I woke up early with a little bit of a warm feeling thinking that on this morning, there are 92 of us together making great efforts to improve our health. I wonder if we can be 100 strong by the end of the day!
What a morning I have had and it’s only 8:54 am! Morning cleansing, meditation, bike ride by the water, smoothie, tea. And you? How are you feeling this fine Green Smoothie Cleansing Sunday morning?
Yesterday after the call, I received an email from one of the Super Green Clean Participants asking about Psyllium. I realized in amongst those 42 pages (fine Ricki- 44) I forgot to add in the information on psyllium fibre.
Psyllium is one of the most health supportive, and powerful fibre supplements. It is like the great grand-daddy of the fibre world. And it is also gag-inducingly awful to get down. It is by far the toughest thing I do for my health but likely one of the best. Which is why I am providing more motivation for you to do choke it down. It is really like drinking a glass of sawdust…. or barf. Take whichever analogy you prefer.
What I can’t believe is that I have gone through 8 some-odd posts pertaining to this Green Smoothie Cleanse and have yet to talk about poo, a nutritionist’s subject of choice. My friend Josh (also a nutritionist) and I have joked that we could be a superhero team called the Bodacious Bowel Duo. I’d be Bowel Betty.
If you missed my little appearance on CBCradio3 show Lanarama a couple weeks ago, I talked about poop on national radio. The topic was Spring Detox. Appropriate. Listen here. (select the third audio file down).
I will now make up for lost poop talk time. Here my friends, are the reasons why I go through this each and every night (and why you might want to too).
Benefits of Psyllium Fibre
- Laxative Effect – increase colonic contents (meaning bulk), which stimulates propulsion (meaning evacuation). Psyllium seed husk is a fermented dietary fibre that increases stool weight and promotes laxation by its presence in poo and by increasing the moisture content of said poo.
- Anticarcinogenic effect – The long and the short of it- the structure of psyllium fibre is such that it is like a magnet to toxic waste in the digestive system, grabs on for dear life and removes it from our bodies. In scientific mumbo jumbo “the first observed effects of butyrate on the degree of DNA methylation is probably associated with modified gene expression…” bla bla bla. It removes waste most effectively.
- Intestinal Health – The colon of the human gastrointestinal tract contains a large population of resident bacteria. The stats: 55% of the solids in poo is microbial biomass. Psyllium is awesome at keeping the bacterial balance in our colon- which then strengthens immune function.
- The Great Sponge- Psyllium can absorb a huge mass of water and other stuff. It has the ability to absorb, from our colon, excess bile, cholesterol and hormones like estrogen. If these aren’t removed efficiently, they get reabsorbed. This doesn’t mean the body stops producing them. The body will still produce cholesterol and so cholesterol levels go up. The body will still produce estrogen and so estrogen levels go up. And do we all know what high estrogen levels mean? Weepy tantrums during PMS and greater breast cancer risk to name two.
Yes- I know you can buy psyllium in capsule form but you’ll be popping a whole heap of pills to get enough (and will be way more expensive). I want to wear a badge of honour that proudly states “I down 3 Tbs of psyllium in one go”. I started at 1 tsp and worked my way up and I have become accustomed to the saw dust in water thing it does. As bad as it is to do at the time, I am always mighty proud that I went through with it when all goes according to plan in the morning.
Yep. There was your dose of poop talk. Too much information? I’m over it. Everybody poops.
So how was your smoothie breakfast? What’d you have?
And still not too late if you want to join in the 3-Day Smoothie Cleanse! Better late than never!
I am now having my smoothie breakfast. A little late on your schedule, it is 9:30 a.m. But it is Sunday, so I am having a smoothie brunch. Using your recipes I chose to start with the Sweet Green Smoothie. It is green. On my first sip I realized it was too warm. So into the fridge for a little bit of cooling. But that made it thicker than I like, so added water, blended a little and added extra ginger. I must say I am enjoying it and the blender worked just fine. Much to my surprise. I will let you know more by day 3.
I am doing the psyllium, the trick is to drink it up quickly without looking into the glass.
Being Meghan’s mom and she claims her worst client, I am trying very hard to get this right. I already feel better.
I have a powder called GI fortify, it’s a mix of flaxseed powder and psyllium powder. Do you think this will be as effective or should I purchase the psyllium on its own?
So do you take the psyllium EVERY night? Or just on the cleanse? Is it a safe thing to take every night?
I had a delicious combo of cilantro, spinach, hemp seed, apple, pear, and cinnamon. And I threw in the powder from one of my probiotic capsules. Mmmm mm!
