Know what your poo means (it’s the secret to your health) — Every Body Bliss

TMI alert – today we’re talking about poop.

Not just because it’s really funny (I mean … #toilethumor, anyone?), but understanding what ends up in the toilet bowl can give us so much insight into our health.

Digestion is a complex process, and our gut health is largely determined by a combination of factors – diet, digestive factors and the health of the microbiome (aka the bacteria that live on and inside of our bodies). Poop is basically a mix of all these things – fiber, bile, bacteria and sloughed off intestinal cells.

Understand your bowel habits and you’re that much closer to understanding how you can best support your body.

How often should you go poop?

The goal is go at least once per day, if not more. Pooping up to 3-5 times per day (like a nice, healthy poo – see the bristol stool chart below) is completely normal.

The intestines have many jobs, but one of its most critical roles is supporting detoxification. The liver and gut work together – first the liver takes foreign compounds (aka ‘toxins’) and packages them up in forms that can easily leave the body – via pee, sweat or poop.

Constipation can actually reverse the flow of compounds back to the liver, which is why digestive regularity is so essential. The whole point is to support the body’s ability to eliminate them!

“Transit time” and why it matters

Transit time describes how long food takes to move through the system – from the mouth to toilet (sorry for this graphic // not sorry – it’s the truth!).

A few important things happen during this time frame. First, we digest large food molecules and absorb their nutrients. Then, bacteria ferment fiber (aka undigested food) in the colon to create compounds called ‘short chain fatty acids’ (SCFAs for short), which protect the colon and create a really healthy gut environment.

We want transit time to be jussstttt right because when it’s too fast (less than 12 hours), the body can’t fully digest food and extract their nutrients, nor do the bacteria have time to create SCFAs.

On the other hand, if transit time is too slow (more than 24 hours) it can lead to constipation (and the recycling of toxins, re: above notes) and create a growth platform for too many harmful bacteria to overgrow.

The ideal transit time is between 16-24 hours.

The harsh reality is that most Americans don’t get enough fiber and the average transit time is between 30 – 100 hours, which is like holding over 10 meals worth of food in your belly at once (ouch!).

Get a little curious and test your own transit time. It’s pretty easy to do this – corn on the cob, sunflower seeds or shredded beets (without chewing them!!) at your next meal + mark the time you ate it. Then pay attention – how long does it take to show up in the toilet?? That is your transit time.

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What consistency should poop be?

If you aren’t yet familiar with the Bristol Stool Chart, you’re welcome for this 🙂

This chart is a fantastic visual reference and the best signs of intestinal health.

Types 1 + 2 are considered constipated. Constipation can be caused by several things such as stress, a low fiber diet, dehydration, medications and dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance). Understanding why you’re constipated is the first step, but there are also a lot of ways in which you can support yourself (see gut health cheat sheet below).

The most ideal poos are types 3-5 (if this is you, keep going!!). These may look like swiss cheese and be slightly fuzzy (this is sign of healthy bacteria fermentation). Aside from the occasional corn on the cob or tomato / potato peel, there should be almost no recognizable food in your stool.

Types 6 + 7 are officially considered ‘loose’. Like constipation, there are several underlying reasons why you may be experiencing diarrhea, but some common culprits include food sensitivities, an inflammatory diet that’s high in sugar (and even fake sugar) and fat or dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance, infection, etc).

This is a great indicator for understanding if your poos are ‘normal’. If you lean towards the side of constipation, or diarrhea, download this gut practices cheat sheet (so you can have the best poops ever).

Why do some poops sink and some poops float?

Sinkers versus floaters are one of the most controversial topics in the poo world.

While some sinkers are totally normal, a healthy poo should float most of the time. This is a direct indication of gut bacteria fermenting stool for food. If these floating stools are also greasy and you are experiencing foul smelling gas, this can be a sign of fat or sugar malabsorption and even lactose intolerance.

Whether it sinks or floats has to do with density (bacterial fermentation cause more aeration and make them less dense). Therefore, sinkers most likely need more soluble fiber (re: gut health practices for specifics).

What color should my poop be?

Brown – we are aiming for any shade of brown! If it’s colorful – re: below for some possible causes.

