BM's

[Grissim Connery]

1. I find that when i drink coffee while fasted, i tend to get satisfactory BM's. has anybody else had this happen. it doesn't necessary have to be fasted, but it seems to be more noticable in this state.

2. When i overdo fish oil, i notice that BM's tend to spill more than solidify. although this is not really satisfactory, could this be a good method to cleanse the colon every once in a while (or if you're a little stopped up). generally increasing fiber doesn't do a whole lot to change my consistancy. my average fiber intake is about 40g/day just from vegetables and maybe fruits.

[Chris Salvato]

Originally Posted by Grissim Connery

1. I find that when i drink coffee while fasted, i tend to get satisfactory BM's. has anybody else had this happen. it doesn't necessary have to be fasted, but it seems to be more noticable in this state.

2. When i overdo fish oil, i notice that BM's tend to spill more than solidify. although this is not really satisfactory, could this be a good method to cleanse the colon every once in a while (or if you're a little stopped up). generally increasing fiber doesn't do a whole lot to change my consistancy. my average fiber intake is about 40g/day just from vegetables and maybe fruits.

Eating a whole bag of salad doesn't change your BM consistency?

Up the fiber, i guarantee you will be getting a better "colon cleanse" than your slippery fish oil BMs.

I noticed no difference in BMs between using Fish Oil and not using Fish Oil...fasting or not. (my Fish Oil dose is about 5g all at once)

[Darryl Shaw]

According to my doctor any BM where you don't have to strain is a good BM but ideally you should be eating enough fibre to pass something close to a number 4 on the Bristol Stool Chart (Link) at least once a day.

[Gittit Shwartz]

I'm not so sure about the fiber thing. I rarely get 15 grams these days and I've never been so happy with the regularity and consistency of my BM's. I eat Warrior Diet style, so I just don't tend to get in many vegetables, just lots of protein and fat. Back when I was eating six daily meals with bags of broccoli with every one I mostly felt bloated and constipated.

Caffeine is a laxative, that's well established.

Watch the fish oil thing. Umm, a "friend" of mine after megadosing for a few weeks actually started leaking fish oil out the other end. Not a fun experience, or so she tells me

If you want to flush out your colon, google "vitamin C flush"... But don't do it too often.

[Grissim Connery]

i thought i'd update this.

i started eating a lot more spinach just to feel a bit fuller. i have noticed a dramatic beneficial change in BM's. i found this interesting since even several cups of spinach doesn't impact fiber intake a whole lot.

back in highschool when i used to pound out a lot of cereal, my fiber was extremely high and things still did not come out well. my fiber intake nowadays may range from 10g to 60g per day. i have noticed that sometimes i get better results at 10g a day. thus it would seem that fiber intake is obviously not the whole story. i've been aware of this for a while, but i'm curious as to what is the more important factor.

since fruits and vegetables have more pectins, is pH a huge factor? the microflora of the intestine can act on pectins and other viscous fibers, breaking them down into short chain volatile fatty acids. thus the pH of the intestine lowers. i know this is important in inhibiting enzymes that break down bile acids into carcinogenic metabolites. does anybody know any further implications of intestinal pH and bowl movements?

[Garrett Smith]

I'd say the pH issue of your colon was more largely influenced by the spinach (AFAIK, the most alkaline veggie out there).

From Gastrointestinal pH profiles in patients with inflammatory bowel disease:

The median gastric pH values in the patient groups (Crohn's disease 2.4, range 1.5–4.1; ulcerative colitis 1.95, range 1.55–4.4) were significantly higher than those observed in the controls (1.55, range 0.95–2.6). In the small bowel and colonic segments, all the pH values of Crohn's disease patients were comparable to those of the controls, as were the pH values in the proximal small intestine and in the left colon in patients with ulcerative colitis. However, the latter group had higher pH values in the terminal ileum, the caecum and the right colon. Patients with active disease had comparable median gastrointestinal pH values to patients in remission.

FWIW.

[Gittit Shwartz]

My experience has been that insoluble fiber helps things along, while too much soluble fiber can actually cause hold-ups.

Good sources of insoluble fiber: flax seeds, green beans, celery, spinach
Sources of soluble fiber: broccoli, apples, psyllium (ugh)