Hello friends,
Well if you follow us on Twitter you would have seen us tweet last night that we are going through a difficult time. We hope to share more on with you all soon, but thanks to everyone’s kind words!
Yesterday our morning started with an intense workout from bodyrocktv. We did the Wow Booty Workout! Loved it!
Zuzana really knows how to kick our butts.
After our lovely workout we made breakfast… green smoothie.
Frozen figs, apples, purple kale, lemon, chia seeds, camu camu, stevia, hemp seeds, sunflower lecithin
This smoothie turned out to be nice and thick. YUM
Here I am showing off my green smoothie mustache 
You can barely see it in the photo, haha
We got an email the other day in regards to what has helped us with our digestion issues… good question with a long answer.
Here are some of our tips to what helped Lori and I with strengthening our poor digestive system:
- Introduced our bodies to fermented drinks (mainly kombucha is what we drink daily now) and fermented veggies (mainly sauerkraut – we took a few weeks off from eating this but lately we have been eating it again and have seen great improvements in our bowl movements)
- Increased the amount of dark leafy greens we would consume daily
- Colonics (did one colonic a month for about 8 months straight, now go every now and than to keep us regular)
- Drink good water and lots of it
- Have majority of our meals in blended form (smoothies, puddings, juices)
- Not eating anything in the morning till we have ‘good’ bowl movement!!!!!!
- Incorporate a few ‘cooked’ meals to help build ‘bulk’ in our systems
- Avoid the top food allergies (gluten, dairy, etc.)
The biggest and hardest change for both of us was not eating in the mornings. Now I am not saying eating breakfast first thing is bad; but for us we have noticed and had to learn that our bodies were still detoxing in the morning and needed time before putting anything into our systems. We both used to feel we had to eat breakfast upon rising but realized our bodies did not want that!
The reason why we said it was hard because we were always breakfast people. Waking up each morning and having a nice breakfast –cereal, oatmeal, pancakes etc (before our green smoothie days). But we would always feel worse not alive and ready for the day ahead. We have discussed our issues with constipation before and now we have realized (besides many other things) not eating right away has been a MAJOR HELP in our eliminations in the mornings. Therefore making our tummies happy as well as us mentally (we mentally feel lighter ). We usually start our mornings with a glass of warm water, and depending on our schedules we might have a light snack (fruit or something) or pre-workout snack. Now this is what works for us, not having breakfast till 10am or so, to help stay regular!
Another big thing we noticed was drinking kombucha daily. Kombucha has really helped give our bodies the healthy bacteria it needs to thrive! We aim to have one to two glasses a day, lately we have been drinking them at night. But whenever our tummies are giving us problems we usually grab a glass of our homemade kombucha and it helps, for us!
Also, on a side note, sometimes a having a small cup coffee can help get things moving for us ; ) And beets are one vegetable that helps us too!!!
Lori and I are perfect examples that different things work for different people. Even between us, being twins, our bodies handle things differently. Some things make me much more gassy than Lori. Lori has always had a little stronger digestive system than me, so some things would really make her ‘go’ to the bathroom a lot easier than for me. My system just took a little bit longer and more work to get it working again.
I just have found that my body will go through periods where it does not do well with this or that, but later on when I have it again my body does fine. Go figure.
Why?
Well, to be honest the body is a mysterious thing. haha
Ok, from my personal experience and research, your body is always changing and detoxing. Your body is constantly under a lot of stress too!
So doesn’t it make sense that I go through changes with my eating habits because I am always changing? I think so.
Now these tips and habits have worked for Lori and I. We hope that some of these suggestions might help some of you…trying something new and different and see if it helps with your digestion.
We will discuss our thoughts later this week on supplements and other things to help with digestion!
Ok, enough of me talking… what about you – what do you think? What has helped or not helped you with your digestion?
Have you had a colonic before? If not, why, would you ever?
What are your thoughts on taking care of your colon and digestive system?
I know that this is not the most fun topic to discuss, but one we feel is so important to take care of your colon!!!
