Pee Should Be Clear, Poop Should Float.

What your momma doesn’t know and your doctor won’t tell you.

By Leanne Goncalves R.D., L.D. and Monica Walker M.A.

What your momma doesn’t know and your doctor won’t tell you.

Leanne Goncalves R.D., L.D. and Monica Walker M.A.

Published by Leanne Goncalves and Monica Walker at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the authors, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer and discover other works by these authors. Thank you for your support!

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Why This Bathroom Talk Isn't Dirty

Chapter 2: Your Momma Doesn't Know and Your Doctor Won't Tell You

Chapter 3: The Bathroom Holds No Secrets

Chapter 4: In One End, Not So Directly Out The Other

Chapter 5: Pee Should Be Clear

Chapter 6: Take a Shower While You're There

Chapter 7: Poop Should Float

Chapter 8: Better Than an Enema

Chapter 9: Congratulations, You're an Official Toliet Inspector!

About the authors

Confused? Definitions and Explanations

Dedications

Leanne:

I dedicate this book this book to my mentor and friend Jesus Christ, His Father and Mine, God Almighty who created us and the foods to nourish us, and the Holy Spirit who helps me teach and convey the best way to take care of our most precious gift…YOU.

To my family that provides me with love, encouragement, freedom to grow and acceptance for who I am.

My husband, Mike, who has become my soulmate.

My daughter, Victoria, whose spirit has taken her beyond our country, to serve our Lord. She continually makes me smile and amazed at the woman she has become and soon to be mommy she will be.

Monica, my daughter, my business partner, expert in all things I am not and my friend. With her my ideas and words have become a fun educating, written dialog with the ability to touch you individually. It is an honor to work with her on a daily basis.

Finally, to you, the reader, thank you for taking the time to read, apply, and continually learn ways to take control of your health. Happy Insides, Happy Outsides!

Monica:

I would like to thank every single one of our clients, presentation participants and readers. We are a humble duo of two and through your excitement to share us and our information with those around you, you are directly helping us to achieve our mission of helping as many people as possible be healthy and happy!

I would also like to thank Leanne (who, if you didn’t know is my awesome and amazing mom). Your passion for nutrition, paired with your endless knowledge and desire to learn more, is the foundation of our business; I am who I am because of you (in so many ways)! You have empowered me to take control of my own health and nutrition and instilled in me a passion for nutrition that goes beyond myself. I am honored to work by your side every day.

Also, a very special thank you to my loving husband, who supports my dreams. I appreciate every single time you have immediately stopped what you are doing to listen to me read a portion of (or the whole) e-book aloud. I can’t imagine my life without you in it!

Of course, a thank you goes out to all my friends and family (in the USA and abroad) who have asked about my job or food related questions and received a full account of the importance of pee and poop! I love receiving texts that state “My poop was floating!” and “My pee was clear today!”

A note to the reader: The nutrition information, methods for teaching and “silly sayings” are all Leanne’s handiwork. We wanted this book to be a reflection of who we are as a team and the services that Leanne provides. I, Monica, have written the book using Leanne’s expertise. We hope you enjoy a glimpse into our nutritious and delicious (and absolutely goofy) world!

Chapter 1: Why This Bathroom Talk Isn’t Dirty

Ever since children are young, they are taught to resist the overwhelming urge to partake in “potty talk”. The fascination with poops and pees make kids excited about what goes on in the bathroom. A wonderful family I know has three children. The middle child was having trouble with her #2s for a while. Knowing how much she tried and tried to reach the toilet in time when the urge finally came, her older brother regularly encouraged her.

The day she pooped in the potty, she proudly shared the news with us all. We ran to the bathroom, clapping and cheering her on! Her poop was on display—she left it in the toilet so we could all see it and share the joy. She told the story of how she felt a rumble in her tummy, knew it wanted to come out and how she made the harrowing decision to go to the bathroom and sit on the toilet. Her finger pointed at the poop in the toilet as she recounted the tale. We all took turns peering into the toilet bowl, taking serious, long looks at her poop, evaluating its shape and size…and color. This was repeated multiple times as she continued to master her new skill.

