Speaker A [00:00:02]:
Welcome to the Paralysis Nutrition podcast, where changing your eating habits is the key to losing weight, improving bowel health, and feeling your best. I’m your host, Fatima Fakouri. I’m a registered dietitian who’s married to a quadriplegic and specializes in nutrition for paralysis. Get ready to be inspired, educated, and motivated so you can take control of your health using the power of food. Let’s get started. This is the Paralysis Nutrition podcast. Hi, everyone. Good afternoon.
Speaker A [00:00:31]:
So welcome everyone to the masterclass. Today we’re going to talk about three secrets to shorten your bowel program. All right, so today I’m going to show you how you can make the ultimate shift from struggling with your bowels, feeling frustrated, wasting your time, to feeling relieved and free. By the end of our time together, you’re going to learn how changing your diet can help you poop easy with paralysis and stay with me until the end. I’m going to talk a bit about the poop easy with paralysis course and this time I have two options. Is the first time I’m doing a VIP option and there’s also going to be the self study option. So turn off your distractions, shut off the phone, put away the iPad, turn off the tv. Let’s just spend some time together talking about this very big thing in all of my clients lives, which is pooping bowel program, gut health, bloating, digestion, all of that stuff.
Speaker A [00:01:41]:
So I want to do a quick one minute exercise and this is just, you know, for you to think about. How much time have you spent trying to poop? How much time? For people who have spinal cord injury, there’s going to be a big difference between before your injury and after your injury. Before your injury might have been a couple minutes a day. After injury it could be couple hours, whatever it is. Same with people who have like transverse myelitis, muscular dystrophy, there’s, there’s kind of this before paralysis and after paralysis, and obviously those two things are gonna look very different in terms of bowel health and pooping. If you’re somebody who was born like with spina bifida or any other diagnosis and you’ve always had a neurogenic bowel, then that experience is gonna look a little different. So how much time have you spent in your life trying to poop? It’s a lot of time for a lot of people. And that’s what I want to help you with today.
Speaker A [00:02:54]:
If you have attended a prior masterclass about bowel health with me, some of this stuff is New. But a lot of it is going to be what I talk about all the time. What I talk about on social media, about healthy eating and pooping. Okay? So today I really want to focus on the time, how much time, because when you eat better, you spend less time on your bowel program. So obviously a lot of people are losing precious time trying to poop. And that’s just unfortunate, right? There’s a lot of frustration, there’s a lot of stress. There’s a strain on social life, work life. There is a loss of independence that comes with having, for some people, for having to do about program at all.
Speaker A [00:03:47]:
There’s accessibility issues. So someone just asked me yesterday, like, I’m new to injury and I have accidents. So, like, I can’t go anywhere, I feel, because there’s not accessible bathrooms everywhere. And that can even lead to, like, agoraphobia, fear of leaving the house. And I really think that this is something that affects mental health. And it’s all this big cycle, right? If your bowels aren’t right, you have all these issues, you feel terrible, it affects your mental health. And then when you have poor mental health, it’s hard to make changes, right? Because you’re not feeling right in your mind. You’re not going to wake up one day and just be like, oh, I’m going to change everything about myself and I’m going to eat healthier.
Speaker A [00:04:37]:
You’re not going to do that because you’re stuck. So I’m hoping today I can give you some ideas to get you unstuck mentally and physically. So the mental burden, the physical toll, you know, sitting there for a long time and the emotional trauma of living with neurogenic bowel is really immense. And it needs to be talked about more. Doctors need to talk about this more. Rehab needs to talk about this in a different way, you know, and as a dietitian, this is my wheelhouse. Like, this is what you eat is going to have the biggest impact on how well or not well your bowels are functioning. And you guys probably know, I am a dietitian.
Speaker A [00:05:22]:
My husband is quadriplegic, so I do not have neurogenic bowel. But living with someone, you know, what is it, like, 10 years now, being married almost. I kind of know how you feel too, because these bowel issues, when they come up, they affect me too. Three years ago, my husband missed Christmas because he was in the bathroom. And I hate telling the story, but I also need to tell this story because this has happened to lots of people. And so this Picture is from Christmas Eve that day that year. But the next day, Christmas Day, I had to take my kids to my mother in law’s house for Christmas by myself because my husband was in the bathroom. Coincidentally, three years ago was also when I started Paralysis Nutrition on Instagram and decided that I wanted to use my nutrition knowledge and, you know, kind of like my practical personal experience living with someone who has a spinal cord injury.
Speaker A [00:06:24]:
Wanted to put those things together to help people because I figured, you know, there’s probably other people like my husband out there and I don’t want them to miss out on life. Bowels are a hidden challenge for most people. No one really talks about your bowels and how they can really affect your quality of life. On Christmas Day, I didn’t walk in and say, oh, Merry Christmas, everybody raised in the bathroom. No, I couldn’t say that. I had to kind of hide that because that’s just. I’m not going to go in there and say that. So a lot of times I know my clients miss out on things and they don’t even say why they’re missing out because it’s a hidden thing.