Yellow (also called ‘pale’ or ‘clay’) – can be a sign of either too much fat in the diet or fat maldigestion. Bile breaks down dietary fat – it is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Pale stools can indicate insufficient production of bile or a blocked duct.

Green every once in a while is OK. Green stools can be from eating too many green veggies or supplementing with a greens powder, spirulina or chlorophyll.

Red poos might be from food coloring or eating too many beets, but if this doesn’t ring a bell, it could indicate lower GI bleeding, which can be minimal like a scratch or hemorrhoid; or could be a more serious issue. If this continues, please check in with your GI doc.

Black can result from a few contributing factors. Supplements like iron or activated charcoal are known to cause black stools. However, black stools can also be from bleeding further up in the gut (ex: the stomach). If this continues, please check in with your GI doc.

Digging Deeper

Knowing how to identify a healthy poo is just the tip of the iceberg – there are so many things that we can’t see but that are still super valuable to understand in creating a roadmap for health.

By simply pooping in a cup and sending it in for analysis, we can gain much larger insights into what is happening on an inflammatory, digestive and microbial level – who knew shipping your poo across the country could be so informative?! 🙂

Even more fascinating, is we now have the technology to map out some of the DNA of the gut bacteria. While there are thousands of species and still so much research ahead of us, we are at a point where we can test some of the primary players in order to truly individualize the approach. Bacteria can be good or bad (and sometimes really ugly), but knowing what we are starting with helps us to selectively feed and inhibit the growth of bacteria, respectively.

If you want to learn more about how we can incorporate this testing into your wellness plan, it is an integral component of my completely customizable 6 month. Here’s the link for more information.

Functional Nutrition, Digestive HealthMiriam JacobsonJanuary 14, 2019gut health foods, gut health after antibiotics, gut health 101, gut health and ibs, gut health bloating, gut health cleanse, functional medicine testing, functional medicine weight loss, fiber and constipation, fiber analysis, emotional eating, whole grains, whole grains and inflammation, fodmap ibs, FODMAP, fodmaps diet, probiotics, prebiotics, prebiotics and probiotics, prebiotic benefits

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Should Your Poop Float? | Taste For Life

In life, we ask ourselves many questions. One most of us have asked at some point is, “Why is my poop floating?”

When we glance into our porcelain throne and see floating feces, we might panic and rush to the internet. However, floating poop is actually fairly common.

Below, I’ll highlight the most common reasons for floating matter and when you might want to ask a doctor about your mysterious stools.

Four Causes of Floating Feces

• Excess Gas

  One of the most common culprits of floating poop is excess gas.

  Gas is primarily created as air you swallow moves through your large intestines and mixes with fermenting bacteria that comes from milk, bread, fruits, and many vegetables.

  Because the average human creates about one liter of gas per day, it’s not shocking to think some of this gas could enter a stool. When this happens, the air, hydrogen, and other elements could make the matter float.

  While gas is commonly caused by healthy foods, like vegetables, you can also experience it after eating junk foods or too much dairy. So, if you have a terrible case of gas, floating poops, and a poor diet, it might be time to consider a few light changes to ease your digestive system.

• Fiber-Heavy Diets

  If you think you have a healthy, well-balanced diet and still come down with a case of floating poop, it could be because you’re eating lots of fiber.

  According to MIT, high-fiber foods — such as beans — have increased bacterial fermentation, which can cause more air to be produced during the digestive process. This air not only causes stools to float, but it can also cause an embarrassing case of gas.

  However, a bit of gas or floating poop shouldn’t be cause for concern if the stool still has a normal color or shape, and you live a healthy lifestyle with no other digestive symptoms.

• Gastrointestinal Issues

  When dealing with any type of gastrointestinal issue, your stomach and digestive system can get out of whack. This can cause a variety of stool issues, including floating matter.

  Gastrointestinal issues that can result in floating stools include GERD, irritable bowel syndrome, and other bowel disorders. When dealing with these scenarios, floating matter could come with other symptoms including heartburn, other digestive troubles, or an unsettled stomach.

  If you have a bowel or GI disorder, floating poop isn’t actually that uncommon. In fact, 2015 research revealed that 26% or more-than one-fourth of people with functional bowel disorders experience floating poop.

  While floating poop and many gastrointestinal discomforts aren’t usually dangerous, you should still talk to your doctor about your symptoms to get the best tips for how to navigate your digestive troubles.

