How to Poop Like a Champ: Heal Your Gut & Digestive System

The best way to do this is through a Heidelberg stomach acid test, but if you can’t find anyone in your area or it’s too expensive there are other means, although they aren’t as accurate (like the baking soda test) and may be inconclusive. There is a theory that blood type associates with stomach acid levels, with A being the weakest and O being the strongest. Observe how you react after heavy amounts of protein and fat and notice what foods, if any, cause you upset.

A food allergy panel is a basic start, but companies like Vibrant Wellness offer in-depth tests on wheat, dairy, seafood and lectins that all serve as valuable tools to inform you of any problem areas. If you have a moderate reaction to these foods, limit them or find a way to process them down so that you can minimize inflammation. For example, removing the seeds of tomatoes or cooking them if you react to tomato lectin. If you have a high reaction, even though it’s not an allergy, I would remove this food and find a substitution. Personally, I would limit or eliminate wheat regardless and limit your dairy intake to just grass-fed butter, ghee and healthy protein options like kefir or grass-fed whey.

Make sure that it gives you comprehensive data on the population breakdown of your microbiome, the inflammatory markers in your gut, whether you have parasites and other important pieces of information. Again, Vibrant Wellness has a Gut Zoomer that is incredibly thorough, but there are other brands out there that provide quality testing. Once you have your baseline, tweak your eating and supplementation accordingly and retest in 6 months or sooner (depending on how bad your initial baseline was) to see the difference.

Based on what you find in your first stool test, you will customize your eating and nutrition protocols for the next go around. A good test that’s worth the money (like the Gut Zoomer) will give you a detailed breakdown of your gut microbiome and levels of inflammation and other important chemicals like pancreatic enzymes, short chain fatty acids, whether you have undigested types of food, what type of bad bacteria is growing out of control and so on. Sometimes, even with taking probiotics, you may have certain specific strains that are low. This is normal because your gut is a constantly evolving environment that is responsive to what you eat, do and put in your body.

In these cases, see if you can find them in isolated supplements online or buy something that has a high dose of those particular bacteria. I don’t eat dairy, and occasionally I had to get probiotics containing specific strains found only in yogurt or kefir, like lactobacillus bulgaricus, because I was deficient in them.

For other types of bacteria that aren’t available in supplement form, diet and lifestyle will be the main way to go about realigning yourself. Remember that high sugar and fat feeds Firmicutes, and soluble fiber (especially beans) feeds Bacteroidetes. While both are important, you want more of the latter because they support a healthy metabolism.

What I also like about the Gut Zoomer is that Vibrant will provide you with health conditions that the bacteria in your gut are related to. Based on which bad ones are out of control or which deficiencies you have in the good ones, you’ll know what trends your gut is taking you toward and how to intervene appropriately.

I take a comprehensive digestive enzyme supplement to help break down my food along with the occasional betaine HCL with large meals since my stomach acid is naturally lower. If you take betaine HCL, make sure to dose it correctly and monitor yourself over time. Generally, you can start with 1300-2000mg and see how that feels. If you have a burning sensation in your stomach, drop down by one pill and try again. It is best to take this supplement halfway between meals or right after, as doing so beforehand may irritate your stomach or reduce the natural acid it produces in response to food stimulus.

Besides these supplements, I also take probiotics, butyrate, lactoferrin and boswellia to reduce inflammation in the gut and promote a strong microbiome. The OHS supplement Opti GI is a light cleanse and also great for restoring the gut lining. You can take it with meals or on an empty stomach morning and evening. I may also bring in Optimal Acute in the morning and evening along with bromelain on an empty stomach to help clear away any biofilm present in my intestines, although be aware that bromelain may aggravate stomach ulcers.

Some additional supplements to consider that are all research-based interventions for treating inflammation, ulcers, gastritis and dysbiosis are:

• The herb, forskolin, can stimulate stomach acid production significantly.
• Boron, or more specifically boric acid, has anti-ulcerative effects.
• Chamomile has been studied for its potential anti-ulcerative and anti-inflammatory properties on gut tissue.
• “Vitamin U” or methylmethionine, sourced from cabbage juice, is a great
• option for gastritis.
• Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (try saying that 3 times fast) is excellent for
• gastritis.
• Marshmallow root and slippery elm are also non-toxic, highly beneficial natural foods that heal the soft tissues in your body and digestive system and can be used long-term
• Gamma oryzanol, a compound from rice bran oil, has shown great promise at treating ulcers and gastritis.
• Collagen protein can work to heal the tissues in your digestive system because it is high in certain types of protein like glycine and proline. Besides collagen protein powder, another great source for these healing benefits is high-quality bone broth. If you do get bone broth, make sure it is grass fed and has a high protein content per cup. Anything less than 10 grams just means it’s low quality despite the marketing claims. Bone broth needs to be thick, which means it is rich in proteins and nutrients for your gut, not to mention your tastebuds. Also, make sure it's from beef.
• Chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) and glucosamine, which are all-natural compounds primarily researched for joint health, have also been shown to help with gastritis and gut inflammation. This product has all 3 and some more great stuff.

Finally, glutamine, oregano oil, ginger, NAC and aloe vera are some other great natural tools for healing your digestive system from inflammation, along with the eating principles outlined previously.

It’s important to know here that gastritis, which is inflammation of the stomach or digestive tract, can be brought on by several factors. In general, the main ones are: autoimmune (which leads to atrophic gastritis and eventually B12 deficiency because your stomach can’t process B12 anymore), infection from the bacteria H. pylori, bacterial overgrowth (like SIBO) or environmental factors like excess alcohol, chronic use of NSAIDS or exposure to toxins.

