Gut Health Part 2: Demystifying Gas and Stool
Written by Guest and Gastrointestinal Disease Dietitian, Nancee Jaffe MS RDN
Everyone does it but no one wants to talk about it — passing stool! Having a bowel movement is a way for the body to remove waste and the digestive tract to continue to function normally. The GI tract is home to over 70% of our immune system and over 90% of our serotonin production, the chemical that influences satisfaction, happiness and optimism. So why aren't we talking more about our gut and especially our stool when it is so important?
What is "normal" stool? A useful resource to help describe your stool is the Bristol Stool Scale. The visual and written elements of this standard description of stool quality truly simplify one's discussion of stool. The “normal” ranges are Type 3-5. We all wander into the Types 1-2 or 6-7 on occasion, but the goal is to be in range most of the time. If you are usually Type 1-2, that is a sign of chronic constipation, if you are usually Type 6-7, that is pointing to chronic diarrhea. Where do you fall in terms of stool?
Fiber Facts
Fiber that we get from our food comes in two forms - soluble and insoluble. Each type has a different effect on our bowel movements. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and acts as a food source for the healthy bacteria that live in your colon. This type of fiber forms a gel in water, making stool softer and easier to pass; it also slows fecal transit time, helps to lower cholesterol and control blood sugar. Examples of foods containing soluble fiber include asparagus, broccoli, carrots, apricots, watermelon and oats. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and passes through the large intestine relatively unchanged. This type of fiber helps move waste quickly through the colon. Examples of insoluble fiber include kale, corn, black beans, raspberries and brown rice. If you have problems with loose stool or diarrhea, try consuming more soluble fiber; for problems with constipation, go for insoluble fiber.Finally, if you have hard pellet-like stool, instead of packing in the insoluble fiber, try psyllium husk. It will soften the stool. Once the stool is soft, then increase insoluble fiber to get the system moving.
Probiotics - Food vs Supplements
The normal human intestinal tract houses over 100 trillion live and active microorganisms. These intestinal bacteria are important for many body processes, including synthesizing vitamin K, defending against infection and bacterial overgrowth syndromes. Some studies even show they are important for maintaining healthy weight, creating a positive mood and staving off chronic disease. Poor dietary habits, emotional stress, lack of sleep, antibiotic overuse and environmental influences can all shift the amount, types and potency of our gut bacteria. Maintaining balance in the gut is necessary for optimal health.Today's marketplace is littered with products claiming to aid digestion with the help of probiotics. But what is a probiotic and what is the best way to use probiotics to maintain balance in the gut? Probiotics are live, active bacteria that help reintroduce or change the current bacteria in the intestine. Probiotics are believed to help the digestive tract in two ways - direct aid to digestion and elevating our immune system (found primarily in the gut).Probiotics are found naturally in many food sources including yogurt, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh and even sourdough bread. These foods, when eaten in moderation on a regular basis (daily to every 3 days) can be beneficial for reducing gut distress, bloating, gas, and regulate bowel habits as well as boosting the immune system. Probiotic rich foods have been utilized for thousands of years by numerous cultures and are a healthy, easy and tasty way to get your healthy bacteria.
If the probiotic rich foods are unappealing or unavailable, a supplement is a good alternative, but at this time do not house the same potency, variety or amount of bacteria as the natural food sources, so go for the foods whenever possible.
Enjoy Summer Fruits Without Digestive Distress
Summer evokes images of days at the beach, barbeques with family and friends and, my favorite part, lots of fresh fruit varieties.In California, the varieties of fruit available this time of year are incredible ---- all types of berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), avocado, watermelon, and stone fruits such as peaches, plums, pluots, cherries, nectarines and apricots. It is easy to go overboard when shopping at the grocery store or farmer's market, and even easier to over-consume --- eating whole punnets of blackberries or bags of cherries.Unfortunately, this can lead to gas, bloating and loose stool. The reason for the digestive distress is due to certain sugars found in our favorite summertime fruits. FODMAPs are a set of sugars (fructans, GOS, lactose, fructose and polyols) that can be poorly digested and absorbed by the body, especially for some with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These sugars are found in the stone fruits, avocado, watermelon and blackberries - yikes!
Tips for enjoying summer fruits without the gut distress:
Stick to 3 servings of fruits per day; a serving of fruit is equivalent to 1/2-3/4 cup berries, 1 medium sized stone fruit or 1 cup cubed watermelon
Only eat one serving of fruit at a time; more than one serving per meal could lead to symptoms
If you have IBS, or feel the summer fruits lead to digestive issues, instead of going for the stone fruits, blackberries or watermelons, try other melons such as cantaloupe or honeydew and berries such as raspberries and blueberries, which are still in season with lower digestive distress sugars
Beans Beans the Musical Fruit!
We all heard this classic kid song during our childhood and may wonder, what is it about beans that cause so much gas?!?Beans contain sugars called galacto-oligosaccharides or GOS. This sugar molecule is made up of chains of a smaller sugar called galactose. This chain of sugars needs to be broken apart in order to be absorbed and utilized by the body. Normally, sugars are broken down by an enzyme, which acts like a tiny scissor, cutting the bonds that hold sugars together. Unfortunately, the human body does not make the enzyme needed to break down the galactan molecule.When the body is unable to break a sugar down, it will send it undigested all the way to the large intestine where it can be ushered out of the body as part of the stool. However, our large intestine is filled with trillions of healthy bacteria that do have the ability to break down, or ferment, the galactan molecules. This fermentation causes gas production.
Tips for eating beans without the toot!
Use canned - as opposed to the dry varieties, canned beans have a reduced amount of GOS. This is due to the fact that GOS is water-soluble, meaning this sugar loves water. The GOS leaves the bean and migrates into the water, making the water syrupy. Make sure to dump out all of the water and rinse the beans carefully before using.
Try soaking your dry beans - again, GOS loves water! My favorite technique is to place 1 cup of dry beans in a glass bowl with 2 cups water and leave on the countertop overnight; dump the water out in the morning and replace with fresh water and leave for another 6-8 hours; dump the water once more, add fresh water and cook.
Take an enzyme pill - many enzymes on the market contain alpha-galactosidase, the tiny scissor that cuts apart the galactan molecule into individual galactose sugars. This allows for absorption and utilization by the body, so no gas!