When it comes to my health, I’d rather talk and read about poo. I enjoyed this very informational post and I will certainly be implementing and incorporating psyllium into my daily routine from now on. Both my twin brother and older brother have to deal with high cholesterol, their bodies happen to overproduce it so I will be sharing this with them! Thanks Meghan, you are the best… ;O)
Since Meghan brought it up…
I suppose I should have predicted that green smoothies come out much like they go in.
Stopped and bought my psyllium on the way to work today. Your post made it sound so appetizing I had to get some. Got it at the grocery store in the health food aisle.
So I didn’t start the cleanse with everyone else as I haven’t been feel well for the last four days, but after reading this post I decided to start the psyllium supplement this evening because it is just so good for me. I mixed one teaspoon in 250mL of water and drank two glasses of water afterward, but I’ve had a bit of a stomach ache since. Should I be concerned? Should I mix it differently?
I prefer slippery elm for fibre – bit more expensive, but pretty tasteless. Also to make it disolve easier mix it with a few tablespoons of lukewarm water first and then add rest of ingredients.
It was pure psyllium husk. How long should I wait after dinner before I take the psyllium? I think maybe it was too close to my dinner, because it was definitely a “too full” kind of stomach ache, more like “I have to go to the bathroom” over “I’m going to be sick.”
Got it. Thanks so much, Meghan. Tonight I will give myself a little more space between dinner and sawdust, I mean psyllium and hope for the best!
Hi Meghan,
It sounds like so many people are pooping, but my roommate and I feel the opposite. I haven’t pooped all day, and I feel very bloated from all of this drinking. Any advice or reason that this may be happening?
I was looking at the psyllium while at the drugstore yesterday and noticed in the nutritional breakdown that there was sugar in it (5g per serving if I remember correctly). Is this just the case with certain brands (I think this was Metamucil), or will all psyllium I find have sugar in it? I haven’t peeked through the local healthfood shops yet.
Thanks! I easily found it at Essence of Life (not sure why I didn’t look there in the first place).
Okay, here’s a question. How much is too much when it comes going to the bathroom?
[...] I have already gone there- I’ll go again- Adzuki beans promote regular bowel movements, are a good source of energy, [...]
[...] Call Me Bowel Betty [...]
[...] not had coffee in a very long time… it always came back to poo. I am certainly not the only Bowel Betty out [...]
[...] dose of psyllium. Remember when I declared that if I were to be a super hero, you could call me Bowel Betty? Well, I stand by that! Dr. Oz has said our poop should come out ‘S’ shaped. Psyllium [...]
So I bought “whole psyllium husks” (but it looks like sawdust/powder)… is this the right stuff? It sure is awful but if you say it’s worth it, I’ll take your word on it.
Yep sawdust. You got the right stuff.
Thanks Meghan! I wasn’t able to participate in the last Green Smoothie cleanse because of being in the middle of exams so I have undertaken it on my own. Made it through the transition successfully and am on day one of the cleanse. Already loving it… and feeling great!
Thanks mom! And not my worst client. My toughest. Very different
Wow could I tell you about my worst clients! ( Just joking… I love you all!)
I started with the sweet green smoothie too. I also found it a little warm but that doesn’t bother me too much. You could always add ice if you like it cold.
Coconutgal- Given that we spoke and I know your situation (I am saying this so anyone reading knows we go beyond the blog in my offering you advice) I think that the GI fortify you mentioned would be just fine. My concern is that straight psyllium might be too much for you. The flaxseeds have this mucilage coating affect that helps protect the intestinal walls.
Laurie- You just made me laugh green smoothie out my nose.
I actually have never encountered that. Might just be the adjustment to all the fibre and greenness.
Amanda- Not sure what could be causing the stomach ache. My experience is that I definitely feel very full after but not stomach ache like. How long after did you experience this and were there any other herbs in your supplement or was it pure psyllium?
littlem- great tip! Thanks for sharing.
I would recommend about two hours after your last meal of the day. You want to make sure everything you have eaten has moved on from the stomach. Less time for light meals, more time if you have just eaten a giant steak (steak sits in there for a good four hours or so). Two is a safe bet.
Joanie- If you are new to consuming this much vegetables, this could be the reason. Sometimes it takes time for the digestive system to adjust to the bulk. Ensure you are drinking plenty of water between the smoothies and you also might consider a gentle laxative tea or of course… there is always the enema.
You should be looking for straight psyllium, where the only ingredient will be psyllium.