Speaker A [00:07:02]:
We don’t want to tell our friends and family about our poop, but you can always talk to me about poop. So we are going to talk about how you can improve things. And when you improve your bowels, other things start to improve too, which is really, really great. So today you have taken this time, whether you’re with me live or you are watching a replay, you have taken the time to talk about this, to deal with this, to to address this topic, right? So you’re in the right place today if you want more freedom. My God, I have so many people who reach out to me on social media and say, like, I don’t make plans. I don’t really, I can’t really do anything because my bowels are just unpredictable. So if you want more freedom in your life, you are in the right place. If you feel excited because you have heard success stories, you have listened to people’s stories on the podcast, whatever it is, if you know that bowels can get better with nutrition and you just can’t wait to hear what I have to say, you feel excited, you are in the right place, too.
Speaker A [00:08:14]:
And if you feel curious, if you’re new to maybe, maybe you’re new to my world, maybe you’re new to paralysis nutrition, maybe no one ever taught you about how food affects your gut, which affects your bowels, which affects your life. If this is new to you, and you feel curious, you are in the right place, too. And so whatever it is, whatever your reason for being here, your motivation, I fully support you. And I also want to call attention or recognize people here, right, who are, who are listening to me right now, who are like me, who do not have neurogenic bowel. You are a loved one. You are a caregiver, you are a spouse, you are a boyfriend, you are a girlfriend, you are a parent. You are the support, whatever you want to call yourselves. If you are here on behalf of someone else because you want to learn, you know, I fully support that too.
Speaker A [00:09:11]:
So if you don’t know me, my name is Fatima. I am a registered dietitian. I have a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from nyu and I am the wife of Ray. And he has been a quadriplegic for 20 years. He is a C67 incomplete quadriplegic. And we’ve been married for. I think I should know this. We’ve been together for 10.
Speaker A [00:09:33]:
I think we’ve been married for nine. I’m also the founder of Paralysis Nutrition, the author of the Paralysis Nutrition Cookbook, and I’m the host of the Paralysis Nutrition podcast. Links for all these things can be found on my social media pages. What I really want you to know, forget about me. What I really want you to know is that you are going to have so much more freedom when you improve your bowel health. You can also, you will be happier. Literally, you will be happier and you’ll feel lighter mentally and physically. You’ll feel more energetic.
Speaker A [00:10:11]:
And these things are going to happen when you eat the right foods and you take care of your gut. I’m going to share a couple of quick stories from past clients. This is past client Richie. When I met Richie, he was waiting half the day. Those are his words. Waiting half the day to poop. He was drinking black coffee. He was taking suppositories, sometimes multiple.
Speaker A [00:10:39]:
He was drinking warm prune juice. Yuck. And he was waiting half the day to go. When he made the dietary changes, he started to be able to poop without suppositories. And he was able to go in five minutes. He’s also quadriplegic. I’m going to say it’s almost like 40 years now that he has been quadriplegic. So don’t think that, oh, you know, I’ve been in my chair for 10 years.
Speaker A [00:11:09]:
This is, you know, it’s too late now. Your bowels are really receptive. And when you change your diet, you can see Changes in like a week, sometimes even just a couple of days. So it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been injured. This is past client Asa. She said I was so bloated and constipated, and I used to go once or maybe twice a week, and now she goes every day. Also, when I met her, was on a keto diet from her personal trainer and eating like 900 calories, not losing weight, feeling bloated and constipated. We fixed that.
Speaker A [00:11:46]:
Now she goes every day. So past client Jason joined my program. And it’s so funny because he said my bowels are pretty okay. And I, you know, then I asked him a couple of questions and come to find out he goes every day, but it takes 90 minutes. So to me, that’s actually not that okay. But to him, it was okay because he’s heard horror stories, right. From the Internet, where people like to share their horror stories. So he thought 90 minutes every day wasn’t too bad.
Speaker A [00:12:14]:
Well, he wasn’t eating right. Let’s just say that. And by September, he shaved, like, 15 minutes off. And by October, which was two months after he joined, he was down to 30 minutes. From 90 minutes to 30 minutes from August to October. So that is a savings of seven hours per week. I told you I wanted to talk about the time today because that is really just something that we don’t talk about. How much time you are spending going to the bathroom when you could have been doing other things, anything, anything, just not be in the bathroom.
Speaker A [00:12:47]:
So seven hours per week is 28 hours a month. Multiply that 364 hours a year, that is 15 entire days per year that Jason is not going to be spending stuck in the bathroom. Yeah, that’s two weeks that he would have been spending in the bathroom. That’s just crazy. He also, during his time in the program, lost six inches from his belly. And this is, you know, not a person who was looking to lose weight. This was a person who was constipated and bloated and lost six inches from his belly. So a lot of you, I know, want to lose inches from that midsection, and you’re really going about it the wrong way, trying to eat as little as possible, trying to skip meals.
Speaker A [00:13:34]:
You know, that’s not the way. Heal your gut, eat better, poop more frequently, and in less time, and you will lose inches from your belly. So can you imagine what it would feel like to spend less time in the bathroom, to not be bloated and then start to lose inches off of your belly, because that is what eating right will do for you. When you have neurogenic bowel, it does not mean that it’s impossible to poop without laxatives or medications. It does not mean that this is the way it is and that you are destined to always struggle and spend hours in the bathroom. Neurogenic bowel means that you have slow gut motility. That means that things are moving, but slowly. So you have to stimulate your gut to move.
