Today I’m talking about digestive health…because, let’s be honest, if you don’t have it figured out, you’re not living your best life. I know WAY too many women who don’t poop on the regular, and that is not okay. Yes, I’m 30 and I just said the word “poop”. It happened.

Pooping is important! Isn’t it funny that no one talks about it, but when the bold friend of the group opens up about their irregularity, everyone else spills?! Everyone has something to contribute to a poop convo. You know it’s true!

I’ve struggled with irregularity my entire life…the women in my family were blessed with a metabolism that moves the speed of a turtle. It’s far from ideal, BUT, at least there are solutions out there. None of which I explored until more recently, which is why I’m sharing this post. DON’T WASTE ANY MORE TIME BEING CONSTIPATED! You don’t neeed to accept the constipated life. You can fix this!

Over the last year or so, I’ve found a few changes have been instrumental in improving my digestive health. It’s hard to say which of the things was the absolute deal breaker, but I’ve found that doing all of the below has helped me immensely. I can’t tell you how much better I feel (no more bloating!) – and I want that for you too.

FIBER FIBER FIBER.

An average woman needs 25g of fiber every single day (it’s 38g per day for men!). Most Americans don’t meet this limit, eating ~15/day! Don’t be one of those people! Outside of pooping on the reg, there are other benefits to eating a high fiber diet…including lower cholesterol levels, ability to maintain a healthy weight (because it keeps you full!) and it helps control blood sugar levels (decreasing chances of type 2 diabetes). Make a conscious choice to eat high fiber foods – think berries, dark leafy greens, beans, lentils, nuts and whole wheat. Oatmeal and hummus work too 🙂

If you can’t get enough fiber in your diet through food, take a supplement. Try the Yerba Prima daily fiber supplement or these Psyllium Husk Capsules. Both come highly recommended!

Cut down on the dairy.

Look, I LOVE dairy, but it seriously effs up my system. I’m not lactose intolerant, BUT, dairy doesn’t do me any good. Everyone is different, but dairy is known to be “binding”…aka constipating…due to the high fat/low fiber content. Cheese is obvi up there in terms of best foods on the planet, so I feel ya if you can’t completely cut it out. Just dial it down and combine it with a high fiber food, like a salad.

LOADS of water. Literally, nonstop. ALL DAY.

Did you know you should be drinking about eight 8oz glasses of water a day? Most people aren’t drinking nearly as much as they should…don’t be one of those people. I have a bottle of water at hand at all times. I probably drink 8-10 bottles of water a DAY. Yes, I have to pee nonstop, but the benefits outweigh the annoying bathroom trips. AND, the benefits go beyond just digestive health. Drinking more water will work wonders for your skin, helps you better manage food intake (because, well, you’re stomach’s full of water), improves brain function (yes, for real), boosts your immune system AND flushes out toxins. There isn’t one negative…minus the bathroom trips…but TOTES manageable.

Probiotics + Digestive Enzymes are key.

Last, but definitely not least…take a probiotic and a digestive enzyme. I started up on Care Of’s vitamin packs a few months ago, and have been taking the probiotics and digestive enzymes ever since. GAME CHANGING. You can create your custom vitamin pack on the site, based on your current health needs & goals. I’ve narrowed it down to the probiotic blend and digestive enzyme, and supplement it with a calcium vitamin. Use code CUDDLE25 to get 25% off your first month of vitamins. If you end up trying it, let me know how it goes!