Till next time,
Michelle
Pure2raw Twin
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
You sweaty messes! I love it!
I have been stopping my eating at 8 pm and not eating anything until about 10 or 11 am the next day- this has made ALL the difference in my digestion! Seriously! It’s amazing. I was starving at first in the morning, as I always eat breakfast or a snack before my EARLY 6 am workout, but now my body has adapted and I’m feeling more energized throughout the day, not quite as hungry, and just feel better.
But yeah, our bodies are a mystery… never ending battles sometimes. lol
Lori- that is similar to us…we were starving at first, but just kept busy and the mornings now fly that sometimes we are not having our first meal till 11. Crazy, but our bodies love it.
I love discussing this b/c I’ve always had this problem. Since elimination gluten and most dairy from my diet it has gotten a lot better. Actually it was really good in the beginning when I eliminated these things, but now it seems like i’m reverting back to the way I was feeling when I was on them (even though I’m still cutting them out). It is a little frustrating! Thanks for the tips!
I too find waiting to have breakfast, or skipping it all together makes a big difference in my digestive issues.
When I was in my twenties I seemed to instinctively know this.
However, after reading tons of nutritional information. I was concerned as most every book agreed; Eat Breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day. So, this began a journey for
me that I would have rather skipped. Now, I prolong eating until my tummy is crying out for food loud, and clear.
Exercise is key too. It doesn’t have to be hard core. A good
30 minute brisk walk is enough. I also find some yoga poses very helpful.
I find insoluble fiber to be a bad guy.
This stinks as I am very limited in my amount, and variety of healthy veggies.
White rice, potatoes no skin, gluten free oats….these are foundations that must be in my everyday diet.
Have you two read anything about FODMAPS? This diet explains why some foods are tolerable one day, and then not another.
Thanks for the post. I think I have said before, I suffer IBS-C.
I feel your struggles.
Betty – thank you for sharing. We have read anything about FODMAPS, we will check it out. And yes exercise is key too!!
Great post! Thanks for sharing. {{{{hugs}}} for the hard things.
Nicole, I have had the same experience with the gluten, and
dairy. At first I thought I was cured, only to find my symptoms
return even though I am gluten, and dairy free.
I am thinking about doing some colonics down the road (after baby). I love Kombucha (and miss it..can’t have while pregnant). I agree with everything you mentioned here.
Happy Colon = Happy Life! 
The biggest thing for me was realizing that it was OKAY not to eat first thing when I wake up – I love breakfast food and I was always told it was really important to have breakfast in the AM so you’ve got fuel to burn for the day but I am a strong believer in not eating until you’re hungry and as long as I can remember I have never been hungry when I first wake up – I start to get hungry around 10-11 and usually eat then, and I usually want a big breakfasty type meal like oatmeal right then so I eat it. I *ALWAYS* eat fruit before the rest of my meal, this helps soooooo much with digestion, eating light-to-heavy or whatever. Personally, I have more issues with rice and corn than gluten and dairy but that’s just my body – I don’t eat dairy anyway anymore but I am conscious of how much of my daily intake is grain-based, I just work better when more of it is veg based. Smoothies are great, making sure my food is well-chewed… Peppermint tea and ginger tea are frequent visitors in my house after meals, both really good for digestion! I used to have a lot of acid reflux problems (because of the way I was eating) and peppermint really helps with that. I also try to follow “food combining” and only eat one complex starch or protein at a time with breaks in between so my body doesn’t get confused by it – I find when I miscombine I react nearly immediately, usually with a heartburn-y kind of physical response within the hour. I’ve never done a colonic before … I’d consider it. This whole digestive health thing is really really new to me but it’s really interesting and fun to learn about.
Ilana – we sometimes have issues with rice too. And we do not well with corn, unless it is raw, but do not eat much anyways. Food combining is something we try to do too. Thanks for the tips on peppermint tea, I am not a tea drinker, but I will keep it in mind. We believe in eating when you are hungry too…something most people have trouble doing, it just takes some practice and awareness.
this is a great explanation. i love reading what other people do to keep their system regular and i find my balance. Im doing a smoothie feast right now and i thought id be irregular (tmi?) but i’m not. blended foods are great.
whatever you’re going through, i hope it passes soon and you come out the other side stronger.
