Not to add yet another step to your morning routine but there is just one more step you need to add in order to optimise your bowel health.
As we’re all getting more in-touch with our gut health and understanding what works and doesn’t for our bodies, a doctor and TikTok creator wants us to think not just about our poo, but about how we can measure our health with it.
In a video posted last month, Dr Janine Bowring spoke about her thoughts on why you should poo first thing in the morning.
Bowring said: “according to Chinese Medicine, morning eliminations is the optimal ‘organ time’ to have that bowel movement.”
Why should you poo first thing in the morning?
According to Bowring, throughout the night, our bodies detoxify and process food through the liver and the kidneys. She adds: “all those toxins that were exposed to on a daily basis and then we dump that load through the bowels in the morning to start again.”
She goes on to say that based on our circadian timing, which is based on the light and dark cycle of the day and the temperatures tending to be lower at night then warming throughout the day is what, “signals the body to have a proper bowel movement.”
Finally, she says that when you see morning light, take it in to help stimulate your bowel moving in the morning.
How to make sure you have healthy morning bowel movements
According to Hum Nutrition, there are some things you can do to ensure that your poo is healthy and comfortable each morning:
- Eat enough fibre — around 20 to 30 grams each day
- Drink around two litres of water a day
- Get in the habit of taking short walks after big meals
- Use a toilet stool for the most comfortable pooping position