Many of us pay attention to the foods we’re putting in our Bodies – Saking Oarselves Whtherre They’re Nutritious and Healthy for Us. But have ever stopped to ask yourself how fast this food is moving through your gut? The answer to this question is really important, as the speed that food moves through your digestive tract affects your health and well-eating in many ways.

Once you’ve chewed up and swallowed your meal, this food begins its journey along the gastrointestinal tract – a long and winding pathway that begins at the Mouth and Ends at the Anus. Along the way, it reaches specialist organs that churn and digest (stomach), Absorb nutrients (small intestine) and absorb water and salts (large intestine).

The movement of food through the digestive tract is knowledge as gut motility. This process is Partly Controlled By the Trillions of Bacteria Present in Our Gut. The gut microbiome is extramely important as these bacteria help development our Immune System and Break Down Food,

So, when we eat, we’re not just just feeding orselves –we’re feeding the micro-helpers present in the Intestine. To thank us, The Bacteria Produce Small Molecules Called Metabolites That boost our immune system and keep our gut moving By stimulating the intestinal nerves so they contract and move the food onwards.

Without these Bacteria and their metabolites, our guts would be less alle to move food through the gastrointestinal tract. This could cause a build up of ingested material, leading to constipation and discomfort.

Gut transit time

The time it takes for food to pass from one end of the gastrointestinal tract to the other is called gut transit time.

Gut transit time varies from one person to the next. Recent Estimates Sugged it can take somehere between 12 and 73 hours for food to pass through the body – why the average being Around 23–24 hours. This variation in gut transit explains some of the gut microbiome differences

Many factors can also affect our natural gut transit time – Including gnetics, diet, and our gut microbiome,

If gut transit time is long Produce different metabolitesThis is beCause, just like us, the bacteria in our guts need to be fed. The Bacteria Enjoy Fiber. But, if gut transit time is long and fiber is taking too long to record the large intestine, these microbial inhabitants have to switch to an alternative Food Source. So, they turn to protein.

The switch to protein can result in the production of toxic gases Leading to health problems such as bloating and inflammation.

Slow Gut Transit Can also Partially Digested Food to get stuck in the small intestine. This has additional health consorteces – Such as an overgrowth of Small Intestinal BacteriaWhich can lead to symptoms such as abdominal pain, nause and bloating.

Fast gut transit can negatively impact health, too.

There are many reasons that someone may experience fast transit time. For example, anxietyInflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Can All Cause Decreased Transit Time and even diarrhea,

In cases of fast transit, the resulting stool is loose with high water content. This indicates that the fecal matter has not spent enough in the Intestine, Preventing Sufficient Absorption of water and nutrientsIn cases of ibd for example, this can lead to dehydration,

Testing your gut speed

Fortunately, there’s a very simple at-heart test you can do to check your gut motility. It’s called “The Sweetcorn Test”And yes, it is what you’re thinking.

Don’T eat any sweetcorn for 7–10 days (the “wash-out” phase). Then you are ready to begin the test. Note down the date and time, and eat some sweetcorn – a corn on the cob or a handful of corn is sufficient. Being the outer shell of the corn is indigestible, its will pass through

What you’ll do is keep an eye on the next few stools you pass and note down the date and time that you observe the golden treasure. It should be noted that this at-home test is not definitive-But it does reparent a measure of transit time that, on average, gives similar results to more sophisticated measures.

If you pass the corn in 12 hours or less, your gut is fast. If you don’t pass it for Around 48 hours of more, then your gut is slow. If you find your gut motility is on eater end of the spectrum, there are fortunately things you can do to improve it.

If it’s consistently fast, it’s best to visit your doctor to see if there is an underling cause. If it’s a little slow – but you don’t see to be having any Additional gastrointestinal symptoms Such as bloating, Abdominal Pain, Lack of Appetite or Nausea – Eat More Fruit and Veg to Increase the fiber you’re feeding there feeding there friendly gut bacteria, drink more water and execise.

Following a Balanced diet will help to keep your bowels moving and healthy.

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