• Malabsorption

  One of the rarer, but slightly more concerning, causes of floating poop is malabsorption. This happens when the body can’t properly absorb and digest nutrients from certain foods.

  On top of other digestive symptoms, malabsorption can cause fatty poops that look pale and misshapen, as opposed to occasional floating mater that still has a healthy brown color and shape. These discolored stools are called steatorrhea.

  Two common causes of steatorrhea and malabsorption are food intolerances and more severe stomach issues — like pancreatitis.

  For example, people with lactose intolerance or celiac disease often deal with malabsorption related to dairy or gluten-filled foods. Meanwhile, those suffering from liver diseases, or pancreatic damage — also called pancreatitis, and other intestinal issues have difficulty absorbing and digesting a longer list of foods and nutrients.

  Ultimately, if you’re seeing regular fatty floating stools and experiencing other symptoms, you should visit your doctor to ensure you aren’t dealing with an intolerance or more serious issue.

What to Do When Your Poop Floats

• Don’t Panic

  Ultimately, you probably don’t need to panic when you notice your next floater.

• Try an Elimination Diet

  If you’re experiencing regular floating fecal matter along with other symptoms, such as stool discoloring, heartburn, or other digestive problems, it might be a sign of a poor diet, food intolerance, digestive disorder, or illness.

• Check With a Doctor

  While we’ve walked you through a few of the most common causes, it’s always safest to double-check with your doctor if you have concerns.

Click to See Our Sources

“Are floating stools associated with specific functional bowel disorders?” by M. Bouchoucha et al., European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 8/15

“It Happens” MIT Medical, medical.mit.edu, 5/17

“The gas we pass” by G. Dunea, The British Medical Journal, 10/16/04

“The scoop on poop: What does your poop say about your health?” By N. Ajuha, PennMedicine.org, 12/12/20

“What’s a fart?” Connecticut Children’s Hospital, 2020

Can strawberries change the color of stool?

These small but powerful berries can turn your stool blue or black ; some people have also reported seeing a green color from eating blueberries. You know your poop is just reacting to your diet if you see a color change after you load the berries.

Is it therefore blood or undigested food in the stool? A person who notices a lot of undigested food in their stool should not be concerned most of the time, as this is likely due to undigested fiber or eating too quickly. If someone notices the following symptoms, as well as undigested food in the stool, they should see a doctor: unexplained weight loss. blood in the stool.

Really, what is a ghost poop?

Dr. Islam gives us three definitions of elusive ghost feces: 1) an urge to poop that ends up being gas, 2) feces so smooth it went down the drain before you could see it, and finally 3) visible poop in the toilet, but after wiping the toilet paper, there are zero traces of poop.

What color is healthy stool? All shades of brown and even green are considered normal. Only in rare cases does the color of the stool indicate a potentially serious bowel disease. Stool color is usually influenced by what you eat, as well as the amount of bile — a yellow-green liquid that digests fats — in your stool.

Then why is it yellow when I dry off after pooping?

If your stool is yellow or more likely contains yellow droplets (seen floating on the toilet), this is a sign of fat in the stool. It can also have an unpleasant odor and greasy texture. You may see a noticeable amount of fat in the stool when it is not properly absorbed by the body.

Contents

Can you poop what you just ate?

The presence of undigested food in the stool is normal, especially if you eat foods high in fiber. If you don’t have other symptoms, you probably don’t have anything to worry about. If you notice undigested food along with these other symptoms, see your doctor: Frequent diarrhea.

What are the symptoms of improper digestion?

symptoms

• Vomiting.
• Nausea.
• Bloating.
• Abdominal pain.
• Feeling full after a few bites.
• Vomiting of undigested food eaten a few hours earlier.
• Acid reflux.
• Changes in blood sugar levels.

What to do if the food is not digested?

You may find these tips helpful:

1. Instead of eating 3 meals a day, try eating smaller meals more often – this means less food in your stomach and easier to pass through your body.
2. try soft and liquid foods – they are easier to digest.
3. Chew food well before swallowing.
4. Drink non-carbonated liquids with every meal.

Should healthy feces sink or float?

