At Home Gut Health Tests


MSMonday: At Home Gut Health Tests

To continue our discussion about all things gut health, we’re starting to trend towards testing now. This week we’ll tackle ways you can test your own gut health at home, without any fancy tests or having to spend tons of money (always nice, right?)

First, a slight disclaimer. As always, work with your doc if you think something bigger is going on. These tests only go so far. If you feel like something is not quite right, trust your gut! Lol, #sorrynotsorry. But seriously, a comprehensive stool test can do wonders for showing you what’s up with your gut bugs, and everything else in your inner pipes. More on all of those tests in the coming weeks too.

So, if you’ve never looked at your poop, it’s about time you start. Your poop will tell you SO MUCH about how you’re body is functioning, or not functioning on the day to day. It’s about time you got familiar with your poop norm, so you know when you’re out of the norm. And yes! This is a topic of conversation I discuss with clients! This is a big part of health, and needs to be talked about when discussing health.

Let’s get to it.

 

1. Visual Inspection

Told you we were gonna get down and dirty. As I mentioned above, this should be done often, like daily. The more you know about your gut and how it’s functioning, the better. A few things to be looking out for:

Color

Black/Red- This can be a sign of bleeding. (Black stools would be blood that’s from higher in your GI tract and red stools would be a sign of blood from lower in your GI tract). Either way, this is a sign to head to your doc. Unless, of course, you just ate some beets or took activated charcoal.

Green- Often caused by eating lots of veggies! If you’ve just had a huge spinach salad, then kale for dinner, you might be seeing some green in the bowl later. Usually not something to worry about, unless it is more frequent. It also could mean that you’re having a bit of a hard time digesting and absorbing the nutrients from the spinach, or your transit time could have been increased. If it persists over a few weeks, consider optimizing your gut health.

Yellow- Yellow stools can be caused by diet changes, but often they’re caused by illnesses, disease or inflammation. If it persists for longer than a week, you should be checked out by your doc for sure.

Pale/Greenish/Yellowish– This is usually caused by lack of bile. Bile is what gives our poop it’s normal brown color, and when it’s not there, it becomes pale in color. This can happen for many reasons, change in diet, inflammation, obstruction, etc. If you’ve eaten different foods than normal over the past few days, then I wouldn’t worry too much about it. But, if you notice it persisting for more than a few weeks, especially if it’s accompanied with physical symptoms (pain in your abdomen, excess gas, bloating, etc.), it’s time to see your doc.

Floaters

Floating poop is often caused by diet changes. Many people think floaters are caused by fat malabsorption, or too much fat in the stool, but this is often not the case. Usually floating poop is caused by too much gas that is trapped, usually caused by an increase in fiber. It can also be caused by poor digestion or GI distress/infection. Usually it isn’t an issue, but if you’re also feeling physical symptoms, something could be up.

Food Particles

Having undigested food particles in your poop can be alarming. But sometimes it’s not a big cause for concern. Some foods we eat are very hard for our systems to digest, and will go through our GI tract intact. Especially if we eat quickly, without chewing properly etc. If you’re noticing food particles, that’s the first thing to do. Slow down, chew your food thoroughly and make an effort to make it into small bits before even swallowing. If this is a persistent problem, it can indicate inflammation in the gut, low stomach acid or a need for digestive enzymes.

 

2. Transit Time

In simple terms, this is the time it takes from eating, to pooping. This can be helpful information so you know if you’re trending more on the constipated side (and might need more water/fiber) or more on the quick side (which might indicate inflammation/malabsorption issues).

Jury is out on “optimal” transit time, but anywhere from 24-48 hours is generally thought of as optimal. It’s also worth noting that men and women will probably be different here. Men being faster and women being slower, so take that into consideration too!

This is an easy test to do, pick something that will “show up” in your poop, beets work REALLY well here, so does corn (lol) although, not AIP friendly. Eat said food, then wait and watch. See how long it takes for it to show itself!

 

3. Frequency

This is another one where “optimal” can vary greatly. Some people’s optimal will be 3x per day, and someone else’s will be 3x per week. Those pretty much represent the ends of the spectrum. If you’re having more than 3x per day, especially if it’s loose/watery, that could indicate you’re not absorbing your nutrients like you should be. Having 3x per week (or less) you might need to up your water intake or veggie intake. If that doesn’t help, you might need to look into some testing to see if there is a gut flora imbalance at play as well.