Speaker A [00:14:25]:
You have to eat the right foods. You probably also have low stomach acid. That’s really common with paralysis. And you might have some gut dysbiosis as well. Well, dysbiosis means that there is an imbalance between beneficial and harmful bacteria in your gut. These are really, really common things. Eating a gut healthy diet is the single most powerful and effective way to improve constipation and bloating. When you have neurogenic bowel and you can start eating right today, we’re going to talk about that, right? And like I said, you can see results in as soon as one week.
Speaker A [00:15:06]:
It is really surprising, but also exciting that what you eat has such a profound impact on your bowels and how you feel. So here’s a little roadmap of where we’re going. Okay, Number one, we’re going to talk about eating breakfast. I know I say it all the time, but we’re going to really get into it today. Number two, we’re going to talk about the vagus nerve. I usually only talk about the vagus nerve in the poop Easy with paralysis program, but I am not here to gatekeep my secrets. I really. It’s not a secret.
Speaker A [00:15:41]:
I want you to know from this masterclass today how you can immediately, like today, not tomorrow, not next week, today, take positive action towards improving your bowel program. Number three, we’re going to talk about fiber and fluid balance. And then we’re going to talk about the poop Easy with paralysis program. And then we’re going to do a live Q and A. So secret, number one, not so secret if you follow me on social or listen to any of my podcasts or hang out with me at all on the interwebs. But it seems to be a secret because so many of y’all don’t do it. Okay? Eat breakfast. It is so important.
Speaker A [00:16:23]:
Skipping breakfast is not good for your bowels. Some of the benefits of breakfast, it stimulates your gut to move. So I would say, I don’t know, you guys. I’ve had hundreds of clients at this point, both in Weight loss coaching and in masterclasses and in the Poop Easy program. And everyone pretty. Not everyone. Okay, 80. Yeah, 80.
Speaker A [00:16:49]:
- 85% of the people that I have worked with do a morning bowel program. So if you are not eating breakfast, if you’re not having a meal in the morning before your bowel program, it’s going to take you so much longer. Because pooping on an empty stomach is like basically your intestines, your gut, there’s nothing in it. So it’s just like when you’re sleeping or it’s just like when you’re reading a book or hanging out. There’s nothing going on in your gut. When you eat, your gut slowly starts to move. Food stimulates your gut.
Speaker A [00:17:31]:
So, I mean, I could end this, this secret right here. The, the reason that you need to eat breakfast is if you do a morning bowel program, you need to stimulate your gut to move. You have neurogenic bowel. So your gut isn’t. You can’t like get on the toilet and just push, which is, no one should be doing that. But you can’t do that when you have neurogenic bowel. So you need to stimulate your gut to move. You need to eat breakfast.
Speaker A [00:17:58]:
It also lowers your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone which is higher in the morning. Cortisol is your stress hormone. We don’t want our cortisol building up and up and up and up because the gut hates that. The gut hates anxiety, the gut hates poor mental health. The gut doesn’t like stress. Okay, so eating breakfast, eating a meal when you wake up, ideally within 30. I mean, okay, one hour, let’s say one hour.
Speaker A [00:18:29]:
If you want to be perfect, within 30 minutes of waking up, you’ll eat something so that it can lower your cortisol levels. We are in a very stressful world and life with disability, life with neurogenic bowel is more stressful. Okay? So we want to lower those cortisol levels by eating in the morning. It also helps to balance your blood sugar. So 2. So in the SCI community, the prevalence of diabetes is two and a half times higher than the general population. So that’s a lot. Two and a half times is high.
Speaker A [00:19:09]:
So if you have SCI and you know that you’re at a higher risk for diabetes, you want to focus on balancing your blood sugar before the doctor tells you you have prediabetes before you end up on metformin. And I will tell you, I took a poll recently in my three month weight loss coaching program on how many people had diabetes or pre diabetes. And it was more than I thought. So breakfast is going to help balance your blood sugar. It also helps reduce bloating in a number of ways. One, when you eat breakfast in the morning, that means that you are getting kind of go to go into the second one too. It’s an opportunity to get your protein, your fiber, your nutrition, your good nutrients. When you skip a meal, any meal, you’re going to overeat at the next meal because you’re starving, right? So eating breakfast has so many benefits that it needs to be a priority.
Speaker A [00:20:12]:
And I will tell you, it has been a struggle for me to eat breakfast and it is one of the big things that I’m focusing on this year for myself. My husband is better at eating breakfast than me. I’m not as good, but I, you know, I had, I had something small today. I had two boiled eggs and I had a cup of raspberries actually right after I dropped off my kids. So, you know, it feels good. You know, I’m, I’m not running on stress hormones. My tummy isn’t rumbling, you know, and this has nothing to do with my, you know, ability to poop or not to poop. Like the stakes are not as high for me because it’s not like I’m the one who’s going to have all of these great benefits from my bowel program.
Speaker A [00:20:56]:
But for everybody, everybody needs to eat breakfast. Okay? And especially if you are doing a morning bowel program, this is completely just a non negotiable. So what should you eat? Right. A gut healthy breakfast has fiber, dietary fiber from colorful plants. So fruit like I told you I had raspberries, vegetables or whole grains. Protein. Aim for 20 grams of protein minimum, a healthy fat and little to no added sugar. So that is what a gut healthy breakfast consists of.