Healthy feces usually sink to the bottom of the toilet, look dark brown and smell moldy, but are not particularly unpleasant. The poop provides important clues about what’s going on inside your body. Any chair that goes beyond what is normal for you is an occasion to pay close attention.

Is it good not to wipe poop?

Wiping up after a bowel movement is about more than achieving a feeling of cleanliness. For women, not wiping all feces can increase the risk of conditions such as: irritation of the labia. urinary tract infections (UTIs)

What does floating stool indicate?

If your stool floats, there is a small chance that you have steatorrhea, which means you have too much fat in your stool. Steatorrhea indicates that you are unable to properly metabolize fat and may be a symptom of the following conditions: Celiac disease.

What color is the stool for pancreatitis?

Diseases affecting the pancreas

Chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, blockage of the pancreatic duct, or cystic fibrosis can also make your stools yellow. These conditions prevent the pancreas from providing enough enzymes that the intestines need to digest food.

What color is your stool if you have liver problems?

Considerations. The liver secretes bile salts into the stool, giving it a normal brown color. You may have clay-colored stools if you have a liver infection that reduces bile production, or if the flow of bile from your liver is blocked. Yellow skin (jaundice) often occurs with clay-colored stools.

Does healthy feces float or sink?

Even though healthy stools sink, sometimes your stools float up like a lifeline. If you are leaving the occasional floats behind, this is probably nothing to worry about. Eating new foods or foods that cause more gas can make your stool less firm, resulting in floating stools.

What does cancer stool look like?

Upper bowel blood does not look bright red. It turns dark red or black and can make your stool look like tar. This type of bleeding may be a sign of upper bowel cancer. Or, for example, because of a bleeding stomach ulcer.

Why do I poop 30 minutes after eating?

The stool immediately after a meal is usually the result of the gastrointestinal reflex, which is the body’s normal response to food entering the stomach. Almost everyone experiences the gastrocolic reflex from time to time.

Does IBS cause undigested food in stool?

Looking at your stool is not fun for everyone. But if you notice undigested food, you may be dealing with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. It is characterized by a change in defecation and abdominal pain.

How do you know if something is wrong with your stomach?

Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and abdominal pain are the most common signs of a stomach virus. Although it is called the stomach flu, this virus has nothing to do with the flu. These symptoms are caused by other viruses, most commonly norovirus. 7 Other possible symptoms are fever, headache and body aches.

What is Cebo disease?

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a serious disease affecting the small intestine. This happens when there is an increase in the bacterial population in the small intestine. These bacteria can be found in small amounts in other parts of the intestine and are regularly excreted from the body. This causes pain and diarrhea.

How to restore intestinal health?

In this article, we list 10 evidence-based ways to improve your gut microbiome and improve your overall health.

1. Take probiotics and eat fermented foods.
2. Eat prebiotic fiber.
3. Eat less sugar and sweeteners.
4. Reduce stress.
5. Avoid taking antibiotics unnecessarily.
6. Exercise regularly.
7. Sleep more.

What does gastroparesis look like?

Gastroparesis is a disorder in which your stomach cannot empty itself normally. Symptoms include heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and a quick feeling of fullness when eating. Treatment includes medication and possibly surgery.

How can I get my digestive system back on track?

How to improve your digestive tract naturally

1. Eat five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
2. Choose whole grains more often.
3. Limit the amount of beef, pork, lamb, and processed meats you eat.
4. Try healthier cooking options.
5. Eat foods with probiotics.
6. Limit your intake of foods with added sugar and animal fats.

How to cleanse the digestive system?

7 ways to do a natural colon cleanse at home

1. Flush with water. Drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated is a great way to regulate digestion.
2. Salt water flush. You can also try salt water flushing.
3. High fiber diet.
4. Juices and smoothies.
5. More resistant starches.
6. Probiotics.
7. Herbal teas.

What does skinny poop mean?

Rarely occurring narrow stools are probably harmless. However, in some cases, a narrow stool—especially if the pencil is thin—may be a sign of a narrowing or blockage in the colon due to colon cancer.

What are the 7 types of feces?

Bristol

• Type 1: Marble. Appearance: hard and separate small lumps, similar to nuts, which are difficult to separate.
• Type 2: Caterpillar. Appearance: log-like but lumpy.
• Type 3: Hot dog. Appearance: Log-like shape with small cracks on the surface.
• Type 4: Snake.
• Type 5: amoeba.
• Type 6: Soft feed.
• Type 7: Jackson Pollock.