Kenzie – thanks for your kind words : )
Interesting post! Hope the ‘difficult time’ stops soon!
Love Zuzana, she rocks! The 500 workout is the best. I make my own kombucha as well and drink black coffee in the morning on an empty stomach. Its helped a TON! I also like amazing grass shakes, they seem to help!
I can’t tell you how important it is for us to share this kind of thing with each other. Digestive problems can be so hard to deal with and so overwhelming. Irritable Bowel is loads of fun, right?! After dealing with lactose intolerance, mild milk allergies and then soy allergies I thought there was nothing left to eat! Now that I have figured out what works for me, I feel great. It is such an amazing feeling when you can eat and actually feel good afterwards! I like to work out first thing in the morning, have a large glass of water and then a nice cup of coffee…then my oats. I have a morning routine that definitely helps me feel good first thing in the morning! The only way we can benefit from the experiences of others is to share and I really appreciate you two doing that!
I used to be a big breakfast eater, too– I love breakfast foods!! But waiting until later in the morning has helped me, too. Also, having a green juice or smoothie as my first “meal” is a big help!
I love getting colonics! I was scared of them at first, but now that I’ve found a therapist that I’ve “clicked” with, I wish I could afford to go more often! I probably go about once a month now.
I think the best thing you can do for digestion is properly food combining! Just making that simple change has made such a difference for me! I’ve also had to experiment to find what foods work for me, and which ones don’t–> wheat, cow’s dairy, and too many nuts don’t make me feel good!
I actually just started taking a new probiotic (a refrigerated, liquid kind) that I’m really excited about, too. I think it’s already helping after just 2 days!
Hope you girls are doing okay, and that the difficult time passes quickly for you!
Thanks so much for your post and I look forward to your thoughts on supplements for this problem.
I avoid gassy foods, which for me are onions, eggs, corn and brown rice. I love brown rice and wish I could eat it…I find when I do it halts my daily bowel movement for a while. Stress is my biggest trigger of constipation. I exercise regularly. What helps me is raw ginger, peppermint/ginger teas and apparently fennel is great too. Also sometimes if I have had something hard to digest, I am exhausted for 24hrs from that. Thanks for your wonderful blog.
I must try out suggestion 6. I usually have breakfast within an hour of waking up, but on the days when I don’t feel like it and then don’t eat until 10-11, I do feel better for it.
I haven’t had a colonic, although I have definitely thought about it. I think I’ll be leaving it for a little while yet, at least until I have a better idea of what’s wrong with me.
I am a little wary of kombucha because no-one knows what’s in it and whether what is in it is good for the body. At the moment I prefer to just take lactic acid bacteria because they are found in the gut of healthy people. But I do know a lot of people see benefits from it. I’m just a little leery of adding an unknown to my already struggling immune system.
I’ve never heard that about not eating until you have a BM. I don;t think that would work for me. My schedule seems to be late afternoon for those. I rarely every have to go in the morning. Also, I love kombucha but it’s not readily available around here anymore, are you having that issue too? I heard something about a law suite having to do with a kid getting drunk off it.
Caleb – we make our own kombucha ; )
We have really sensitive tummies too! We get really gassy when we eat alot of grains and beans (obviously). And We’ve found that ever since becoming high-raw vegan, we can’t tolerate alot of cooked food at once like rice pasta with tomato sauce. Eating breakfast later sounds like it would work, but we are hard-core breakfast people too. It’s the most exciting meal of the day!…Jaclyn has had a colonic, but I sort of chickened out. Apparently it’s not scary though…..Thanks for being so open about this topic
Ahhh, a topic near and dear to me. I have the opposite problem, and rarely blog about it, because, like you say, not a fun thing to talk about. And it seems everyone is very outspoken in their suggestions. You’ve done a great job highlighting some great tips and spoken very well!
