons than the entire spinal cord or that it’s able to regulate itself without brain interaction? So, how does the brain affect the gut? The brain has a direct effect on the digestive tract. In fact, the very thought of eating can stimulate salivary glands and release gastric juices which help prepare for digestion. Once food reaches the stomach, receptors send their own signals. These signals cause the release of more gastric juice and muscular contractions. When you have eaten enough, the digestive tract releases satiety hormones which signal to the brain that the person is no longer hungry. That’s your gut giving feedback to your brain! As you’ve probably experienced, your gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion, stress, anxiety, and depression. Fear or sadness can make you feel nausea or have loss of appetite, whereas love can give you the feeling that “butterflies are in your stomach”. Now, what can you do with all of this information? Here are some tips to a healthier mind & a healthier gut: Balancing the mind: As we have seen, the gut is sensitive to our emotions and our state of mind. There have been a few studies to prevent anxiety and handle stress. Take time to quiet your mind and meditate. The Dalian University of Technology in China did 74 meditation trials at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on mindfulness meditation. They found that five 20-minute sessions of meditation reduced the amount of cortisol that was released in response to the stress test. Squat to eliminate.Relaxing the muscle around your colon is crucial in full elimination. To do so comfortable, use a Squatty Potty. An average American can have up to twenty pounds (I repeat, twenty pounds!) of stool AKA, toxic waste in their digestive system. Squatting to eliminate can allow your body a complete elimination and prevent an unhealthy gut. Take time for restful sleep.Studies at the University of Pennsylvania found that 4-5 hours of sleep at night for one week resulted in participants feeling more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally exhausted. When resuming normal sleep patterns, participants reported a dramatic improvement in mood. Engage in daily exercise.The University of Georgia found that regular exercise reduced patient anxiety by 20%. Exercise sessions greater than 30 minutes were better at reducing anxiety than shorter sessions. And of course, follow the Squatty Potty motto: healthy colon, happy life!
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Stinky Poo: Why It Reeks and What You Can Do About It
Nobody expects poop to smell good, but sometimes it smells so bad you expect to hear about it on the six o’clock news. It’s worse if it’s your own, but even worse when you drop the stink bomb in a public restroom or at a friend’s party when people are lining up to use the restroom. Oh, the shame! The good news is that you can make your poop less stinky and have more satisfying eliminations along the way. Eating healthier, getting your gut checked, and using a toilet stool to unkink your colon are easy ways you can help quell the smell. We’ve done some research to reveal the reasons your poop stinks and how you can make the stench of your waste go from woeful to wonderful. Let us help you make and take more pleasant smelling poops. Squat More The science is in—the most effective and efficient way to poop is to position yourself in a natural squatting position. Pooping with your feet flat on the floor can lead to a kink in your intestines, which can cause major blockages. Clogs from kinks can result in the buildup of bacteria in the digestive tract. This bacteria is often the culprit of nasty odors in your waste.Using a specially designed toilet stool, helps undo the kink in your digestive system without any extra effort on your end, so you can take healthier smelling poops. Not sure which toilet stool is right for you? Use our guide to find the best stool for you. Shop Stools Eat Less Remember, what goes in must come out. The more you eat in excess of what your body needs, the uglier it gets on the other end. If you commonly feel bloated after eating, you may be consuming more food than your body can comfortably digest. Here are a few suggestions on how to cut back: Eat 10 percent less across the board. Serve yourself smaller portions, and don’t come back for seconds. Eat more, smaller meals throughout the day. Stop eating two hours before bedtime. Consume Less Sulfur-Rich Food Sulfur is an essential mineral, so you don’t want to eliminate it from your diet, but if you eat a lot of sulfur-rich foods, the excess sulfur may be making your stool more odoriferous than normal. Here’s a list of sulfur-rich foods to try and avoid: Arugula Coconut milk, juice, and oil Cruciferous vegetables (bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard leaves, radish, turnips, watercress) Dairy (except butter) Dried fruits Eggs Garlic Legumes (beans) Cut Back on Processed Foods Processed foods contain synthetic ingredients, some of which your body may be ill-equipped to digest. Switching to a whole-food diet is the easiest, most complete