A Canadian gut health expert has lifted the lid on how to tell if you’re fully emptying your bowels, saying you can still be constipated even if you go to the bathroom multiple times a day.
Roslyn Kent, a Vancouver-based Registered Holistic Nutritionist, is known as @plantsfirstnutrition on TikTok, where he has nearly 50,000 followers. He went viral after sharing his top tips for knowing if you’re endorsed or not.
“I need to point out the fact that yes, you have to eliminate all the stool that is in your colon and that has formed since the day before every day,” he explained at the beginning of the video.
“So this means all of the waste, all of the toxins, all of the bulk in the form of fiber, all of that stuff that makes up stool, you want to completely eliminate every morning.”
Roslyn Kent, a registered holistic nutritionist and gut health expert, went viral on TikTok after sharing her tips for determining if you’re fully emptying your bowels every day.
First, Kent advised doing a transit test, which measures how long it takes for food to travel through the digestive tract. She suggested eating corn and white sesame seeds for dinner to see if they show up in the bathroom the next morning.
He noted that if you’re not completely emptying your bowels every day, you’re likely “quite constipated,” which can cause bloating, food sensitivities, fatigue, hormonal imbalances and other “unexplained” chronic symptoms.
Kent’s first tip is to do a transit test, which measures how long it takes for food to travel through the digestive tract.
‘Eat half a cup of corn for dinner and also have a tablespoon of white sesame seeds stirred in water. Drink it at the same meal and see if they show up in the bathroom the next morning,” she said.
The expert told viewers that another indicator of constipation is having to wipe excessively after a bowel movement.
“If you have to keep cleaning, keep cleaning, keep cleaning, and that residue never seems to go away, chances are you haven’t completely emptied it,” he explained.
The volume of your bowel movement is also of paramount importance, according to the constipation expert.
“Your volume will tell you everything you need to know about how much you’re removing from the day before,” he said. ‘A small indication is that we want to aim at a large-volume bowel movement every day.
Finally, Kent suggested considering “how you feel after you have a bowel movement.”
The expert told viewers that another indicator of constipation is having to wipe excessively after a bowel movement.
The volume of your bowel movements is also of paramount importance, and the goal is to have a large-volume bowel movement once a day.
“You should feel satisfied and full after you have a bowel movement,” he concluded.
Kent’s video has been viewed more than 1.1 million times and has received almost 1,000 comments and questions about constipation.
‘Do you feel bloated? Do you feel uncomfortable? Do you feel that there are still some feces to eliminate? she asked.
‘If you feel any of these sensations, it is likely that you have not completely eliminated. You should feel satisfied and full after a bowel movement.’
Kent’s video has been viewed more than 1.1 million times and has received almost 1,000 comments and questions about constipation.
“I’ve always wondered if I’m pooping to my full potential,” one person wrote, while another added: “I don’t see this poop 1-2 times a week my whole life.”
‘What if I poop three times a day but the amount is small?’ someone else asked. ‘Almost no need to clean up afterwards.’
Kent filmed a follow-up video about what it means to have multiple bowel movements throughout the day, saying it’s likely a sign of constipation.
“I will say, however, that the more constipated a person is, their bowel movements are generally smaller and more frequent throughout the day,” he said.
Kent filmed a follow-up video to address the viewer’s question, saying that it’s a “very common scenario” that she wanted to address.
“If you have three small bowel movements a day, chances are you’re still constipated,” he said. What matters most is the volume of stool you are eliminating.
‘Then, of course, the word “small” is subjective, so we need to clarify that here. Do you have three rabbit pellet bowel movements every day or are you eating three small sausages every day?’
Kent once again advised taking a road test to determine what is going on.
“Ideally, we’re all having a large, full-volume, satisfactory bowel movement every day, but for many people that doesn’t happen,” he said. “So of course we also need to pay attention to volume and transit time.
“I will say, however, that the more constipated a person is, their bowel movements are generally smaller and more frequent throughout the day. Until, of course, they get to a point where they don’t even have a bowel movement some days.’