Your feces must stink?

Bad faecal odor is normal. The smell comes from bacteria in the colon that help break down digested food. Poop may smell different due to changes in your diet.

What happens if you endure when you want to go to the toilet in a big way | Lifestyle

Health Content:

1. What is our chair made of?
2. What happens to your body when you endure going to the toilet in a big way
3. Consequences of holding back stool
4. How often do you need to go to the toilet when you need it?
5. How to go to the toilet in a big way?

How dangerous is holding back the urge to go to the toilet? Let’s figure it out.

Most often you have to endure when a person does not like public toilets, when traveling, being very busy or simply not having a toilet within walking distance.

The list of things that can happen if you hold back from going to the toilet is longer than you think. Not going to the toilet on time, you risk earning yourself hemorrhoids and chronic constipation, as well as more serious diseases that require surgical intervention.

There was even one case of death due to the fact that a person did not go to the toilet for too long, but more on that later. The main message is clear: if the body says it’s time, do it immediately.

What is our chair made of?

Stool is approximately 75% water. The rest is dead bacteria that help digest food, live bacteria, proteins, undigested food, food waste, fats, salts, and substances secreted by the intestines and liver.

The amount of water in the stool varies. The longer the stool remains in the intestines, the less water it will contain.

To determine how healthy your stool is, the Bristol Stool Scale was developed, which distinguishes 7 main types of stool:

© Wikipedia

Type 1 : separate hard lumps like nuts (with difficult to pass) – severe constipation

Type 2 : Sausage-shaped stool but with lumps – mild constipation

Type 3: Like sausage, but cracked on the surface – normal

Type 4: Sausage or snake shaped, smooth and soft – normal

Type 5: Soft lumps with sharp edges (easily passes) – lack of fiber

Type 6: 9000 5 Loose pieces with torn edges, mushy – mild diarrhea

Type 7: Watery stools, no hard pieces, completely liquid – severe diarrhea

As can be seen, types 1 and 2 are the result of constipation, types 3,4 and 5 are within the normal range , and the 6th and 7th type indicate diarrhea.

The ideal stool (type 4) should be dark chocolate in color, easy to pass (virtually effortless), shaped like a continuous log or two. Its diameter should roughly match the circle you can form with your index finger and thumb.

Healthy stools should sink, and if they float, this is a sign of poor absorption of nutrients or excess gas.

What happens to your body when you endure going to the toilet in a big way

© belchonock/Getty Images Pro

In a few hours

It will be very difficult for you to restrain yourself and for this you will have to compress the sphincter. The first thing you start to feel is pressure in your stomach. Some people compare it to spasms, while others feel an urgency. In other words, if you endure, you will be tormented by bloating and gas in the stomach, which is very difficult to get rid of.

After 6 hours

By this time, various processes will begin to occur that affect the stool not for the better. The body absorbs more water from the stool, and it becomes increasingly difficult for you to get rid of it. Most likely, you will no longer feel an urgent need to go to the toilet, but they will not disappear anywhere. In fact, from this point on, problems with constipation begin.

After 12 hours

The longer the stool remains in the body, the harder it becomes. Your belly will swell and you won’t be able to flatten it, no matter how hard you try, because of the buildup of pressure in your abdomen. When you do go to the toilet, the experience can become not very pleasant, causing pain, bleeding, and even small tears in the anus.

After 12 hours or more

The longer the stool is left inside, the harder it becomes. Intentionally holding back stools can lead to a stool plug, which is a large and hard stool that gets stuck in the intestines so hard that you can’t expel it.

Most often in such a situation it is necessary to resort to an enema or to remove the stool manually or surgically in parts. If nothing is done, the consequences can be very severe and lead to serious illness and even death.

Consequences of holding back your stool

© KittisakJirasittichai/Getty Images Pro

affect your subsequent trips to the toilet. If the feces are in the intestines for a very long time, the water is absorbed from them, and as a result, it is more difficult for you to go to the toilet, due to the fact that this leads to difficulties and painful sensations.