Finally, a deficiency in vitamin B5 may lead to similar digestive complaints such as loss of appetite and stomach pain. Why all of this is important is it determines how you will proceed. For example, an inflamed stomach caused by H. pylori infection means you have to reduce your stomach acid levels temporarily (because this bacteria is acid resistant) and probably take antibiotics.

If, on the other hand, your stomach is getting irritated because of SIBO, this means you don’t have enough stomach acid and need to increase it by using betaine HCL and other tools to push the critters back down.

Some compounds irritate ulcers, like bromelain (which can stimulate bleeding) and certain foods should be avoided depending on what flavor of bullshit you’re dealing with. Finally, everyone’s tolerance and genes are different, meaning that other things listed here may cause you problems even though they’re fine for most people. Always do your research and know what variables are involved so that you know what to rule out and not go crazy trying to find the culprit.

I recommend taking an extra 4-8 grams per day of psyllium husks to give your colon lots of love and regularity. There are many great things about psyllium compared to other sources of fiber and it’s just one of those easy and cheap interventions that has an extremely skewed benefit to risk profile. It’s adaptive for both diarrhea or constipation, has protective effects on your colon and it doesn’t ferment in your gut like most prebiotic fibers.

This means that if you’re struggling with IBS, SIBO or a similar issue, getting the benefits of psyllium is still possible. Along with water and a quality chelated magnesium supplement, these simple strategies will lube you up on the inside and allow for Circulation to move things through you efficiently. If you’re going 2-3 times per day, your body is running like a Swiss clock and able to process food and detoxify easily.

This can be a period of intermittent fasting, trying a water fast for 24-48 hours or doing a "done for you program" like the ProLon fasting program. All of these methods trigger the body’s healing mechanisms and give much needed rest to your colon.

Be mindful however that if you have stomach inflammation or ulcers, fasting may not be as useful since it leads to a gnawing stomach and potentially worsens the gastritis or ulcer. As always, consider all the variables and options available to you and customize your approach.

Anytime you take an antibiotic, go on a “flora blitz” session immediately afterward. I use this product after a round of antibiotics. Pump your body with these extra probiotics for a few weeks or so after the antibiotic to re-balance the system before opportunistic organisms like bad bacteria or Candida can take over.

These simple tools allow you to assume the natural squatting position which in turn aligns your colon and puts less stress on the muscles down there for full evacuation with no residual. The result? If you’re following all of the principles laid out so far you will go so clean that you’ll hardly even have to wipe. No bullshit.

By gently tapping your belly button with one finger, you can stimulate blood flow into the digestive space and help move things along if you are feeling constipated or slow. This, along with your Squatty Potty, supplements and great eating habits are your weapons against almost any digestive woes for years to come.

This can be a highly trained chiropractor or DO, an acupuncturist or a massage therapist who can do myofascial release. Structurally, the organs in your body are meant to move around but tension, lack of exercise, nutritional deficiencies, dehydration, internal misalignments and many other factors can affect their position and tone.

One simple example is your diaphragm. Although its main role is to help you breathe, tension in your diaphragm can also upset the Alignment of your stomach and contribute to pain in other areas of your body. This is because the fascia (the connecting structure in between all your organs and muscles) distributes tension and bears the burden.

It’s painful to release the diaphragm, because you have to get deep into your abdominal cavity, and only a trained professional should do this for you. Yet after it’s done, you’ll not only feel like you can breathe deeper, but your internal organs will shift back to their optimal arrangement and function better as a result.

Another example of Alignment that is significant for digestive issues is the ileocecal valve. This is the gate between your small intestine and large intestine, and it’s located about halfway between your hip bone and your belly button. Normally this is a one-way street for food to go into your large intestines for further processing, but various things can cause this valve to spasm or have a hard time opening or closing.

This is collectively referred to as “ileocecal valve syndrome” in the alternative community, although it is not recognized in modern healthcare. If your valve is closed and has a hard time opening, you will be constipated. For most people though, the valve is too open and this makes it easier for food to wash back up into your small intestine leading to bacterial overgrowth, toxins in your body and many negative long-term health effects.

It’s suspected that a malfunctioning ileocecal valve may be implicated in all kinds of symptoms like allergies, fibromyalgia, bad breath, indigestion, increased body odor, heart palpitations, irritable bowel issues, liver problems and migraines. It makes sense considering what we know about toxins and the digestive system, and it’s an often overlooked, but very important, area for healing your center.

Many things can contribute to an open or spasmed valve, but it’s just the usual offenders that you already know about like toxins; parasites; having low stomach acid (stomach acid triggers it to open and close); stress, which also disables its movement and your stomach acid; antacids; inflammation in the gut; eating inflammatory foods; not drinking enough water; not chewing your food properly and so on.

If your valve is closed, following a complete nutrition program will help it relax. Investing in your ability to relax in general will also help with your digestion. If your valve is open, following the principles in this article will help you get it back in Alignment.

First you have to eliminate stimulants and inflaming foods because they force your colon to spasm or move faster. Snacking constantly will keep food moving through your colon and not help the valve close and heal, so focus on a good diet, use the products listed in #4 above to reduce inflammation and digest your food and stay hydrated. Reducing your stress in either case is important, which is why eating mindfully is one of the key principles I always emphasize.

When you are stressed, the signals interrupt the movement of your colon and valve, which can result in misalignments. This is why treating your emotional wounds and aligning your mind is another important step in the healing process.

Besides these good practices, working with an experienced professional who understands the importance of organ Alignment or how to massage the ileocecal valve can be a priceless asset to your recovery.