Speaker A [00:21:36]:
A gut healthy breakfast is not special K or some similar processed cereal. A gut healthy breakfast is not a pop tart, a protein bar, an ensure. Coffee is not breakfast, a donut, a muffin, a bagel with cream cheese. These are not gut healthy breakfasts. They can be part of a gut healthy breakfast. I like a half of a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese. But you have to have your protein, you have to have something else with it. Coffee is fine, but you need to have it with your meal.
Speaker A [00:22:12]:
Coffee on its own in the morning, first thing spikes your cortisol. So we do not want to do that. I also note on the breakfast front, I want you to eat fruit in the morning. Fruit is so good for you. Don’t be afraid of the sugar or the carbs that comes from fruit. These are naturally occurring sugars. Okay? Fruit has fiber. It’s very, very good for your gut.
Speaker A [00:22:37]:
And you’ll want to pair your fruit with a healthy fat or a protein to balance it. Okay? So those, those are the things, right, that we talked about. What is a gut healthy breakfast? If your fruit is your carb. Like for example, I mean I ate a very small breakfast today because I was in a rush, but I had raspberries, right? Raspberries are colorful. They’re a plant. They’ve got fiber, carbs, natural sugars. And I paired it with two boiled eggs which are protein and fat. So don’t peel the skin off.
Speaker A [00:23:12]:
I always tell my mother in law, we see her peeling the apples and peeling the pears and I’m always like, no, that’s like really good stuff there. And fresh or frozen are great options. Frozen is great for smoothies or to add to like oats or something. And some of my favorite fruits to help you poop pears. One pear or one apple is a serving of a fruit. Two kiwis. Don’t sleep on kiwis. Kiwis are so, so good.
Speaker A [00:23:45]:
They are natural stool softeners. Berries. A cup of berries, high fiber, full of polyphenols, so, so good. A cup of cut up melon or papaya, figs or prunes. So like dried or fresh, either one is fine. So these are my honestly, all fruits help you poop, but these are the ones that really help you poop. And when it comes to breakfast, think outside the box because you can eat whatever foods you like in the morning. It doesn’t have to be like a traditional American breakfast, to be honest.
Speaker A [00:24:25]:
Traditional American breakfast. Like when I think about going to the diner on a Sunday morning or something, that’s what I think of as like a traditional American breakfast. It’s not really that healthy, is it? I mean it’s like pancakes, waffles, French toast, all of those are very, very heavy carb. And then we put syrup, which is, you know, sugar. And maybe we’ll get eggs, which is great, but then we’ll do like this high fat meat like bacon or sausage. It’s like that’s not, that’s not gut healthy. That’s not a gut healthy diet. You can eat whatever you like.
Speaker A [00:24:59]:
It’s winter here in New York. Obviously it’s January and it’s not really smoothie season. But where you live it might not be 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside and you may be like a smoothie in the morning. You can eat salad for breakfast, you can eat a turkey sandwich for breakfast. You can eat whatever foods that you like. I love hearing about different cultures and what they eat around the world. I did a yoga retreat earlier this year in Latin America, in Central America. And every day I ate warm eggs and beans and, you know, fruit and just totally different foods than what you would find typically in New York.
Speaker A [00:25:47]:
Right? For breakfast in New York, it’s like bagel of cream cheese. But there are so many beautiful food traditions around the world and you can learn from them. Adopt, adopt those things. In Asia, they’re, they’re drinking like hot miso soup and like boiled eggs. Think outside the box. Be inspired. Eat whatever you want in the morning and you know, rethink your routine. Because a lot of people are like first thing in the morning, suppository.
Speaker A [00:26:16]:
Then they drink some coffee, they’re checking their email. It’s like you’ve been doing that for years and it takes you a really long time to poop. So let’s rethink the routine. Honestly, I could do a whole masterclass just on morning routine. Maybe I will rethink your routine. Maybe you’re doing things in an order that is not serving you. Try to stay off of social media. I have gotten pretty good at that and also the not checking email.
Speaker A [00:26:45]:
So I have gotten good at that. Now I don’t look at it until after I drop my kids off in the morning and I try to even stay off of my phone period until after I eat breakfast. I know some of you are waking up and scrolling. That’s not the way to do it. Mornings are a sacred time. You need to eat some breakfast, drink some water, you know, take your vitamins, your medications, if you take any, do some deep breathing, you know, set your intention for the day. You know, don’t just wake up and try to poop, you know, like on an empty stomach. Because that’s, that is truly what a lot of people are doing and it’s not working very well.
Speaker A [00:27:29]:
Secret number two, strengthen your vagus nerve. Vagus nerve is so fascinating, you guys. I actually just signed up for a two day professional development course from this therapist that I found online all about the vagus nerve. So I’m really excited to dive into that. I have not looked at it yet, but the vagus nerve connects your brain and your gut, okay? It is completely intact even after you have a spinal cord injury. And it is our secret weapon against bloating and constipation so that your gut, like your intestines and your brain, are connected via the vagus nerve. Strengthening your vagus nerve will improve constipation and bloating. Exercise your vagus nerve daily to shorten your bowel program.
