Squatty Potty Blog
6 Ways To Detox Your Colon And Poop Better
Most of the time, we can rely on our colon to be a self-cleaning organ. After all, the primary function of the digestive system is to push waste from our bodies. But your colon doesn't exactly evacuate all your waste in one fell swoop or sitting. Even if you’re assuming the proper pooping position with your feet up on a Squatty Potty, some of your fecal matter ends up stuck inside your colon between flushes. This lingering waste may not be ideal if you have constipation or other issues with bowel movements. Luckily, there are ways around these pooping problems. We’ve compiled six easy ways to detoxify and renew your colon for a better bathroom experience. Implementing these solutions and using a toilet stool to unclog your colon can help you have more effortless and satisfying eliminations. Shop Stools 1. Detox by drinking more water The easiest way to detoxify your colon is to drink more water. Water helps keep things moving through your digestive system and prevents constipation symptoms. If your body doesn’t get enough water, your colon may begin to pull water from your stool to maintain hydration. If you’re adequately hydrated, your body has a much easier time flushing waste out. How much water should you drink to help detoxify your gut? Experts say you should aim to drink about half your body weight in ounces of water per day. If you weigh 150 pounds, for example, your goal is to drink 75 ounces of water (a little more than half a gallon or 9 cups) per day. 2. Detox by dieting Diuretic foods and herbs can help the body expel waste and speed up detoxification. What are some examples of diuretic foods? Good question. Diuretic foods include celery, cucumbers, ginger, lemons, peppers, and parsley. Herbs such as dandelion root and parsley seeds have also been known to help alleviate constipation symptoms and keep you regular. Doctors also recommend eating a healthy amount of fiber. Fiber keeps the colon healthy by reducing constipation symptoms and fighting diverticulosis, the accumulation of tiny bulging sacs on the wall of the colon. Fiber comes from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Experts recommend eating about 25 grams of fiber daily to keep things moving properly. 3. Detoxify through exercise You already know that exercise is good for your overall health. But did you know it can also help detox your colon? Any activity that gets you moving and sweating will help keep your colon functioning properly. Whether walking around the block, taking a jog, or going for a hike, exercise has been proven to improve circulation and blood flow through your digestive tract, allowing your colon to perform at optimal levels. As long as you keep moving and stay active every day, you’ll be able to have cleaner-feeling stools faster than ever before. 4. Change your pooping posture How you sit on the toilet can significantly affect how well your colon expels waste. Most toilets are designed for sitting, not squatting. The American toilet design can cause uncomfortable shifting or twisting of your body as you try to get properly aligned over the bowl. Squatting using a toilet stool helps you avoid straining while pooping, so you can move your business out of your colon without much effort on your end. The squatting position offers several additional health benefits, such as improved blood flow through lower extremities and helping prevent stagnation between organs within our abdominal cavity. Not sure which toilet stool is suitable for you? Use our guide to find the stool that best suits you. Find the Right Squatty Potty for You 5. Take probiotics to improve gut health Adding a daily probiotic to your diet can help cleanse your colon and detoxify your gut. Probiotics are good bacteria that live in your gut and help keep it healthy. Probiotic foods or supplements won't only help your digestive system function more effectively, but they've also been shown to boost your immune system and improve brain function. When it comes to supplements, you might need to shop around until you find the right one that works for your gut composition. If you want to add probiotics to your diet naturally, fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or miso contain natural probiotic bacteria. 6. Look into a colon cleanse Colonic irrigation, also known as a colonic or colon hydrotherapy, is an alternative medical treatment that involves flushing out your entire large intestine with water. Proponents of colon cleansing believe that colon cleansing improves health by removing toxins, boosting your energy, and enhancing your immune system. However, there's no concrete medical evidence that colon cleansing produces these effects. In most cases, if you’re maintaining a healthy lifestyle and pooping in the right position, your digestive system and bowel already efficiently eliminate waste material and bacteria from your body without the help of a cleanse. Check with your medical provider to see if this procedure is right for you. The final turd So there you have it, six different ways to detox your colon and improve your health. By drinking more water, eating a healthy diet, and adopting a natural squatting position with a Squatty Potty, you’ll be well on your way to flushing your colon of toxins and enjoying a healthier gut.
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Why Does Coffee Make You Poop?