As we grow up, any reference to the stuff we do in the bathroom is shut down. Parents teach their children that potty talk isn’t appropriate and we keep it in the bathroom. Somewhere along the line we stop talking about it all together. But we see things differently. Any of you that have met us in person or connected with us on Facebook know we talk about poop and pee all the time. In fact, when someone starts asking us questions or telling us about an issue, we throw out all common politeness and ask about their poop and their pee!

If all this potty talk makes you sweat a little, don’t worry. Almost everyone we talk to becomes uncomfortable, embarrassed or nervous as we dive deep into the depths of their bathroom secrets. The reason why we go there with such excitement is because poop and pee are the windows in to the soul. Okay, not the soul exactly. They are the windows into a person’s health. Being aware of what is coming out of the body can tell you quite a bit about what is going in and what is going on. (That is why we say “Happy Insides, Happy Outsides”.) And, as you may or may not already realize, what is going in your body is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY important.

I am going to emphasize this point:

WHAT YOU PUT INTO YOUR BODY MATTERS.

Do you understand? Are you getting it, I mean really getting it? The food we eat and the liquids we drink matter. All of them. Everyday. Period.

Okay. I am going to trust that you are still reading because you understand what I am desperately trying to tell you. You may not believe me yet and that is fine. Just keep reading.

So first, let me tell you a little bit about the human body. It is pretty awesome! Our bodies take the stuff we eat and drink and put them to the best use it can. What if what we are eating and drinking isn’t what our body wants? What if we give it too much or too little of something? Did you know we can over or under supply things to our bodies? Well, we can and we do.

Our good friend John (i.e. the john… i.e. the toilet) knows all of our dirty little (and big) secrets! When stuff comes out the other end, it tells a tale. Just like the little girl in the story I told at the beginning of this chapter. What does the stuff in there look like? What color is it? What shape is it? What does it smell like? When did get there? (We know HOW it got there!) How long ago was the last one there?

So, are you ready? Are you ready to stand up, hold your head high and walk directly to your throne, do your business and then LOOK AT IT? You can do it. We believe in you! The first time is the hardest and then it is smooth sailing! We want you to promise that the next time you take a bathroom break you will take a moment to peer deep into the bowl and inspect your work.

And yes, it is perfectly natural to smile with pride while looking in!

(Looking for a different chaper? Click here!)

Chapter 2: Your Momma Doesn’t Know and Your Doctor Won’t Tell You

“No one ever told me this!”

Every single person we have ever spoke with tells us that they have never heard the information we share with them. Why? If this is so easy to understand and so important to every single person’s health, why on earth hasn’t someone shared this information? First of all, nutrition is not always easy to understand. Patients seeking nutrition support are given menus based only on calorie counts and sent away with a pat on the back and “go home and follow this” from health professionals. Major TV and radio personalities always have a new, miracle “cure” for weight loss. Drink this, eat that. While you’re at it just jump up and down while you rub your tummy and pat your head, because that would be more effective.

I may be about to burst your bubble. I would apologize but, you know what, I am not going to. If you have chosen to believe a health “fact” that you have been told and you find out through reading this book (or future books in this series) that it is a huge lie: IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. It is not your fault. I am not blaming you for what you didn’t know. How could you know it if you didn’t even know it was something you needed to know?? Most people make the best choices they can for themselves and their families with the information they have. Most people want to be healthy. I am going to assume you have made a decision at some point in time in your life to want to be healthy since you are reading this book. I realize that you may be reading this because of the title (pee and poop are cool, I know) or because someone recommended it. This book is for you too. Actually, this book is for everyone. Even if you know most of the information in these pages, you will never hear it quite like this.

Let’s go back to what you have heard. High protein diets, cave man diets, green tea diets, cereal diets, lemonade/cayenne pepper cleanses, premade meals, daily points…and the list goes on and on and on. YIKES. How in the world do I chose what “diet” to follow when every advocate says their solution is THE ONLY SOLUTION. The ONE. If all of them are the one and there are hundreds of the ones, which one is the one? Confused. Yep. My point exactly. It is not your fault, remember.

Guess what, all of those people selling their cure have an agenda. They spend tons of money on marketing to lead all of us to believe that their agendas are based on helping us. Ready to have your bubble busted again? It’s not about you, it’s about money. The health industry is huge. And, are you ready for this one, the pharmaceutical industry is massive. Drug companies make a ton of money on sick, miserable people.