Speaker A [00:28:25]:
This doesn’t mean you’re going to do it two, three times. And, oh, your bowel program is better. No, Rome was not built in a day, and your vagus nerve is not going to get stronger in a day or two. This is something that you need to commit to. Neurogenic bowel is. I mean, it’s a beast. Like, it sucks, you guys, it sucks. And the good news is that we have these things, like the vagus nerve intact that can help you improve these symptoms.
Speaker A [00:28:57]:
And obviously, you know, you have nutrition, too, but your vagus nerve is something that you can do pretty much anytime, any place, which is really cool. Strong vagal tone. That’s what we call it when your vagus nerve is a strong, strong vagal tone aids your digestion. Okay, here are some ways to stimulate your vagus nerve. Pick one, Pick to try all of them. Deep breathing. So deep breathing before and after meals, that’s like a really easy habit to build because, I mean, you eat multiple meals a day, right? I would hope so. For 20 seconds, one minute, practice some deep breathing.
Speaker A [00:29:42]:
You know, in for four, out for four. In for four counts. Out for four counts. Deep breathing sets your body into rest and digest mode. Something that I noticed about myself is that I’m always eating in a rush, and that is not good for my digestion. And I know a lot of us are, like, eating lunch at our desks or, you know, if you follow me on Instagram, you know, sometimes I’m eating my lunch in the car. Like, this is not okay, right? This is not good. We need to take time.
Speaker A [00:30:18]:
We need to breathe and eat, you know, and nourish ourselves. So deep breathing is one way to stimulate your vagus nerve. Humming. Humming and singing. These are things that you can do in the car, before bed, in the morning, whenever you want, sing in the shower. And when. When I say humming, I don’t mean, like, do to do. To do.
Speaker A [00:30:44]:
Like. No, I don’t mean that kind of humming. I mean the kind where your lips are vibrating. Like that type of humming. I feel that in the back of my throat when I’m doing it. Gargling. So I love gargling for, like, maybe, maybe one minute at night. And I use hot water and I use.
Speaker A [00:31:12]:
Well, not hot, like. Like warm Warm water and I put salt in it. It’s very good for your vagus nerve. And it’s also, I mean, gargling with salt is a. Probably like an ancient practice. And it’s supposed to be kind of like removing some. What do you call it? Not bacteria, but like it’s supposed to. Supposed to kind of clear things out that salt water.
Speaker A [00:31:40]:
And so I have been gargling for years, kind of on and off. I never knew that it stimulates your vagus nerve, but it is great. I have people who say that they gargle before they do their bowel program and then they do it at night as well. Laughing. So whether it’s with people, whether it’s by yourself, whatever. Laughing. Laughing is, is a good way to stimulate your vagus nerve. Turning the shower to cold.
Speaker A [00:32:04]:
Okay, I cannot do this. I. I cannot do it. But cold exposure is a great way to stimulate your vagus nerve. It’s also really good for anxiety. I noticed that when, I mean, I have anxiety. I’ve been diagnosed with anxiety for. Since I was in my early 20s.
Speaker A [00:32:22]:
So I know that cold therapy helps me. I can’t turn the shower to cold, but what I do is I. When I’m washing my face in the morning and at night I use warm for like the most kind of time. And then at the end I splash with cold that I can tolerate. So if you are a person who can do the shower to cold, that’s great. My husband does it. I don’t know how, but he likes doing that. And meditation.
Speaker A [00:32:47]:
This is also a big area of life that I am focusing on these days. Got myself a little cushion. I have an app that helps me with guided meditation. It’s called Calm. I highly recommend it. These are all the ways that you can stimulate your vagus nerve. They’re all free. None of them require anything.
Speaker A [00:33:08]:
I mean gargling and turning the shower to cold, those require water. But everything else, you can practice these things all day long, on and off. Get into the habit. Stimulate your vagus nerve because it is intact and it is really effective. When you have strong vagal tone, your digestion improves and your bowel program is easier and shorter. Some things to add, you can listen to music or podcast or something when you’re in the bathroom. You can sing along. You can do some aromatherapy.
Speaker A [00:33:45]:
I love essential oils or candles. My husband loves candles in the bathroom. Just kind of whatever you can do to calm yourself during this time. Right. Having a negative mindset isn’t going to help you have an easier Bowel program. Some people say that even just like the site of their toilet or the site of their commode or their shower chair puts them in a nasty mood. And I understand because when you see it, you see frustration, you see loss of time, you see all this negativity. I get it, I get it.
Speaker A [00:34:18]:
When I see the shower chair in my bathroom, I don’t like it. I mean, who likes looking at a shower chair? It reminds me of, you know, the time that my husband needs to spend on his bowel program. But that’s not going to help you. So eating right, managing your stress, right, which is really what vagal tone is, is about, right? It’s a, it’s a practice of reducing stress. But whatever it is, you know, mindset wise that you need to work on, this is important, right? Because so many people just have a really, really long history of struggling with bowels. And so, yeah, there is some mental, you know, there’s anguish there, there’s frustration there, there’s negativity there. And doing things to counteract that mindset is going to help you, help you move through because it can get better. I have seen it get better.
