Paleo and Regularity
Yes, I’m going there. Aside from seven year old boys (or maybe boys of all ages…)most of us don’t want to talk about it, and it’s gotten to the point where we’re uncomfortable discussing it. However, the frequency that one has a bowel movement can provide insight into their health.
What’s normal? Well, that can depend, but I’ll tell you what’s not- not going at least once per day.
Many people make the mistake of likening Paleo to Atkins or other diets that are very, very high in protein and very, very low in carbohydrates, even vegetables.
Keep in mind that in general, veggies have 7 – 11 times the amount of dietary fiber that you’d find in cereal grains, so the mere concept that cutting out grain in order to follow a true Paleo diet would provide a diet lacking in fiber is ridiculous.
If you’re eating veggies, veggies and more veggies at all meals, along with some fruit, balanced out with natural fats from avocado, and coconut and olive oils, and wild proteins, you’re doing it correctly and your body should adapt to becoming regular, assuming you’re generally in good health.
If you’re barely eating any veggies and living on several pounds of meat per day along with a variety of process paleo ‘treats’ not only is that not healthy, it’s not Paleo.
The bottom line (oh, dear, bad pun) is that if one’s diet is completely clean and paleo, food will be digested and waste eliminated properly. If, however, one is consuming items that are not actually meant for us to be eating, our bodies cannot recognize them nor can they be broken down properly.
Think of the sink analogy. As long as water is the only thing going in, as water is the one thing meant to go into a sink, it will not get clogged and stopped up. As soon as you add pieces of hair, gobs of toothpaste or the apple core that the little ones threw in as a joke, the sink is not going to empty properly.
No different when we add undesirable things to our body, such as gluten or any grains, dairy, legumes like soy and so on.
If you’ve really been following True Paleo and are not regular, something can be off, and, especially if you’ve got other symptoms like pain or bloodiness, you need to get to a doc and have things checked out. In some cases, certain tests may be warranted, and having more information is never a bad thing. Just be sure to ask a lot of questions and seek out a doc that will ask what you’re eating and is not inclined to resort to giving you an erroneous diagnosis of IBS (that’s what happened to me, pre Paleo) along with three prescriptions and a suggestion to eat more whole wheat and less raw veggies (also, me again).
Keep it Paleo and keep things moving!