No one has told you this stuff before because for most companies and individuals in the food, health and pharmaceutical industry, their main goal is to sell their product or service. (I am not going to say all, because some rare few do have the health of the consumer in mind.) It is not a massive conspiracy. It is simply the rule of commerce. Once you can change how you view big name companies, then you will be empowered to take your own health into your own hands.

Don’t believe everything you hear.

“There is so much information!” Yes there is. “There isn’t enough factual information!” True. That is why we do what we do and say what we say. Actively being the healthiest version of yourself is actually pretty easy. Here is a three step process (just for you folks who love organization):

First, shift how you view the information you already know (I know this can be a long process or an instantaneous change). Your intelligent mind may have an internal debate, and the little voice that has believed a health lie may have morphed into an ugly little monster, advocating the lie. If the little goblin is putting up a big fight right now and you wish you were sitting next to me so you could tell me all the reasons why “your thing” is okay…no big deal. Tell the little guy to be quiet so you can finish this book. He will slowly turn from a hairy monster to a purring kitten.

Second, take your health into your own hands. Grab it. Be empowered. What you eat and drink is your choice. YOUR CHOICE. You do have the power to say no to something and yes to something else. You can decide how healthy you want to be and then decide to take the steps to get there.

Third, be an active participant in your own journey. You have to do something. You will probably have to stop doing something. Thinking about it and doing it go hand in hand. You need both thought and action to actually see a change.

If you haven’t already been thinking about why your doctor has not given you any information even remotely close to what you have read so far, you will soon be pondering one of the most frequently asked questions we answer. “Why has my doctor never told me this?” The short answer is twofold: they don’t know and they don’t want to (and honestly, they don’t need to…to a degree). Why don’t we start with ‘they don’t know.’ First of all, yes, I am generalizing. Not every doctor fits this mold, but most of the doctors we have encountered do. The overwhelming majority of our clients’ doctors do. Doctors do not know the specifics of nutrition. Nutrition is not their field! Doctors are trained to diagnosis and then treat and prescribe treatment. Dietitians are trained in nutrition, digestion and food science. Doctors are not meant to be nutrition experts. They train in their specific fields to be experts in that area. Dietitians are trained to be experts with food and the mechanics of digestion. ‘They don’t want to know.’ This goes back to the first part. Doctors are experts in their own field. Usually, unless someone has a particular interest in nutrition, then he is not going to go the extra mile to make sense of it. And that is

OKAY!

The important thing here is not to establish what healthcare professionals are doing wrong. Please understand, we are not placing blame or accusing anyone or any health field of misconduct. The important thing is that YOU, as the empowered consumer and client, realize YOU are responsible. Unfortunately, in our present day American culture, many have gotten into the habit of shifting responsibility to someone else. Your health is your responsibility. It is not the fault of the enticing fast food companies or the doctor’s recommendation. Yes, we trust experts and base our actions on their word, but there are many experts and people claiming to be experts. With the information overload we encounter every day, please realize that it cannot all be true.

Moving forward into this book, we need to you do something difficult, but also simple. Accept the fact that what you have been told and what you believe about food and your body MIGHT not be the truth. That’s it. If you keep your mind open then we have some mind-blowing stuff to share with you that can literally change your life and the life of your family/friends.

This information will help you be healthy. No fancy stuff. No gimmicks. No monthly membership. It may not be the easiest change you have ever made, but what change is really ever easy? If you knew, for a fact, that if you followed our advice that you would drastically change your health and possibly the health of your family, would you do it? Every single person that has listened, learned and put into practice our information has been amazed at the outcome. We know that it will be positive, life changing and, in many cases, unbelievable. We expect these kinds of changes. It doesn’t make them any less amazing!

Are you ready to reduce or eliminate that ailment you can’t shake? Can you imagine your life without feeling tired, weary or just plain bad? Imagine it. It can happen and if you can take the first step to listen, be open to what we are presenting and do your best to commit to make the changes in this book and the books in the rest of this series, then it will.

We have had clients who have literally been able to remove Type II Diabetes from their medical records. We have been told it can’t be done. “Not possible,” we hear. It is hard to believe, isn’t it? We have seen it. It is pretty amazing. Imagine being told that you are Diabetic. That is what you ARE. What if you don’t want to be THAT anymore? Many doctors and medical professionals (dietitians included) will say that it is what it is, so let’s focus on treating the diagnosis. What if you don’t want to be on medication? What if you don’t want to be on medications? To be honest, we receive a wide range of responses when we share this.