We’ve all been there. You take a sip of your morning coffee, and suddenly you feel the urge, the urge to purge. The question is: Why does coffee make us poop? If you’re curious about why a cup of joe makes you go, stick around and we’ll explain how coffee helps you move your bowels. Drinking coffee, eating a healthy diet, and using a toilet stool to unkink your colon have been proven to help produce better bowel movements. But why exactly does coffee—the magical elixir that improves everything from focus to mood—help us poop? Let’s dig into the details. Caffeine is key When you drink coffee, you flood your body with caffeine. A stimulant, caffeine doesn’t only wake up your mind, but it jump-starts your digestive system and prompts the bowels to release stool. Caffeine sends a signal to your stomach lining to release a hormone called gastrin. This hormone stimulates the contraction of smooth muscles in your digestive tract that move food toward your bowels. The faster these waves of muscle contractions work, the quicker food moves through your body and the more water is absorbed from your fecal matter, resulting in softer stools that are easier to pass. For some, a hit of caffeine can lead to a trip to the bathroom in just a few minutes. It's also one of the reasons people will do coffee enemas. Coffee keeps the gut healthy Much like assuming a proper pooping pose with a Squatty Potty, coffee keeps your digestive system running smoothly. Coffee is a complex drink. It contains more than 1,000 chemical compounds, many of which are good for the gut. Antioxidants such as polyphenols and minerals like magnesium can help keep you regular and prevent constipation. The caffeine in coffee also improves “good” bacteria counts in your digestive system by increasing bile acid production. This good bacteria, also known as probiotic bacteria, helps break down fat for digestion and absorption of nutrients into the body. Caffeine also boosts antioxidant levels, which reduce inflammation throughout the body and improve overall digestive health. Should you drink coffee to make you poop? If you find that coffee helps you poop, go for it! Studies show coffee can help you make and take better bowel movements, but you’ll need more than just java alone to stay regular. Good bowel health comes with regular exercise, a healthy diet, and using a specially designed toilet stool to help undo the kink in your digestive system. Not sure which toilet stool is right for you? Use our guide to find the stool that best suits you. Choose The Right Squatty Potty For You Like everything, doctors recommend drinking coffee in moderation. A few cups a day can help you poop, but drinking too many caffeinated beverages can also lead to diarrhea and constipation. Keeping your caffeine intake less than 400mg (or four cups of coffee) per day will help avoid stomach issues caused by overconsumption. The final turd A daily brew can help you poo. Coffee acts as a natural laxative, helping move food and waste through your digestive tract quicker and easier. In addition to giving you an energy boost to get things moving, coffee is also rich in antioxidants proven to boost gut health. Drinking less than four cups of coffee per day, assuming a natural squatting position with a Squatty Potty, and maintaining a healthy diet are all effective ways to make 'going' easier!
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6 Ways To Make Your Poop Smell Better
Sometimes taking a good bathroom break can leave you in a state of poo-phoria, especially when you use a Squatty Potty to position your body in a comfy squat. But as good as it feels, it can smell terrible—which is why, no matter where you are, you want to make sure the odor of your ordure is not overpowering. To help you make and take more pleasant smelling poops, we’ve compiled a list of ways to make your waste smell wonderful. Avoid strong-smelling foods If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: You are what you eat. Your poop is also, quite literally, what you eat. If you eat something with a strong smell, your poop will often retain that same odor. With that in mind, you'll want to steer clear of foods that are known for having a strong stench. If you’re worried about the essence of your excrement, you should try to avoid strong-smelling fruits and vegetables like onions, garlic, and cauliflower, or meats like fish or certain cuts of beef. Also note that the more you cook or fry these foods, the worse they’ll smell on the way out. Squat to get it all out at once The less you visit your bathroom, the less likely you'll be leaving behind bathroom odors. Squatting to eliminate is clinically proven to increase bowel emptiness which means you won't be going back for round 2.Using a specially designed toilet stool, helps undo the kink in your digestive system without any extra effort on your end. Not sure which toilet stool is right for you? Use our guide to find the stool that best suits you. Choose The Right Squatty Potty For You Keep your bacteria in check with probiotics In addition to assuming the proper pooping pose with a Squatty Potty, probiotics have also been proven to help regulate gut bacteria and keep your digestive system running smoothly. They promote good bacteria in your gut, which can help cut down on nasty smelling gas and waste. Probiotics don’t only help you take better smelling movements, they can also help with a range of other health issues like diarrhea, constipation and allergies. Check your medications If you’re taking regular medication, it’s probably for good reason. That said, medications could also be the culprit of your nasty-smelling stool. If you’re concerned about the scent of your scat, ask your doctor or pharmacist if your meds could be causing the odor. The conversation could lead to important conclusions about what the medicine is doing inside your body. Medications, for example, can sometimes cause constipation and diarrhea—both of which can smell unpleasant. In addition to odor, medications may also change your bowel habits, stool color and shape. So when looking for solutions to improve the smell of your poop, make sure to talk to your doctor first about any medication changes before trying any home remedies. Poop Regularly The longer your waste has to sit in your stomach, the worse it often smells. If you poop less than once every three days, it's easy for your stool to become hard and dry. This can lead to stinky gas that smells like sulfur or rotten eggs. Pooping more often is important for keeping things looking and smelling good down there. To help you avoid constipation, we’ve compiled a list of simple tips and tricks to get you unstuck when you’re in a jam. Simple tricks to avoid constipation Drink more coffee If you're dealing with digestive problems that make your poop smell bad, the solution could be as simple as drinking more coffee. Coffee is a natural stimulant known to increase the frequency of bowel movement and reduce constipation or bloating. Drinking coffee can help eliminate bad bacteria that leads to foul-smelling fecal matter. The final turd When it comes to changing the smell of your poop, it’s mind over (fecal) matter. Poop will always have a stench, but using these simple tips and tricks to take your waste from nasty to normal in the flush of a toilet. Avoid foul-smelling foods, tracking your gut health, and assuming a squatting position with a Squatty Potty are all effective ways to keep your bathroom smelling pleasant.