solution. Otherwise, read food labels and choose only those packaged foods that use all-natural ingredients. Sticking to an all-natural diet won’t be as easy as propping your feet up on a toilet stool, but it can have a significant impact on the stench of your stool. Trim the Fat Excessive dietary fat can lead to undigested fat in the stool — a condition referred to as steatorrhea. If your body doesn’t produce enough lipase (a fat-digesting enzyme), the undigested fat putrefies as it makes its way through the colon, producing a foul-smelling odor. Of course, your body needs fat in order to function, but try to eliminate trans fats and scale back your consumption of saturated fat. Trans fats (also referred to as hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated fats and oils) are common in fried foods, bakery items, chips, crackers, and other yummy treats that are bad for you. You get saturated fat primarily from animal products, including red meat, pork, poultry skin, full-fat dairy products, mayonnaise, and eggs. Just like using a toilet stool, cutting back on fat can help eliminate bad bacteria that leads to foul-smelling fecal matter. Get Checked for Lactose Intolerance If you experience diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, bloating, or gas 30 minutes to a couple of hours after consuming dairy (milk or ice cream, for example), you may have lactose intolerance, which is also contributing to your smellier-than-normal poops. With lactose intolerance, your body doesn’t produce sufficient amounts of the lactase enzyme to break down the lactose (a sugar in milk), so the undigested lactose lands in your large intestine where it is fermented by bacteria, a process which produces stinky gas and poop. If you have lactose intolerance, you have three options for dealing with it: Avoid dairy Switch to lactose-free dairy products Take lactase enzyme supplements, such as Lactaid, before consuming dairy Check Your Meds and Supplements Medications may increase levels of sulfur and other chemicals in your body that produce stinky stools. Sulfur drugs, such as Bactrim, are used to treat bacterial infections, and all diuretics except spironolactone can increase sulfur levels in your system. Here’s a short list of supplements that may also increase sulfur levels: Alpha lipoic acid Chondroitin sulfate DMPS DMSO Epsom salts Garlic Glucosamine sulfate Magnesium sulfate Milk thistle MSM N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) Taurine Review all medications and supplements you take with your healthcare provider to identify any substances that may be causing problems. Spray Before You Squat If you have only the occasional stinky poo, don’t be alarmed. Temporary changes in diet and how you feel overall can have a short-term impact on the odors you emanate. Just be prepared. Along with their collection of toilet stools, Squatty Potty offers several Pootanical Sprays that can help turn foul into fragrant. A few puffs of an aromatic pre-potty spray can trap bathroom odors beneath your toilet's water line. Just spray before you go, and no one has to know. Keeping one in every bathroom can help leave your home smelling fresh. Shop Pre-Potty Sprays Get Your Gut Checked If nothing you’ve tried to normalize your digestion has worked, consider having your gut health evaluated by a qualified medical professional. What you consider to be a problem with overly odoriferous stools may be a symptom of a more serious underlying health condition, such as: Food intolerance Insufficient production of stomach acid Insufficient levels of digestive enzymes Imbalanced intestinal flora — the bacteria and other microbes that inhabit your gut and aid in digestion (see “Restoring Intestinal Flora Leads to a Healthy Gut and Happy Poop“) Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) Ulcerative colitis Celiac disease Crohn’s disease Giardiasis The takeaway lesson here is that stinky poo is no laughing matter. Don’t dismiss what may be a valuable warning sign of a serious underlying condition. Have your issues checked out by a medical professional who can identify and treat the underlying cause. The Final Turd Poop will always have a smell, but using these simple tips and tricks to take your waste from nasty to normal in a flush. Watching your diet, checking your medications, and assuming a squatting position with a Squatty Potty are all effective ways to keep your poop smelling pleasant. Shop Stools Disclaimer: This blog post on odors associated with feces of the human digestive system, provides general information and discussion about medical issues and health-related subject matter. The words and other content provided in this post, and in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. If you or any other person has a medical concern, consult with an appropriately licensed physician or other health care professional immediately and do not rely on the information presented in this post. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this blog post or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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