 

4. Bristol Stool Chart

 The Bristol Stool Chart is a chart that helps people decipher where their poop is in terms of transit time. The longer it’s in your body, the harder and more formed it will be, and vice versa. Optimal poopage is around type 4.

However, it all depends on you, your history and what is normal for you, right? I read an interesting line that said “normal stools are not noticeable during defecation”. I think that illustrates everything perfectly. If you’ve had a history of pain and injury, then 5 or 6 might be more normal for you. It all goes back to bio-individuality in the end again, right?

That being said, if you’re seeing type 1/2 often, straining and in pain- that’s probably a sign of a bigger issue. Same with type 6/7, you might not be getting all the nutrients your food is providing.

 

What if you take the time to notice all these things and conclude your gut needs a little attention? Head back a few posts and check out how to get started with gut healing. That will get you started on improving any of these tests that you noticed didn’t quite go so well. And the beauty of at home testing like this, you can always be monitoring your results!

If you want more personalized suggestions, consider booking a Master your MS strategy call. On that free 30 minute call, we’ll tackle one question you bring (might be about gut health!) that you feel is holding you back from feeling your best. Book using the button below!

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I’M ALISSA!

I help women who have also been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis make specific and personalized diet, lifestyle & subconscious changes so that they can begin to heal their body, reduce disease symptoms, and return to a life they love.hey there,

follow along on Instagram:

First, save this for later!

Second, what you gotta know about “managing stress” is:
it really matters how you care for yourself in the moment and afterwards

You see, most of us know when we’re experiencing moments of stress, 
but we don’t know how to attend to ourselves to mitigate the impacts.

It all comes down to awareness of:
- Your present moment 
- How that moment is impacting your body 

Once you’re aware of how the stress you’re experiencing is impacting you and your body, THEN you can start attending to yourself and changing how your body handles stress.

👆🏼👆🏼that’s also how we mitigate stress induced MS symptoms or relapses.

Awareness is always the first step babe.

Wanna know more?

Come to my Masterclass all about stress + MS, Cultivating Resilience 

Comment ATTEND below and I’ll send you the link to save your seat!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #healingmultiplesclerosis #nervoussystemregulation #stressmanagement #spoonielife #thisisms

First, save this for later!

Second, what you gotta know about “managing stress” is:
it really matters how you care for yourself in the moment and afterwards

You see, most of us know when we’re experiencing moments of stress,
but we don’t know how to attend to ourselves to mitigate the impacts.

It all comes down to awareness of:
- Your present moment
- How that moment is impacting your body

Once you’re aware of how the stress you’re experiencing is impacting you and your body, THEN you can start attending to yourself and changing how your body handles stress.

👆🏼👆🏼that’s also how we mitigate stress induced MS symptoms or relapses.

Awareness is always the first step babe.

Wanna know more?

Come to my Masterclass all about stress + MS, Cultivating Resilience

Comment ATTEND below and I’ll send you the link to save your seat!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #healingmultiplesclerosis #nervoussystemregulation #stressmanagement #spoonielife #thisisms
...

5 1
Yes I had been moving consistently
Yes I had been eating my veggies

But, the big thing that has helped over the last few years is regulating my nervous system.

You wouldn’t necessarily think so right away but let me explain..

You see, working on your nervous system means improving the amount of stress your body can handle.

And when your body can handle more stress, you can do more things (like walk miles and miles)

Stress is one of the biggest triggers for MS symptoms and relapses, so working on your nervous system usually brings MS symptom relief.

ESPECIALLY when you’ve “done everything” and “nothing works”

I’m hosting a Masterclass on Feb 18th:
The MS Stress Solution

Inside you’ll learn my blueprint for nervous system regulation that I’ve used with my clients.

Comment STRESS below and I’ll send you the link to save your seat!!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #thisisms #becausems #stressmanagement

Yes I had been moving consistently
Yes I had been eating my veggies

But, the big thing that has helped over the last few years is regulating my nervous system.

You wouldn’t necessarily think so right away but let me explain..

You see, working on your nervous system means improving the amount of stress your body can handle.

And when your body can handle more stress, you can do more things (like walk miles and miles)

Stress is one of the biggest triggers for MS symptoms and relapses, so working on your nervous system usually brings MS symptom relief.

ESPECIALLY when you’ve “done everything” and “nothing works”

I’m hosting a Masterclass on Feb 18th:
The MS Stress Solution

Inside you’ll learn my blueprint for nervous system regulation that I’ve used with my clients.

Comment STRESS below and I’ll send you the link to save your seat!!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #thisisms #becausems #stressmanagement
...

