Bowel Movement Basics: Foods And Drinks That Make You Poop And Pee
Anything we eat or drink goes into our mouth, passes into our belly, and then out of our body — ideally. Food provides our body with the nutrition it needs to function properly, but getting too much (wrong) food can cause our metabolic processes to suffer and our health to decline. In Plumbworld’s infographic, “Food and Drinks That Make You Poo,” the specialist bathroom retailer lists the foods that may have us running for the bathroom, whether we have to poop or pee.
Our morning cup of coffee gives us a jolt to start our day and a head start to the bathroom. Caffeine, coffee’s active ingredient, increases peristalsis (muscle contractions) and digestive action, while also increasing levels of cholecystokinin, which regulates bowel movements. Now, our high-fiber fruit mid-afternoon snack can aid in digestive moments. Fruits, including berries and ripe bananas, can keep us full for longer, but they can give us a case of the runs.
Similar to how certain foods can make us poop, there are those that can make us pee. After work, happy hour drinks can make us feel as if we’ve “broken the seal” because of ethanol. Alcohol prevents the release of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), meaning there is a greater volume of more dilute urine being produced. A late-night snack, like chocolate, can also increase urination because of its high caffeine content. It reduces water absorption in the kidney, while theobromines in chocolate can lead to bladder irritation, and give us the urge to pee.
Remedying a hangover from too many happy hour drinks with painkillers can keep us from going. Some painkillers contain elements that bind receptors that are abundant in the digestive tract. This may lead to less peristalsis and cause constipation. Choosing to eat fruits to cure a hangover in conjunction with painkillers, can also back us up. For example, unripe bananas contain a large concentration of starch, which moves slowly through the digestive system.
A well-balanced diet can help us go regular and not be backed up.
Check the infographic down below to see what other foods and drinks can trigger us to pee, poop, and become constipated.