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What Your Poop is Trying to Tell You About Your Health
Your poop is talking to you. Not literally, of course—but every time you make a deposit at the ol’ porcelain bank, your body is trying to tell you something about your health. It might not be pretty, but feasting your eyes on your feces view can offer a wealth of information about the wellness of your digestive system. It can tell us how well you are eating, how much stress you’ve been feeling, and even what your hormone balance is like. Here are a few things you can learn by taking a peek at your poop.What the color of your poo is trying to tell you The color of your poop can give you the scoop on your internal workings. While a chocolatey brown poop indicates a healthy gut, anything different can indicate anything from poor diet to infection. Bright red stool is indicative of hemorrhoids or anal fissures, which can be irritating, but are relatively harmless. Yellow or green stool may signify gallbladder trouble, an intestinal infection, or a liver issue such as hepatitis or cirrhosis. Dark or black coloring may indicate ulcers, polyps, or internal bleeding. These issues could be potentially more serious. White specks could mean you have a parasitic infection…which, yikes. If you look down and see something colorful in your bowl, it could be a sign to contact your doctor. What the size of your poo is trying to tell you A medium, hot dog-shaped bowel movement means your body was able to successfully remove nutrients and water from your food. If your stools lack these characteristics, pay close attention to them and visit your doctor if they persist for long periods of time. If your poops are small or pellet-like, it’s a strong indicator that you’re constipated. If you're taking massive dumps, it could be a sign of excess fat in your intestines from poor diet or illness. And if your poop is wet and watery? You’re likely dehydrated, have a bacterial infection, or your hormones are out of whack. We spent a full post discussing why the shape of your bowel movement matters, so head over there if you want to learn more about what the shape and size of your poop really means. What the smell of your poo is trying to tell you Poop smells. That’s just the nature of discharging bodily waste. But, if the smell of your poop has recently changed for the worse or is excessively foul, it could be a sign of malabsorption of nutrients or bacterial overgrowth. Many different diseases, disorders, and conditions can also lead to distressingly nasty smelling stool. Identifying and treating the underlying cause of the odor early is important to minimize any potential complications or damage to your digestive system.What else can my poop tell me about my health? When you look down into your toilet and see anything but a brown, sausage-like turd at the bottom of the bowl, take note. If your stool is floating it could mean fatty acids are not being absorbed into the gut. Greasy stool could indicate pancreatic insufficiency. Undigested food particles can sometimes be found in healthy stool, but if you’re consistently seeing bits of last night's dinner in the bowl, you could have an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine caused by intolerance to food, a digestive enzyme deficiency, or allergies. Long story short, if you see something abnormal, it’s probably a sign that isn't working quite right in your digestive system.Our bowel movements can provide a wide range of information about our health. So, before you rush to flush, study your stool and see what it has to say.
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How Long Should It Take Me to Poop?
Everybody poops. But does everybody poop in the same amount of time? Hardly. Some people poop in the time it takes to read this sentence. Others can read this post in full...