11 4
Get in MS girlie, we have stress to manage 💅

But seriously… stress management is the KEY to symptom management when you live with MS or any autoimmune disease or chronic illness.

You see- STRESS is where our autoimmune diseases alllll started.

Either due to emotional stress, physical stress, environmental stress… you get the picture, stress is the problem.

And unfortunately- it’s never going away, we can only learn how to manage it better for ourselves and our bodies.

Totally lost on how to do that? I got you!

I’m hosting a free masterclass all about how to manage stress in your daily lives- and in a way that doesn’t add a ton to your already packed to-do list.

Wanna sign up? Duh..
Comment STRESS below and I’ll send you the link to save your seat!!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #thisisms #becausems #stressmanagement #seasonaldepression #healingmultiplesclerosis

Get in MS girlie, we have stress to manage 💅

But seriously… stress management is the KEY to symptom management when you live with MS or any autoimmune disease or chronic illness.

You see- STRESS is where our autoimmune diseases alllll started.

Either due to emotional stress, physical stress, environmental stress… you get the picture, stress is the problem.

And unfortunately- it’s never going away, we can only learn how to manage it better for ourselves and our bodies.

Totally lost on how to do that? I got you!

I’m hosting a free masterclass all about how to manage stress in your daily lives- and in a way that doesn’t add a ton to your already packed to-do list.

Wanna sign up? Duh..
Comment STRESS below and I’ll send you the link to save your seat!!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #thisisms #becausems #stressmanagement #seasonaldepression #healingmultiplesclerosis
...

5 0
It’s amazing what taking a few minutes to breathe and reassure yourself can do, ya know??

If you have MS and this gives you an immediate uncomfy feeling in your gut because you never advocate for yourself and your needs, 

You need to come to my next Masterclass:
Managing Stress to Manage MS

We’ll be talking about:
* How Stress Works: Discover how your body’s stress response system operates and why it plays such a big role in your overall health.
* Stress and MS: Understand how stress impacts MS symptoms and why it can sometimes make symptom flares worse.
* Building Your Resilience: Get simple, effective strategies to boost your stress resilience and help ease MS symptoms for a healthier, more balanced life.

Happening February 10th at 6pm EST!
Comment NEEDS below and I’ll send you the link to register! 

#multiplesclerosis #lissms #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #healingmultiplesclerosis #thisisms

It’s amazing what taking a few minutes to breathe and reassure yourself can do, ya know??

If you have MS and this gives you an immediate uncomfy feeling in your gut because you never advocate for yourself and your needs,

You need to come to my next Masterclass:
Managing Stress to Manage MS

We’ll be talking about:
* How Stress Works: Discover how your body’s stress response system operates and why it plays such a big role in your overall health.
* Stress and MS: Understand how stress impacts MS symptoms and why it can sometimes make symptom flares worse.
* Building Your Resilience: Get simple, effective strategies to boost your stress resilience and help ease MS symptoms for a healthier, more balanced life.

Happening February 10th at 6pm EST!
Comment NEEDS below and I’ll send you the link to register!

#multiplesclerosis #lissms #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #healingmultiplesclerosis #thisisms
...

9 1
This is hard!!

We feel like “we should be able to” still do the cleaning, chores, putting things away etc etc etc.. 

But in reality- our bodies need and crave rest and recovery first.

If we don’t give our bodies what they need voluntarily, they’ll find a way to make us.

Really struggle with this idea of listening to and caring for your body?
(I get it- it’s not a skill we’re taught)

I’m hosting a (free) masterclass on this and “managing stress” in January, comment CLASS and I’ll send you the link to sign up!! 

#multiplesclerosis #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #stressmanagement #lissms #thisisms #becausems #seasonaldepression #anxiety

This is hard!!

We feel like “we should be able to” still do the cleaning, chores, putting things away etc etc etc..

But in reality- our bodies need and crave rest and recovery first.

If we don’t give our bodies what they need voluntarily, they’ll find a way to make us.

Really struggle with this idea of listening to and caring for your body?
(I get it- it’s not a skill we’re taught)

I’m hosting a (free) masterclass on this and “managing stress” in January, comment CLASS and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!

#multiplesclerosis #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealing #stressmanagement #lissms #thisisms #becausems #seasonaldepression #anxiety
...

16 5
I get it..

It seems like it would be good.

Because others around you are taken care of..
Because others around you feel good..
Because others around you are happy..

But what about you??

In reality, that’s just making it harder for you to help yourself heal and probs making your MS symptoms worse.