Skepticism, excitement, frustration…But the response we receive does not dictate the result. Did you get that? The RESPONSE is not the RESULT. The results speak for themselves. The results don’t depend on what anyone thinks. The results depend on the program and the individual’s choice to implement it.

No more meds? Really? What is your goal? Have you just received a diagnosis of high blood pressure or high cholesterol? Did your doctor just issue the final warning for an impending diabetic diagnosis along with insulin shots? Are you exhausted all the time and you just want to be able to enjoy time with your family? Do you feel like your body is dying? Imagine if those things that weigh you down (maybe it’s your weight!) could be helped. Imagine not spending thousands of dollars a year on medicine and doctors’ visits.

This works because of a few reasons. Leanne has years of experience with everything from microwave cooking, to working with mommies and babies to teaching prison inmates about nutrition. She knows her stuff because she not only has a specialized degree (Registered Dietitian) and ongoing certification (Licensed Dietitian) but has researched, taught and applied principles about food and nutrition for years. She has found how to take tons and tons of information and filter it down to what you will read here (and more in the series to follow).

But we aren’t asking you to simply believe us without any follow up. If you want to live in step three (being an active participant in your own health) then it is okay to question. Question us. Check out what we say. Research. We encourage everyone to be smart. We aren’t scared because what we are saying is the truth. Other’s will cower in fear of your new found knowledge and power. When you get healthy, we are happy. That is our passion; if we had to choose one purpose for why we do what we do, it is to help everyone we can be healthy. That’s it. Yes, we make money. But our main goal is not the money. The money is a natural result of having a successful product. So there you have it.

Before we get into the specifics of pee and poop and water and fiber, I want you to hear about some real life stories of people that have applied the stuff you are about to read in this book and the future books in this series. This is what happens when people chose to be healthy by using true, easy (and FUN) information. (Names have been changed to protect our client’s privacy.)

Mary suffered from an insistent ringing in her ears for twenty years. She called the sound “her little friend” because it was a constant buzz that never gave her any peace. Can you imagine never hearing silence? When Mary received nutrition education from Leanne, she immediately put into practice what she learned. She was a diet pop drinker and she cut it out cold turkey, made sure to drink the amount of water she need and added fiber to her diet. After only two weeks (yes, 14 days!) that little friend left, and left for good. Ah, quiet at last!

Susan has a similar story, but she was plagued with breathing problems. For about twenty years, she had problems finishing a single sentence without catching her breath and she just couldn’t breathe deeply. She decided to implement Leanne’s teaching because she had tried everything else with no success ,and after two weeks of replacing her diet pop with the amount of water her body needed every day, she was cured. She had endured decades of tests and no answers from her doctors. Through simple and effective nutrition principles she finally found relief!

A migraine sufferer for years, Lucy experienced frequent dizziness, blurry vision and seeing spots. She learned some very useful information from Leanne’s nutrition education (some of which you will be privy to in this book!) and put it into practice. She ditched the artificial sweeteners, started drinking enough water and after three weekly appointments with Leanne she bragged that she experienced a phenomenon she had never encountered before…her pee was clear AND her dizziness, blurry vision and ocular migraines were gone!

Many of our clients shyly confess they encounter brown and smelly pee every morning, with dark pee all day long. One of our clients went to the doctor regularly to have tests to make sure her kidney was working properly because her pee was always dark and frequently stinky. She told Leanne that she had not drank a single drop of water in ten years. Ten whole years without drinking water, we couldn’t believe it! After practicing her new found nutrition education through her appointments with Leanne, she was over the moon to update Leanne at her next appointment. She burst into the room and exclaimed that her pee was clear and she NEVER thought that could be possible!

We have so many more stories. Our clients gain bragging rights regarding their blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and of course weight. Chronic pain suffers tell us that their pain just goes away. Sleep apnea clients are able to sleep soundly without any assistance. Our thyroid clients find a way to manage and in many cases, erase, their symptoms. Dry skin, joint pain and tummy problems…all become better too. Losing 22 pounds in three months and keeping it off?

Oh, that is normal for our clients!

