Comparing the regularity of omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans.
Bowel Movement Frequency
Doctor's Note
More on the health benefits of bowel frequency:
And check out the other videos on bowel movements.
For additional context, check out my associated blog posts: Bowel Movements: The Scoop on Poop and Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain.
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Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on bowel movements. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!
Although I’m a vegetarian, I don’t have a BM everyday, Maybe every other day. And on the Bristol stool scale, I’m a type 4 when ever I do have a BM.
Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Bowel Movements: The Scoop on Poop!
So Dr.Greger vegetarians have more BM than meat eaters is that true.
watch/listen at 0:56. vegetarians (especially vegans) have more BM than meat eaters
The research does suggest this to be true! Not only do we see that the plant based diet increases frequency of BMs but research also suggests this increase in BM frequency to aid in cancer prevention as well! Check out this video for more information!
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/
i have 3-5 BM’s per day!!! vegan, 6 years and counting. greatest thing i ever did for my body
same here! (9 months vegan). love love LOVE it!
amazing! i always thought i was “regular” with on average 5 or 6 bowl movements a week. when i went on a vegan diet i was shocked at having 3 a day!!!
I eat a spoonful of psyllium husk every day to enhance my bowel movement. I’ve read studies that it also has a cholesterol-lowering effect: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/2/472.short But this research was done in 2000. Have there been recent studies on psyllium? Are there any adverse effects?
LOL!
I proud to say that after I start eat vegan my BM increase from 1 time for 2-3 days to 2 times a day.
Is there such a thing as too much fiber, and if so, can that lead to hemorrhoids?
I think in a later video he discusses how diets of near 100g fiber are actually healthy and the RDI is way lower than what it really should be.
Janet, not eating the fibre your body needs does in fact lead to hemorrhoids. Your thinking is backwards.
I have a friend who recently told me he has one bowel movement per week, and it’s huge. He also consumes very few fruits and vegetables and a lot of hamburgers. I told him that, at a minimum, he should have a bowel movement once every two or three days, and I added that he should sharply increase his consumption of fruits and vegetables to improve his nutrition. What do you think?
He is heading towards the death of his colon. He will end up wearing a colostomy bag. Fun beach fashion.
Hi Paul! My name is Megan and I am volunteer for NutritionFacts. The suggestions that you made for your friend are really good ones, as increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables (especially these) will significantly increase his fiber intake, which contributes to healthier bowel and more frequent bowel movements. Here is another page with more information for you on bowel movements: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/bowel-movements/. You may also mention to your friend that not eating enough plant foods that are high in fiber and consuming dairy products can contribute to constipation, and making changes to his eating habits may really help him! Here is some info on constipation: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/constipation/. Hope this helps!
Do you have any specific hemorrhoid treatments you recommend?
I am a vegan so follow a plant based diet but got them anyway :/
Thanks so much!
Hi, Mary. Make sure you are drinking enough water each day, as hydration can affect stool consistency and the need to push. You can find everything on this site regarding hemorrhoids here. I hope that helps!
What do you do if you’ve always had loose stool regardless of diet, and now on the all vegan, it’s way TOO loose.. Help!!
Hi, Linda! It could be that something in your diet is irritating your bowels, and causing your stools to be too loose. Keeping track of everything you eat and how your bowels respond can help you identify potential culprits. You may find that increasing the resistant starch in your diet will help with loose stools. A remedy given to me by a pediatrician for my infant daughter 27 years ago was to combine pureed banana and apple, and feed it to her. It works for adults as well, so that is something else you could try. More on resistant starch here: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/resistant-starch/
I hope that helps!
help!!!
Help!!! I’m so frustrated!!! I have been doing the WFPB diet for a year now. I was hoping it would help with my chronic constipation and bloating, which I have had for decades now. I was once diagnosed with IBS. I drink water, eat fiber, etc. For a while, before I went WFPB’d, I just decided not to worry about it, thinking it must be ‘normal’ for me. Now I know that’s not true. The more I read about the ‘gut’, and it’s microbiome, about how its connected with literally every part of our bodies, the more concerned I get.I recently read something about, ‘SIBO’, Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth, wondering what your thoughts are on that. I hate going to the Dr. I just get the run around. Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. I don’t know what to do. Julie D