2. You suffer from constipation

When you endure, damage to the nerves in the intestines can occur, and your brain will no longer respond adequately to stool. This threatens to desensitize, which reduces the receptivity of the rectum, and the brain begins to give signals only when more stool has accumulated. The muscles in your anus contract instead of relaxing and send a signal to your brain not to respond, causing you to go to the toilet less frequently.

3. You may get hemorrhoids

Another side effect of stool retention and chronic constipation can be hemorrhoids. A condition in which the veins in the rectum become dilated and inflamed, causing discomfort and pain during bowel movements.

There are two types of hemorrhoids: internal and external. With internal hemorrhoids, as a rule, there is no pain, but bleeding may occur after going to the toilet. With external hemorrhoids, located under the skin around the anus, swelling may occur, accompanied by pain, itching and bleeding when emptying the stool.

4. You keep waste products in your body

Remember that stool is made up of substances your body wants to get rid of. When you endure, the waste products simply remain in your body. If they get on a wound or a crack in the rectum, it threatens with a bacterial infection

5. Problems with voiding in the future

The fact is that over time, the rectum can change shape. Also, when you endure, the bowel muscles stretch and send a signal to stop responding to the urge to go to the toilet, and your intestines get rid of waste products more slowly.

6. You may have a significant dilatation of the rectum

Holding back the urge to go to the toilet can also lead to more serious consequences, such as a megarectum, a significant dilatation of the rectum.

A 24-year-old man was admitted to Newham University Hospital London,

, whose bowels were enlarged by 17 cm when filled with feces.

An autistic patient complained of constipation for the past 4 years. Analyzes and computed tomography showed that the man began a dangerous intestinal inflammation – peritonitis, and there was also a significant “intestinal perforation”.

The patient was urgently operated on and, fortunately, he recovered, but this condition is very dangerous.

7. You can die

In the worst case scenario, ignoring the urge to go to the toilet can lead to death.

A teenage girl from Cornwall, England, has been reported to have died after not having a bowel movement for 8 weeks. The girl suffered from a phobia of toilets and mild autism, and after an autopsy, a significant expansion of the intestine was found, which squeezed her chest and displaced her internal organs.

How often do you need to go to the toilet when you need it?

© yanyong/Getty Images Pro

Defecation is a vital necessity that helps us get rid of waste. Although everyone goes to the toilet, the frequency of bowel movements can be quite different.

Experts say that stools from 3 times a day to 3 times a week can be considered normal . If you feel the urge to go to the toilet after every meal, there is no reason to worry, as everyone’s digestive system is different. You can also go once a day, every other day, or every 3-4 days.

Several factors influence bowel frequency, such as medications, activity levels, stress levels, pregnancy and menstruation, and of course nutrition.

At the same time, constancy plays a greater role than stool frequency. Most people have a well-regulated schedule, and although it may change depending on activity or diet, it is fairly predictable.

If you feel good, even if you pass stools three times a week, you are probably fine. But if at the same time you are tormented by unpleasant bloating, discomfort, abdominal pain, then you should pay attention to your health.

How to go to the toilet in a big way?

© RyanKing999/Getty Images

If you’re having trouble moving your bowels, the following tips can help:

1. Get more fiber in your diet

Fiber ka is your gut’s best friend. It can be soluble (dissolves in water) or insoluble (remains unchanged in water), but both improve digestion. Imagine your chair as a pillow. If you’re not getting enough fiber, it’s like pressing down on a pillow, letting all the air out of it, making it hard and uncomfortable. Fiber is an assistant that helps fluff up the “pillow”, making it soft and comfortable.

The best sources of fiber are fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains and legumes. For regular emptying, you need to eat 5-7 servings of fiber per day. Add it gradually to avoid bloating and other troubles.

2. Drink more water

Water is essential for the elimination of waste products. As with fiber, most people don’t drink enough water. Experts recommend drinking at least 4-6 glasses of water a day. If you are pregnant or engaged in intense physical activity, then you need to drink more. Start your day with a warm glass of lemon water. Warm liquid and lemon juice stimulate peristalsis and improve digestion.

3. Include More Probiotics

Probiotics aid digestion and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. These bacteria help break down food in the digestive system and stimulate intestinal motility. The best sources of probiotics are kefir, unsweetened yogurt and sauerkraut, as well as special probiotic supplements.