Feeling inspired? I hope so! We are inspired everyday as our clients proudly share their impossible goals being met. Now knowing the power of the information contained in this series, join us for a fun filled adventure into your bathroom. We know that YOU know that what goes in must come out, so why don’t we start with what happens in the middle.

(Looking for a different chapter? Click here!)

Chapter 3: The Bathroom Holds No Secrets

Now that we are on the same page, or at least you now know how seriously we take everyone's “business”, let's explore a simple overview of digestion. Knowing what is going on between chewing and pooping will help you make healthier choices too! We will get into the specifics soon, but for now knowing generally how food is moving through you will help as we dive into the fun world of pee and poop!

The Digestion Map:

1. Eat/Drink

2. Mouth

3. Stomach

4. Small Intestine

5. Large Intestine

6. Poop

Think about the last bite of food you ate. That food started in your mouth and was chewed and swallowed. The food travels down the drain pipe (the esophagus) and stops at the stomach. From the stomach, it works its way through the small intestine and large intestine. Then, it comes out the other end. Each of these digestion organs serves a different purpose. Some are an essential part of absorbing all the good stuff from that food, others are storage containers.

They all play a major part in the transformation from food and drinks to poop and pee.

All of the snacks you munched while doing errands around town are there in your bathroom for the seconds before you flush. The pop you chugged while you were taking a break at work is there. The small salad of iceberg lettuce you ate at lunch, because you felt guilty for not eating more vegetables, is there. The whispers of your day’s food and beverage cavorting all speak of what went in throughout the day (and the day before…and even days before if you are having #2 issues).

It seems as though our natural response is to cower in shame. Bathroom stuff is a taboo topic. Some people never talk about it. Some only reference bathroom business while joking. Others reserve bathroom chit chat for the closest of friends. Whichever group you fall into, understand that whatever is hanging out in your toilet bowl the seconds before you flush is important. Don't worry, you don't have to get out a measuring tape or start charting your bowel movements. Just don't disregard what's happening with your body's waste.

Not only is “Pee Should Be Clear, Poop Should Float.” a great book title (at least we think so) and has been on our team t-shirts for years, but it is our favorite saying. Even though we are unconventional and a bit quirky, every “saying” we use has a purpose. This one serves as a nonthreatening wakeup call regarding a person’s health and also an easy reminder to listen to your body. The silliness is a great icebreaker and conversation starter. Once a person moves past the apprehension of talking to a dietitian, then we can start getting into the life changing stuff.

As you have probably assumed by now, we are not your average “nutrition” business. We aren’t on a mission to sell vitamins, meals, powders or shakes. We aren’t associated with a corporation or hospital. Leanne is a dietitian unlike any other. When Leanne councils our clients, it is about them. Their health, goals, challenges, needs, and their future. Leanne starts with pee and poop. Not only does she began with these topics in one-on-one and group nutrition education, but it is an ongoing check to see how things are going. The information in this book is worth more than the amount you paid (and way more if you were able to score a copy for free)! It is silly and maybe a little gross, but it is invaluable.

Now on to the nitty gritty of how digestion works and the function all your important parts!

(Looking for a different chapter? Click here!)

Chapter 4: In One End, Not So Directly Out The Other

Digestion begins in the mouth. Simple sugars, like sweets and pop, absorb through the lining of the mouth. Ever heard of the diet where you simply chew “bad for you” foods and spit them out instead of swallowing? (Are we the only ones who think that is ridiculous?) The idea is that you can taste and enjoy the food without actually eating it. This fails because your body starts “eating” (i.e. digesting) the second food goes in your mouth. The awesome part is that by digestion starting so early, this helps your body throughout the rest of the process.

Because simple sugars began digesting immediately in the mouth, alcohol can be more dangerous that you might have imagined. Just having any amount of alcohol in the mouth sends it directly to the brain and bloodstream. This forces the pancreas to release “doors” (insulin) fast. What is happening is that the body’s cells feed on pure sugar and do it very quickly. This causes a RUSH and then a big DROP! In fancy, technical terms, Hyperglycemia to Hypoglycemia.

Now before we move on, I need to explain one key element of your tummy. It doesn’t have teeth. Sorry, your tum-gum is not a toothy sci-fi like creature. (That would be a little scary otherwise.). You may laugh and think that we are being silly for pointing out something so obvious, but hold on a minute. How many times do you chew your food? Have you ever counted? Can you think of the last time you were famished and you felt like you inhaled your food?