Speaker A [00:35:16]:
I literally have spoken to people where I’m not sure if I can help them because they’re, it’s so severe. It’s so. You know, people tell me I poop once a week and I’m just like, oh my God, I don’t even know if I can help you. And guess what? Every time it gets better. When they eat, right and manage their stress and do all the things that they need to do to move towards a healthier gut and then an easier bowel program. Secret number three. So very few people eat enough dietary fiber and properly hydrated. This is just the bare bones, basic non negotiable thing for gut health.
Speaker A [00:35:58]:
It really is. If you don’t eat enough fiber and take in enough fluid and actually absorb that fluid, you know, you really don’t stand a chance, unfortunately, in terms of having a healthy bowel program, an easy bowel program. So dietary fiber and proper hydration must be a priority. Dietary fiber comes from complex carbs. Complex carbs are plants, so fruits, whole grains, beans and legumes, avocados, nuts and seeds, vegetables. All of these are complex carbs. These are the kinds of carbs that we need to focus on eating more of. And when you eat more of these types of foods, you get more fiber.
Speaker A [00:36:49]:
So how do you get more fiber? Right, you’re going to read your food labels because we have some really Innovative products out there. Now I’m going to share one. I think it’s on the next slide that can help you get your fiber and compare, right? So if there’s one, I don’t know, bread that has 2 grams of fiber and the bread next to it has 5 grams of fiber, probably pick the one with 5 grams, right? Eat 2 fruits per day. Eat half a plate of veggies twice a day. I mean, just doing that, that one thing, eating half a plate of veggies twice a day will help you have a healthier gut. It’s probably going to be lunch and dinner, right? Although veggies for breakfast is also okay. I love doing veggie omelets and things like that. And then choose whole grains.
Speaker A [00:37:40]:
So whole grains are grains that are not processed. And so they have, they, they have the, the fiber, they have the nutrients. When you choose white grains, those are stripped of their fiber and nutrients. And so they’re basically just starch. They don’t contain the natural fiber anymore. And then you want to include nuts and seeds. I actually just bought a bulk supply. My husband actually bought a bulk supply of mixed nuts.
Speaker A [00:38:10]:
And they’re really like, they’re just good to have on hand. I bought a big thing of pumpkin seeds that I’m really enjoying sprinkling on things these days. So include nuts and seeds to get more fiber. So this is what I was saying about, read your food labels, because if you like pasta, we love pasta, right in my house. Wheat pasta, multiple times per week. I used to just buy, you know, regular pasta and now I buy different types of pasta. So this one, by the way, this is not sponsored. I don’t get sponsored by anyone.
Speaker A [00:38:39]:
I just really like this product. So bonza, you can buy it. They have it at Walmart, they have it at Target. They have it at most grocery stores. Bonza is made from chickpeas. And so there’s 8 grams of fiber and 22 grams of protein in 3.5 ounce serving. That’s great. That’s a lot more than, you know, white pasta, which is what most people eat.
Speaker A [00:39:02]:
So read your food labels. There’s really cool stuff out there now. So we talked about fiber. Let’s talk about the fluid. Most people need to be drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day. If you are very petite or smaller, you may need less than that. I aim for like 60 myself. But if you are in a larger body, you’re going to need more.
Speaker A [00:39:26]:
If you’re really constipated, you’re going to need more. So if you can drink half your weight in ounces of water per day, that would be great. That would be a bonus. Anything that’s not caffeinated counts in terms of fluid intake. So. And this is because caffeine depletes you of electrolytes. So I’m sipping on a coffee that I’ve had since this morning. This does not count as my fluid intake.
Speaker A [00:39:51]:
I also have a 28 ounce mug full of warm water on my desk. That does count as my fluid intake. Herbal tea. That counts. What else? I mean, that’s pretty much it. And it’s not just fluid. When we talk about hydration, we are not just talking about drink more water, we’re talking about water plus electrolytes. So adding electrolytes to water ensures that the fluid is actually absorbed by your colon.
Speaker A [00:40:22]:
Because so many people reach out to me or in my program say, I’m drinking more water and it’s a nightmare. I am having pee accidents, I’m having bladder spasms. I am having to cat all the time. I’m running out of catheters. Fatima. I can’t drink this much water. And it’s always because they’re drinking just plain water all day long. In order to absorb fluid, your body needs to also have sodium chloride, magnesium and potassium.
Speaker A [00:40:52]:
Those are the four main electrolytes. So this does not mean, by the way, that you have to add electrolytes to every single thing that you drink. I usually will sip my electrolyte enhanced water in the morning when I first wake up and then like after lunch. But I do drink plain water in between. So Celtic salt, this is like the gray salt. It contains all the trace minerals that you need. Also coconut water. If I use coconut water, coconut water is really rich in electrolytes.
Speaker A [00:41:26]:
I dilute it because it is quite high in sugar. So it is natural sugar. But I don’t need to be sipping straight coconut water, so I dilute it. And then there’s also these adrenal cocktail recipes. There’s going to be some new recipes for adrenal cocktails coming up on my social media feed. So watch out for those. I use an adrenal cocktail powder. It’s literally called adrenal cocktail.
Speaker A [00:41:50]:
It has a lot of vitamin C. It has sodium and potassium. It does not have magnesium. So I do take a magnesium pill. But there’s many different ways that you can get your electrolytes. You need to have them, otherwise you’re not going to absorb the water. So we need the water to help move the poop through your system and also to soften it, right? Some of you are pooping literal rocks out, and that’s because your colon is so dehydrated and you’re not. You do not have balanced electrolytes.