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Five Simple Tricks to Avoid Constipation
Taking a hearty, healthy poop can be one of life’s great pleasures. No matter the consistency, letting one loose is a solid way to feel like you accomplished something during your day. On the other hand, one of life’s great miseries is not being able to shake one free. You’ve probably been there. You feel the urge. You head to the bathroom. You assume position on your trusty toilet and then—nothing. A daunting realization slowly creeps into your mind. You’re constipated. If you’ve ever suffered from constipation, then you know how uncomfortable and painful it can be. While there isn’t enough clinical data to prove the Squatty Potty can cure constipation, it can ease the strain of pooping by 90%. To help you on the toilet, we’ve compiled a list of simple tips and tricks to get you unstuck when you’re in a jam. 1. Fuel Your Poop Chute Properly The easiest way to avoid constipation is to simply eat more fiber. Not sure what fiber is exactly? It’s the portion of your food that your body cannot digest. Eating fiber creates a healthy, but indigestible mass that passes through your digestive system, helping the body eliminate waste and keeping things moving smoothly along. Eat more high-fiber foods like beans, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains to help restore regularity. 2. The More You Move, The More You Poop Constipation is often caused by our modern lifestyle. We sit in traffic, we sit at our desks, and we sit on the couch playing Wordle. We don't move around enough, which is why so many of us suffer from constipation. Gentle exercise is your best friend when it comes to keeping things moving through your digestive tract. Regular activity keeps your body busy and gives your internal plumbing less time to absorb water, keeping your poop nice and slick on the way out. 3. Let’s Get Regular Finding a stable poop routine keeps the intestines clean. Constipation is defined as having three bowel movements or less per week. Training your body to poop once per day can provide serious constipation relief. Here’s a tried and true poopus-operandi: Start your day by drinking a cup of water and coffee each morning. Ingesting fluids right when you wake up rehydrates your body and helps your digestive system absorb essential vitamins and minerals that keep everything running smoothly. 4. Listen to Your Fart When you feel the urge to purge, it is probably best to heed it. When you put off pooping for a more convenient time, you’re sending signals to your colon to stop pushing and start storing. The longer you wait, the harder it can be to get those digestive juices flowing and those internal muscles pumping. To avoid constipation, listen to your body as soon as it says it’s time to go. 5. Don’t Let Stress Get You Down in the Dumps The more mental stress you feel, the higher the physical toll on your body. Anxiety and stress not only drive some of the bad habits that cause constipation (poor diet, lack of exercise, etc.), but they can also literally affect the function of your sphincter. Finding solace in this day and age is easier said than done, but activities like meditation, yoga, or even taking a short walk have been proven to help put the mind at ease. The smoother your internal thoughts, the smoother your external poos. If you’ve experienced constipation, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s estimated one in five Americans suffers from chronic constipation. Next time you’re feeling stuck, avoid becoming one of them by using these simple tips to relieve your constipation symptoms.
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Choosing The Best Squatty Potty For You
The science is in—toilet stools are proven to help you enjoy more satisfying poops and alleviate downstairs bathroom issues. Propping your legs up on a bathroom stool allows your colon to straighten, providing extra space for your poop to exit smoother and more pleasurably. Deciding you want to have healthier and happier bowel movements is easy, but deciding which stool design works best for you can be more difficult. No butts or bathrooms are built the same. Different stools are going to work for different people. To help you find a stool that fits your lifestyle, we’ve created a guide to make you compare features and make your choice easier. Let’s find the best Squatty Potty for you. 7” or 9” in height. Which size is right for you? The 7-inch toilet stool is considered standard and recommended for all new squatters, tall people, and users with conventionally sized toilets (14”-16”). The 9-inch stool is recommended for shorter people or those who consider themselves more limber or experienced squatters. People with Comfort Height toilets should also consider choosing a taller 9-inch stool. Not sure about the size of your toilet? Break out the measuring tape, lift the seat, and measure from the top of the bowl to the floor. If you get anything above 16.5” in height, you might be a 9-inch stool candidate. Still not sure which size is right for you? Squatty Potty has your indecisive ass covered. The Adjustable Stool and Bamboo Flip models have versatile two-height designs to ensure you find the most comfortable squatting position every time. Are you self conscious about your stool? All Squatty Potty stools are designed to fit conveniently at the base of your toilet. If you’re a self-conscious squatter or bathroom neat freak, you may want to choose a stool that folds into compact form. Versatile models like the Fold-N-Stow, Oslo Bamboo Folding, Stockholm Bamboo Folding, or Travel Porta Squatty, let you easily stow and hide your stool when guests arrive. These stools offer all the sturdiness of a standard