Keep in mind that the ideal number of chews is TWENTY. Do your best to chew each bite twenty times before swallowing. This not only helps with overall digestion, but also eating slower (which can result in eating less!) and slowing insulin release. I know twenty times sounds like a big number, just do your best and be conscious of how many times you are chewing.

Now that the food has gone in the mouth and been all chewed up (20x!), where does it go? The tummy! Chewed up food mixes with a “secret sauce” (i.e. hydrochloric acid) and can get into the serious part of digestion. Have you tried to drink lemon or vinegar, hoping to will reduce or eliminate the absorption of fat into your body? Sorry folks that is another fake out. Lemon and vinegar do not cut fat absorption. The good news is that you can stop gagging down a gulp of apple cider vinegar after dinner!

We will get into more about pop in another e-book in this series, but we don’t want you to wait to read that book to know why you should cut down or cut out pop now. Phosphoric acid in pop reduces the “secret sauce” in your stomach, which allows parasites, bacteria, and yeasts to survive in food. So, all those nasty little buggers end up in the intestine and then absorb back into the body. Is having your soda worth all that?

Speaking of absorption, this is where the small intestine plays a big role! This awesome organ is 22 feet long and skinny. Although it’s over twice the size of the large intestine, it is smaller in width (hence the name). This twenty-two foot tube is the king of absorption! Other than the mouth, all food is absorbed through the lining of the intestine wall and feeds every hungry cell! The concept of absorption can be confusing if you don’t know much about it. (And we know most people don’t and that’s where we come in!)

Activity time! Grab a sheet of paper towel and turn on your kitchen faucet. Hold the paper towel on both ends so it looks flat. Now move it under the running water. (If you don’t feel like doing this little science experiment, just picture it!)

See how the water comes through the paper towel? The water is “permeating” the paper towel.

Imagine if that paper towel was dipped in grease and you tried to let the water pass through it again. The water would not be able to pass through. That is exactly what happens inside your small intestine! If your intestine is lined with fat, such as residue from fast food, fatty foods and general gunk leftover from all those nasty (although delicious) foods we have to choose from, then the good stuff you eat simply cannot get through. Instead, the intestine will absorb the fat and yuckiness.

A quick word here on medical issues: that buildup of gunk can cause high cholesterol, IBS, and aggravate Diverticulitis.

Let’s review: the food went into the mouth, was chewed, traveled to the stomach and swirled with the secret sauce. Then after the food was sanitized in the sauce, it moves to being absorbed while in the small intestine.

The large intestine is the final stop before the trip is over. This intestine is 8 feet long and bigger around than its smaller counterpart. Acting as your body’s dump truck, all the waste and leftovers that the body can’t use from the small intestine goes here. Remember how food “permeates” the small intestine like water through a paper towel? The large intestine works the same, except instead of passing nutrients from food, it passes water. A whopping ten to thirty percent of the water used by the body is absorbed from the work of the large intestine!

Now the digestion journey comes to an end. The extra liquids not absorbed into your body are peed out and the remaining waste from the foods you have eaten exit through your poop.

Now that you understand where the food and drinks go and how they are absorbed and used, you are prepared to peer into the pot with fresh eyes!

(Looking for a different chapter? Click here!)

Chapter 5: Pee Should Be Clear

“Why should pee be clear?” I am so glad you asked! Your tinkle is your body’s way of giving you a signal, like a big yellow warning light. CAUTION. Do you just speed through them at the intersection or do you slow down? Now that you will soon be a qualified Expert Toilet Inspector, it is up to you to take a minute to see the yellow warning sign instead of quickly flushing it away and missing the important signal your body was desperately trying to communicate.

Let us go back to basics: Our body needs water to survive. Do we always drink water? No. We drink other tasty things like coffee, pop, energy drinks, lemonade, tea, flavored waters. We like drinks that give us an energy buzz and make our taste buds do a little dance every time we drink them. Be honest, we like drinks that make us feel good. And what makes us feel good right away? Sugar! Caffeine! Mix that with some bubbles, bottle it up and we are all over that stuff!

