You too can be an optimum pooper.

Today's topic: natural laxatives. Defecating is incredibly important for your body and mental health. Everybody's different so to find out how often you should be moving your bowels you can ask a gastroenterologist. Constipation is a very unfortunate thing some people have to go through some times. It is when there is a lack of bowel movements and fecal matter builds up in the intestines. This is quite obviously undesirable in a number of ways.

I'm going to help you avoid constipation. Foods that can cause constipation are ice cream, cheese, meat, snacks (chips, pizza, etc.), and processed foods (frozen mashed potatoes, frozen dinners, etc.). Understand, I am not trying to frighten you away from all of the delicious foods in my blog, constipation results when you have an excessive amount of these foods. (Imagine all the sad, lonely girls who binged on ice cream after they were dumped by the boyfriend who didn't like them in the first place. Now think about what probably happened. Best day ever, huh?) Oh, and by the way, not exercising causes constipation. So if you don't exercise you're not only in danger of gaining weight but you're prone to having some problems on the throne to your kingdom. Talk about the ultimate wimp.

If you ever do become constipated, do not drink cold beverages or eat cold foods as that slows the digestion process. (I'll write up a blog about the difference between hot and cold foods in another blog.)

Finally, we are at the part where I teach you, young grasshopper, how to become an optimum pooper. Natural fruit juices are fantastic for working your bowels. For the best results you should drink them at night or in the morning. Prune juice is popular for this as well as coconut juice. I found a site that says you should mix orange juice and olive oil or pear juice with apple juice. (Those both sound unexpectedly interesting.) More juices are apple cider vinegar juice, carrot juice, spinach juice, grapefruit juice, asparagus juice, and lemon juice and hot water. (Watch out for some of these, remember, you are what you eat and if you eat asparagus, your sweat will have an asparagus smell just like if you eat more citrus, you'll smell sweeter, but that's another blog.) Fiber is GREAT for your bowels. Fruits, vegetables, and nuts can be natural laxatives as well. I stated earlier that not exercising causes constipation, it would only be logical that exercise will create the opposite effect. Lots of water is great lubricant, as graphic as that sounds, it is. (You'll thank me when you don't get rug burn from your feces!) Basically, if you eat healthy, you poop healthy, simple as that.