Fiber

Super Colon Blow: it’s got 30,000 times the fiber of regular cereals!

Tricked ya, no Phil Hartman today. Instead, gather the five year olds: we’re talking about poop.

Constipation is a big ole problem for people in peri/menopause. And no, not the metaphysical kind of constipated. We are still super cool. This is actual, physical plumbing-backed-up grunting constipation. What’s going on with our poop?

We’re stressed out for oh about a million reasons (aging parents, hot flashes, overwhelm). In its ongoing effort to silently destroy us, the stress hormone cortisol slows down digestion and that means a poop traffic jam.

Hormone fluctuations, medications, and not-so-great food choices could also be throwing off our gut microbiome, which messes up digestion even more.

And it wouldn’t be a peri-party unless we mentioned that decreasing estrogen levels are to blame as well. Less estrogen means less muscle strength – including the muscles in your colon which, er, yeah, you get the picture.

So that’s where the fiber comes in, right? Constipation bad. Fiber fix constipation. Poop happy. Seems straightforward, we got it.

But you’ve heard all that before so we need to make sure you’re paying attention. Remember your pelvic floor? Those downtown muscles that keep things in place? The ones struggling lately?

Constipation is clobbering your pelvic floor. Getting backed up puts literal pressure on those muscles and overworking them to push out poop can contribute to prolapse … aka pelvic floor break down … aka nothing stopping your organs trying to slide out your coochie.

Dunno ‘bout you, but “prolapse” is right up there on the horror scale with too-fast escalators and college tuition. One star. Would not recommend. So let’s get serious about fiber.

Shameless Action

There are two kinds of fiber: soluble (dissolves in water, makes soft poops) and insoluble (does not dissolve, is that roughage mom talked about that moves things along). Either works. Foods that have both (apples, sweet potatoes, avocados) are awesome.

Fiber is technically a carbohydrate but it doesn’t break down into sugar, so don’t worry about that. (Y’all are chilling your actual carbs, tho, right?) Aim for 30 grams per day. What does that look like? Good god, nobody knows what a gram is. Just try to eat more, kay?

It comes down to plants: hunt them, kill them, eat them. You’re a grown up; you don’t need a list of vegetables but, just to make it easy, here are two with mega fiber per bite: beans and pears (well, artichokes have more, but yeah, nobody’s cooking artichokes today).

Hey, we got through a whole newsletter about constipation and getting older and didn't say prune juice once. That’s a win.

Also, don’t forget to exercise and drink lots of water, mwah luvya.

Next time: It’s HalloDiThanksMasZa season. A freakin’ magical time of year.