Speaker A [00:42:28]:
So when it comes to fiber, okay, fiber and fluid need to be in balance. So increase your fiber slowly, okay? Most people are not getting nearly as much fiber as they need. And so what we don’t want is for you to go from like very low fiber consumption to very high, because that is going to irritate your body and probably make you constipated. So you’re going to increase your fiber slowly. Maybe just like add a serving of fruit every day for the next week and then add another serving of a high fiber food. Like, do it that way. At the same time that you’re increasing your fiber slowly, you need to get your water and electrolytes in so that you can keep things moving and make sure that this fluid is soaked up. So the balance is the key.
Speaker A [00:43:18]:
Also footnote, if you have a very low injury, like, for example, most of my clients with spina bifida, they are constipated, but their stool is really, really soft. They need more fiber than the people who are, like, have a higher level of injury. Like, if you have like a C, like my husband, right? C67, he needs a lot more water than someone who has spina bifida. Someone who has spina bifida or like an L level injury, for example, you need more fiber and you might need a bit less water because we want to firm that stool up, right? And too much water could actually be a bad thing for you. So fiber and fluid balance, what does that balance look like for you? Is going to depend on your body size, on your level of injury, on your symptoms, right? If you have really, really hard stools, you need more fluid. If you have really soft runny stools, well, then you need a lot more fiber and probably a little less fluid. So it’s going to depend, but you need to find what that balance is for you. Okay, so those are my three secrets, and we’re gonna do some Q A.
Speaker A [00:44:35]:
I got a couple of questions I asked on social media for people to send me some questions. And so I’m going to pull them up right now. So the first question is from Kate. Kate is asking, are kefir yogurts good or is the drink version better? So, Kate, I have not seen kefir yogurt. I have only seen, like, these, I guess you would call it the drink version. I think if there are kefir yogurts out there, that’s fine. I would love to see them. I haven’t come across that.
Speaker A [00:45:10]:
And I’ll just share this, too. Like, why is. Why is Kate even asking about kefir? Because kefir is a probiotic food. Your gut needs beneficial bacteria, right? And so anything that is a probiotic food is going to give you some good bacteria. So kefir is a fermented yogurt product. So I think, Kate, either one is fine. I’d be interested in seeing the yogurt version. We have the drink version, and we usually buy one plain and one flavored, like, basically because there’s a little more added sugar in the flavored ones.
Speaker A [00:45:49]:
So we will do, like, half and half. But kefir is great. Yogurt is great, too. Okay. They are full of probiotics. Something that I’ve seen recently on yogurt packages is they will tell you how many strains of bacteria are in there. That was, like. That’s, like, very cool, because I never used to see that before.
Speaker A [00:46:10]:
I know. I picked up this chobani the other day, and it had, like, seven strains of bacteria. That’s pretty damn good for, you know, one little yogurt. The next question. Is it normal to have constipation for a few days after an accidental poop? Is it normal? No. Is it common? Yes. So I think we have to kind of understand that most people don’t have a good bowel program. And so a lot of people are comparing their situation in these Facebook groups and different online communities with other people who also have poor bowel health.
Speaker A [00:46:48]:
Some things that are really, really common and unhealthy start to feel or sound normal. And so why do you have constipation after you accidentally poop? Because your accidental poop was overflow. That’s called overflow diarrhea. So when you are so constipated and you are blocked up, sometimes fluid will get around. Imagine, like, a pipe, right? And there’s a bunch of gunk stuck inside of it, and that gunk has hardened. Say it’s cement. Someone poured some cement, some crazy person poured cement into your plumbing. Now there’s this big, hard rock basically in there.
Speaker A [00:47:32]:
If you keep putting water and you keep putting other, you know, dirt and debris and other stuff in that pipe, eventually some of that stuff is going to leak past that big rock in the middle because there’s some space around it. And that’s what your accidental poop is. That is an Accidental poops are almost always totally soft, slash watery. It’s overflow diarrhea. There is a name for it, and the name is overflow diarrhea. Overflow diarrhea happens when you are really constipated. So, no, it’s not normal. It makes sense because your accidental poop was overflow diarrhea.
Speaker A [00:48:13]:
Overflow diarrhea is a result of chronic constipation. I find this to be a common pattern of people are constipated, constipated, constipated, have an accident, AKA overflow diarrhea, and then they’re constipated again. And then they have another accident, overflow diarrhea, and then they’re constipated again. And that’s a problem. And when you eat right, you will fix that problem. The next question is from Kiara. Can whey protein powder cause or increase constipation? Yes, it can. And then her other part of her question is, if yes, how best to prevent it.
Speaker A [00:48:50]:
So if you know that whey protein powder makes you constipated, don’t use whey protein powder. That’s one way to prevent it. The other thing is, what are you eating? Because so many people want to talk about supplements and powders and magic elixirs, and nobody wants to tell me what they’re eating and drinking for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Because unless you have a pressure sore or if you have a real problem with eating, you really shouldn’t be relying on protein powders regularly. I have some that I recommend, like brands that I share in my program, meaning for protein supplementation. None of them are whey powder, if that, I mean, that sort of answers your question a little bit. I don’t like whey powder. I’m fine with dairy.