I never eat breakfast anymore either. I was conditioned to, and then I started remembering back to high school when I never ate it, and I felt so much better then. I am not hungry, and I usually wake up feeling kind of crappy, so food never sounds good anyway. I haven’t had a colonic. Not sure if I would.
I also have been trying to eat more cooked, pureed and smoothies. Again, though, I have the opposite problem, where food goes through too fast to be digested properly, so this pre-digestion is great for me. Oh, and I have become addicted to sauerkraut – which I made for the first time based on your how-to video!
These are great suggestions. I try to start off my morning with a juice, but since I have to be at work by 8, it’s hard to get going. I usually eat my breakfast as my desk around 10, but my lunch hour is at 11, so it’s tough!
So glad that you’re discussing this – and it’s so interesting to see what you have to say! Sorry you’re having a difficult time – please know that you are so loved.
I have awful problems with elimination – usually constipation but the opposite some of the time… I’m really hoping that once I get through chelating out mercury and lead, and then we can deal with the yeast issues and repopulate with bacteria, it’ll get better.
But my experience has actually been the opposite! I was never a breakfast eater, and would often wait until 11 to eat, certainly had a rule that I wouldn’t eat before 9. But I just can’t do that anymore! I usually get up at 6 or 6.30 and eat breakfast just after 8. I feel best if I’ve already pooped by then, but if it doesn’t happen until after breakfast, that’s fine. Breakfast is a smoothie, so it’s fairly easy on my body. If I don’t have breakfast, my blood sugar goes to hell and I’m often out of whack for the rest of the day!
It’s so interesting and ironic to me, reading all the comments about people ‘converting’ to not eating breakfast, and there I was, absolutely dogmatic about _not_ eating breakfast, and now I have to have it!
I know that my body is still recovering from serious abuse with eating disorder, etc, and that even when I’m just eating the vegetables, nuts, seeds and algae (and very little fruit) that I know to be safe for me, I sometimes have trouble. I second what you say about the importance of pureed foods and smoothies – I love them, and now that I have a vitamix it’s making a wonderful difference, feels like I even absorb more. I also second the fermented foods – I make a different kind of coconut kefir that I’m going to blog about soon, and sauerkraut and kombucha – they’re all such a help.
When I’m physically capable of doing things like yoga and pilates, I’ve noticed that they help with my regularity also. But I used to use caffeine to help get things moving and I think it just helped to damage my adrenals further, so I have to avoid now.
I haven’t had a colonic, but I’ve done a lot of enemas. My ND doesn’t want me to do either of them at the moment because chelating makes your electrolytes so imbalanced, and he doesn’t really want me to do them at all because of my anorexia history and current ‘disease of deficiency’ situation – he thinks it’ll send the wrong message to my body.
Thanks for bringing this up – very interesting indeed. Good health to you!
love
Ela
Ela – thank you for sharing your story. And not feel bad about eating breakfast early in the morning….I used to have to eat pretty quickly from waking up because I would feel weak and all, but now my routine has changed. I stay up a lot later so eating breakfast later in the morning seems to work for me. The key is to find what works for you and we just wanted to share what we do, just in case someone might not be aware of something that could help them. You will get better, we are thinking of you.
thanks for your blog about this! i suffer from IBS-C and my issues have definitely come a long way since last year! in june 2010, i started juicing vegetables every day (romaine, parsley, beets, cukes, celery, apple for example) and steaming cabbage. beets + cabbage work wonders. i’m not fully recovered yet, because once i get stressed (which is often), some of my symptoms come back. when they do, i usually do a juice fast and usually my body detoxes within the day! i am definitely considering a colonics sometime soon.
btw, have you every struggled with weight gain because of your IBS? if so, how have you dealt with it?