I’ve worked with so many people with MS and autoimmune disease… 1 thing (among many) that they all have in common is a habit of putting others before themselves, saying yes way too much and forgetting about what they want themselves.

Feel a little called out?
Then my course Embodied Resilience is for you.

This is a course all about managing + improving your stress tolerance- since stress is the number 1 trigger of symptom flares and relapses

And- it’s on sale for Black Friday!!
Comment SALE below and I’ll send you the link!!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #healingmultiplesclerosis #thisisms #becausems

I get it..

It seems like it would be good.

Because others around you are taken care of..
Because others around you feel good..
Because others around you are happy..

But what about you??

In reality, that’s just making it harder for you to help yourself heal and probs making your MS symptoms worse.

I’ve worked with so many people with MS and autoimmune disease… 1 thing (among many) that they all have in common is a habit of putting others before themselves, saying yes way too much and forgetting about what they want themselves.

Feel a little called out?
Then my course Embodied Resilience is for you.

This is a course all about managing + improving your stress tolerance- since stress is the number 1 trigger of symptom flares and relapses

And- it’s on sale for Black Friday!!
Comment SALE below and I’ll send you the link!!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #healingmultiplesclerosis #thisisms #becausems
...

25 7
✨Moving your body✨

Notice I didn’t say exercise, although yes that also helps.

Stress hormones can get stuck in our bodies, our cells, our muscle tissue for various reasons.

Making it super easy for us to carry stress around with us- which shows up often as:

Pain
Tension
Trouble breathing
Difficulty with balance

It’s no coincidence that these are often prominent MS symptoms too. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where effects of MS end and effects of stress begin.

Being able to offload accumulated stress is key to being able to improve MS symptoms.

My course Embodied Resilience shows you exactly how to do this, and it’s gonna be on sale for Black Friday.

Comment ME below and I’ll send you the sale link when it’s ready!! 

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #nervoussystemhealing #nervoussystemregulation #stressmanagement #thisisms #becausems

✨Moving your body✨

Notice I didn’t say exercise, although yes that also helps.

Stress hormones can get stuck in our bodies, our cells, our muscle tissue for various reasons.

Making it super easy for us to carry stress around with us- which shows up often as:

Pain
Tension
Trouble breathing
Difficulty with balance

It’s no coincidence that these are often prominent MS symptoms too. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where effects of MS end and effects of stress begin.

Being able to offload accumulated stress is key to being able to improve MS symptoms.

My course Embodied Resilience shows you exactly how to do this, and it’s gonna be on sale for Black Friday.

Comment ME below and I’ll send you the sale link when it’s ready!!

#lissms #multiplesclerosis #nervoussystemhealing #nervoussystemregulation #stressmanagement #thisisms #becausems
...

9 2
I’ve seen myself and tons of clients through behavior change to help improve their MS + autoimmune disease symptoms.

There are SO MANY things that can help us.

But the one I’ve seen move the needle the most?

Working on your mindset and stress management tools.

We can change our diet
Change how we move 
Change the products we’re using
Change the supplements we take..

But if we’re still in the high stress state that most of us are in.. all those will only go so far.

Stress is my biggest symptom trigger, and 99% of my clients feel the same.

My biggest course sale is coming Black Friday, included is my course Embodied Resilience, all about learning how to actually manage stress- so you’re not constantly battling MS flares too.

My email list is gonna get first dibs..
Comment LIST below and I’ll add you so you’re notified first!!

I’ve seen myself and tons of clients through behavior change to help improve their MS + autoimmune disease symptoms.

There are SO MANY things that can help us.

But the one I’ve seen move the needle the most?

Working on your mindset and stress management tools.

We can change our diet
Change how we move
Change the products we’re using
Change the supplements we take..

But if we’re still in the high stress state that most of us are in.. all those will only go so far.

Stress is my biggest symptom trigger, and 99% of my clients feel the same.

My biggest course sale is coming Black Friday, included is my course Embodied Resilience, all about learning how to actually manage stress- so you’re not constantly battling MS flares too.

My email list is gonna get first dibs..
Comment LIST below and I’ll add you so you’re notified first!!
...

18 8
And my period started to add to the joy 🙃🙃

We can do hard things y’all,
breathe in, breathe out,
all will be well.

#Electionstress #seasonaldepression #anxiety #multiplesclerosis

And my period started to add to the joy 🙃🙃

We can do hard things y’all,
breathe in, breathe out,
all will be well.

#Electionstress #seasonaldepression #anxiety #multiplesclerosis
...

19 4

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