Speaker A [00:49:41]:
I don’t. I don’t think that, you know, dairy causes issues unless you’re lactose intolerant. But yeah, we need to take the focus off of these protein powders and put the focus on real whole foods so you can improve your bowel program and feel relief. You just need to learn how to do it, because they don’t teach you how to eat right in rehab. Your doctor, your physiatrist, your fina bifida pediatrician. Nobody taught you, like, how to eat right for a healthy bowel program. So my clients are already doing this and having success. And you do have two options, right? You can try it on your own, but you do run the risk of giving up when things get tough or you’re confused.
Speaker A [00:50:28]:
So many people, you know, get Information piecemeal. And they try one thing that they heard is going to help, but it doesn’t. And they don’t know what’s wrong and they don’t know what to do next. And so they give up. The other option is that Today you commit 100% to working towards improving your bowels. And you can follow a proven roadmap that has worked for literally hundreds of other people with paralysis. So I can help you relieve constipation, eliminate bloating, spend less time in the bathroom so that you can live your happiest, healthiest, best life. Because that’s what it’s really about.
Speaker A [00:51:08]:
So I invite you to check out my program, Poop Easy with Paralysis. This is the only program of its kind that shows you exactly how to eat right. When you have neurogenic bowel, I want you to stop wasting hours on the toilet. I want you to reduce bloating, feel more confident not just in how you look because you’ve lost inches off your belly, but feel confident that you can go out and not have a problem right, because of your bowels. So Poop Easy with Paralysis is my signature program for neurogenic bowel. We will shorten your program. You will lose inches off your belly. You will eliminate bloating and indigestion.
Speaker A [00:51:50]:
You’re going to poop more regularly and predictably, you will eliminate accidents. Accidents are overflow diarrhea due to constipation. Okay. And you’ll even increase your bladder capacity. I did a post on social media yesterday about bladder capacity and how when you drink your water with electrolytes and you poop more productively, your bladder capacity increases because you’re not full of poop that’s pushing against your bladder. Right? So everything in this program is geared towards neurogenic bowel. Okay? We have four different modules and in each module we have a bunch of video lessons and handouts. Module one is gut healthy diet for paralysis.
Speaker A [00:52:42]:
Module two is all about probiotics and supplements. I offer a 20% off deal to anybody who wants to buy the hand selected supplements that I have chosen. Module 3 is all about the gut brain connection. So we dabbled in that a little bit today with vagus nerve, but there’s really, there’s so much more to that. And then module four is putting it all together. How are you going to fit all of this into your life this time? There are two options to join. I’m really excited because I’ve never done this before. There’s going to be the self study course and Then we also have a VIP option.
Speaker A [00:53:23]:
This is only for. I’ve only reserved five spots for vip. You’re going to get the course plus three one to one support calls with me. This is based on popular demand. People asked me, you know, I want to have calls with you during this course. And so that. There, there it is. So there is a VAP option this time.
Speaker A [00:53:45]:
And I told you if you stuck around with me, I was going to give you a special bonus from the masterclass. So whether you are here live or you are watching a replay, when you join Poop Easy with Paralysis, either the self study course or the vip, you will get the Restore masterclass for free. Restore is a masterclass that I did on how to heal your gut after antibiotics. So antibiotics, meaning, you know, UTIs. And we are giving that as a special bonus for anyone who has attended this masterclass. You will get the Restore masterclass for free. You’ll use promo code restore. And I know some people out there are like, how do I know that this is going to work for me? I have been doing this now for three years and I’ve had hundreds of clients.
Speaker A [00:54:42]:
I have a lot of real people telling me that their whole life is better now that they’re pooping. Like, literally pooping is improving their life. Because they have been so. What’s the word? Frustrated. They have wasted so much time and they’re getting their bowel programs down to under an hour, getting off of suppositories, getting off of these laxatives, having no more accidents, right? And spending more time doing the things that they actually want to do. So with poopeasy, you’re going to get the four modules with the video trainings. The bonus is the Restore masterclass. This is all about UTIs antibiotics, how to heal your gut, how to replenish your gut bacteria after taking antibiotics, Right? Because a lot of people are taking a lot of antibiotics and destroying their gut.
Speaker A [00:55:45]:
Right? And you also get a second bonus, which is 12 weeks of gut healthy meal plans with recipes and grocery lists. And then the bonus is the Restore masterclass and the 12 weeks of meal plan. I hope that you’ll take at least one thing and go start doing it and let me know, you know, send me a dm, say, hey, I was at your free masterclass and I started eating breakfast. Like, I love to hear that shit. I swear it makes my day. All right, I’m going to go. Thank you guys so much. That’s our episode for today.
Speaker A [00:56:18]:
Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoyed it. And that you learned something new. Remember, if you want to lose weight with paralysis, improve your bowel health and feel your best you can. It’s possible you just have to change your eating habits. If you need inspiration on how to get started, check out The Paralysis Nutrition Cookbook 101 Recipes to Help you lose weight and improve bowel health. The cookbook comes with a bonus 30 meal plan and is the perfect way to start eating healthier. You can find it online at paralysisnutrition.com cookbook I’ll talk to you again soon.