stool but with the added flexibility of folding for travel or storage. If you’re exhausted thinking about folding and storing but still uneasy about the thought of someone seeing your stool, Squatty Potty has models that quietly blend into the background. The Slim Ghost and Slim Frosted Ghost stools are so minimal, sleek, and understated, people might not even notice them beneath your toilet. Is your bathroom functional or luxurious? Squatters with regular, no-frills bathrooms may opt for more practical and affordable options such as the Original Squatty Potty. If you’re worried about your stool taking up space, you may also consider the sleek and minimal Curve design (available in pink, gray, or black). If you have an upgraded bathroom, Squatty Potty offers sophisticated stool designs to match modern bathroom interiors. These luxury sculpted options can provide a more seamless and aesthetically pleasing bathroom experience. Stools like Carrara Marble, Slim Teak Contempo, Slim Frosted Ghost can instantly elevate any bathroom. Do you have children? If you have a family, Squatty Potty has special stools to help your child poop healthier and create better toilet habits. Potty Pets can help make potty training easier, while stools like the Spongebob SquarePants Squatty Potty ensure they’re comfortable and having fun while relieving their “bikini bottoms.” Are you afraid of the dark? If you’re spooked by darkness or tired of stubbing your toe in your bathroom at night, a stool with a motion-activated night light can help you to find your way around the bathroom. The Eclipse stool can help you poop better and get you back to bed safely. Choose your stool Choosing the best toilet stool for you depends on several factors including style, budget, and more. Asking yourself these questions while browsing Squatty Potty’s collection of designs can help you find the best stool for you and put the days of uncomfortable eliminations behind you. Want to see the full list of stools? Click here!
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Why the Shape of Your Bowel Movement Matters
Ed Sheeran might be ‘in love with the shape of you,’ but over here, we’re ‘in love with the shape of poo.’
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Perfecting Your Morning Ritual Can Save Your Gut
We can all relate to that moment when you’re halfway out the door and the morning coffee hits. The cramping builds and you find yourself asking where this sensation was while you were sitting on the toilet and aimlessly scrolling through your phone. Before I owned a Squatty Potty, I knew this predicament all too well and was always wishing I had a few extra minutes to evacuate my bowels. Fast forward five years and now the most rewarding part of my job is helping people find their perfect morning squatting ritual to start their day. The GI tract is estimated to be 30 feet in length and while there are countless avenues to promote digestive wellness, I want to focus on the last 6 inches: the rectum. We often forget about this organ and I am frequently reminded how much power it holds over our gut health. The rectum is best described as a storage container that is in constant communication with your colon and signals the brain when you are ready to initiate a bowel movement. When you sit down on the toilet you increase intra-abdominal pressure and engage your pelvic floor muscles to unknowingly straighten your rectum to help pass stool. In fact, the word “rectal” originates from rectus meaning straight in Latin. Okay I digress – I have bored you with enough technical jargon! Perfecting Function So what happens when we don’t straighten out our rectum? Unfortunately, this is all too common and can lead to several issues including increased straining, incomplete emptying, upstream bloating/abdominal cramping, and even nausea. You may get diagnosed with constipation, hemorrhoids, or dyssynergia because your rectum is working overtime and understaffed. Even if you swear you have no problems with your bowel movements, I am here to tell you we can help your rectum too! Prior studies have demonstrated that squatting improves straightening your rectum. Squatty Potty has proven to replicate this alignment, while providing significant benefit in western populations like the United States. In 2019, I published a study with 52 healthy participants who recorded over 1100 bowel movements and found that individuals had increased bowel emptiness, reduced straining, and decreased time on the toilet while using the stool. I have seen this confirmed time and time again in my own practice. I recently had a follow up visit with a patient who had been struggling with debilitating symptoms of incomplete rectal emptying and the constant sensation of needing to pass stool for the past two years. He had already had lab work, stool studies, hydrogen breath test, colonoscopy, and cross sectional imaging without any answers. The simple suggestion of using a Squatty Potty resulted in significant symptom improvement within 4 weeks. Who would have thought that by straightening out the rectum we could improve quality of life at a fraction of the cost? I will be the first to admit that I didn’t appreciate the power of Squatty Potty until I made it part of my every day routine. Regardless of how “normal” you believe your bowel movements are, I implore you as well as every single one of my patients to go out and get one of these stools. You may find benefits similar to countless others while simultaneously improving your rectal function. Cheers to a bottom up approach to promote digestive health. Rohan Modi, MD Medical Advisory Council for Squatty Potty, LLC Gastroenterologist in Columbus, Ohio
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