Junia – yes cabbage is great!! We are not perfect yet either, stress puts us all out of whack too. Something we are trying to work on, but we are much better from a year ago. In terms of weight gain, we have gone through periods of a little extra weigh put on, but honestly we tend to fluctuate 5 pounds here and there. We have just had to learn that this is our ideal weight, and be okay with it. We work out hard almost everyday too ; ) I hope this helps, if you need more help please email us.
Interesting to hear what works for you. Some of those work for me too, but I actually NEED to eat in the morning to get going. If I don’t eat enough I get clogged for the day. I have had colonics in the past and they helped but then they sort of stopped helping and I was worried they made things worse. Then I switched to just doing an enema once in awhile. I also cut down on chia, I noticed it can bind me up. And upped the buckwheaties.
Thanks for blogging about this!
I am with Katie. I tend towards flowing, a lil too much. Getting off my food allergens has cleared alot of this up for me..but…I still have plenty of days where I am in bad shape. and like katie, I dont blog about it. You two can talk about colons, I’ll take care of extended nursing and natural childbirth LOL. We all have diff things we are open about on our blogs and i think it’s GREAT you two are sooo open about this!
I dont eat breakfast, ick. I have no ability to even look at food in the a.m. I dont eat until much later in the day. I gave up “eating by the clock” and incorporated “eating by my body’s cues” ages ago and bewteen that and the not eating my allergens, i feel a million times better than I did when i was younger!
Averie – Deal! This is just one area that I have always been embarrassed to talk about, but then I realized not talking about it only made things worse. I am the person who holds stuff in, but I am trying to get better at “letting things go”.
What a great post! I plan on posting something like this soon on my blog. I’m with you re. waiting for a good BM until having breakast. And I took probiotics for a couple of weeks and it helped big time! I also find cooked food to be a really important component in my diet, and not too much dried fruits, nuts, onions and garlic
Thanks for sharing, lovely ladies xxx
I’ve always found that eating clean is the best way to keep my digestive system going. When I eat a lot of junk for a few days, I get super bloated and gassy…my body is used to all that fiber!! I’ve actually found that eating a fruit and fiber filled breakfast every morning helps with my digestion for the rest of the day, but like you said, each body is different and that’s just me
Happy hump day loves!!
What GREAT comments!!! What great suggestions!!!
For me, the probiotics, chia, and greens have kept things moving. I’ve also been following Gena’s formula: eat light through the day, then have a good sized dinner. That’s kept me unbloated.
Fluids really make a huge difference. If I get snacky mid-day, I’ll sip coconut water, fake coffee, nettle tea, or a lucuma-almond shake. It’s PERFECT and holds me off ’til mealtime.
On the weekends, I eat very little because I’m with my boyfriend and we are usually busy and doing stuff. I NEVER have digestive issues when I’m around him. They literally DISSOLVE! So yeah… being in love helps too! Ha!
Super interested in what you have to say about the whole cooked veggie topic you said you’d get into. Having been on a raw diet for a year myself, though having occasionally eaten cooked veggies and grains, I can understand where you are coming from, but would love your thoughts!
You guys know I love this post
Such a great post – and thank you for being brave about this topic! Its definitely a daily struggle…last week i had to stop eating peaches! It never ends (i cant eat dairy, gluten, most soy, dried fruit, certain nuts, peaches, pears…). I am trying to eat more smoothies – i have green smoothie for breakfast but trying to have for dinner too, thanks to your recommendations. They do make my tummy happy (and so does your avocado pudding!!). Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Oh, I don’t keep up on twitter, but am so sorry to hear that you ladies are having a rough go of it right now. I hope things look up very soon!
Super cute workout photos and love the smoothie mustache!
Hey guys!!! I was just trying to find all your post on digestion because I think I have the same problem with this that you do! I’m so happy I’m not the only one! This has been such a frustrating time for me because this just hit me when I got to college. Whenever I go home and cook for myself and drink the water there, I feel like 20 times better, but since being at home isn’t an option all the time, I’ve been struggling with poor health! I recently went gluten free (like just a day ago!) so I’m new to this whole thing and have been trying to find ways to get my digestive system in the know.
I LOVED this post!!!! 
Aly