Dehydration is not just a “crawling-through-the-desert-under-the-sun-surrounded-by-dried-upskeletons” kind of thing. Dehydration is simply when your body isn’t receiving enough water for its normal functions. You, my friend, are like a watermelon. Your body is mostly water and when you deprive it of its daily H20 then it starts to do some stuff that isn’t that great.

Constipation, joint pain, kidney pain/stones, muscle aches/spasms, fatigue, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, headache, forgetfulness…those are just a few of the effects of a dehydrated body. High cholesterol can be caused by dehydration! Your hard working body makes cholesterol to fill up your sad little cells so they don’t shrivel up like raisins!

Let’s take a walk through a “normal” day. John wakes up, immediately goes to the bathroom to pee. His pee is dark yellow and pretty stinky. But what’s new? He doesn’t think anything of it and continues to prepare for his day. He grabs some coffee out the door, another coffee at work and a donut in the break-room. It is already lunch time and he heads to his favorite fast food place, orders his regular burger, fries and a diet pop. Then at about 2:45pm he feels tired so he grabs some old coffee at work. After that doesn’t help his sleepiness, he goes to the vending machines and gets a candy bar and another pop. He nibbles on a bag of chips later in the afternoon. Dinner that night is pizza, which he orders with a two liter bottle of pop (it was only $1 extra, so why not?).

You already know what I am going to point out, don’t you? WHERE WAS THE WATER? Did John take a shower using pop and coffee? No. Then how can his insides get clean if he isn’t washing them with water! If you are thinking that you drink more water than our example “John” and you are doing okay, then let me shatter your perception of “OK”.

If you are exercising, doing a significant amount of talking, in a dry or hot environment or sweating then you need more water than normal. Just think, if the water is leaving your body (in spit or sweat) then you need to refill that tank! How much you need to drink may vary (more on that soon)— drink until your pee is clear. That is your body’s way of telling you when you are hydrated. Kind of like speeding up through a yellow light (I know you do it…), speed up your water drinking when you see that yellow pee!

Here are the various warnings you will receive from your pee:

1. Clear Pee: you peak in the pot and lo and behold it looks like you didn’t even go.

PERFECT! That means your body is running on a full tank of water. You are hydrated!

But, don’t think you are set for the rest of the day…keep on drinking as you have been.

Good job!

2. Light Yellow Pee: this means you need to keep drinking more water, you are still dehydrated but you’re almost there!

3. Yellow Pee: drink more water! You are dehydrated and are probably feeling some side effects. Your pee may be stinky (you know what I mean). Get some water in you immediately!

4. Dark Yellow Pee: (and maybe a strong smell): WARNING! You are very dehydrated and your body isn’t functioning properly. You may not be peeing very much and you may or may not be feeling “thirsty”. Your kidneys are being seriously overworked at this point.

Show them you appreciate their hard work and do NOT reach for anything but water.

Drink, drink, drink. Often and plenty!

5. Brown Pee: DANGER! Brown urine is an indication that your insides are not functioning properly. Your kidneys are working way too hard and trying to squeezing on empty! Flush, wash your hands and RUN to get some water. Then refill the cup and keep on drinking!

6. Cloudy Pee: This means you may have an infection. Grab some water and monitor your pee. If it persists, then you should consider seeing your doctor.

If you learn one thing from this chapter, learn this: Drink water until YOUR PEE IS CLEAR. A clear toilet bowl is your body’s way of saying “Thanks! I am hydrated!” If you’re still seeing even just a little tint of yellow in there, keep drinking more water. Pee should be clear. Do you believe me now?

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Chapter 6: Take a Shower While You’re There

Have you taken a shower yet today? Next time you jump in the shower for a nice scrub, try using one bottle of water instead of your seemingly endless supply of water pouring out your showerhead. Could you get your body clean? What if you had some dirt or mud stuck on your skin? Would it be enough water to reach all your nooks and crannies?

We have had a few people say, “Oh, sure, I could get clean with one bottle of water.” Sorry ladies and gents, not happening. So, why would you leave your insides to get clean with only one bottle’s worth of water? Your insides need MORE than that, just like your outsides!

Other than watching your pee and checking that it’s clear, how much water should you drink? There are many different theories on how much is enough. Eight glasses, twelve glasses, as much as you can, or whatever you want. Here is the truth: the base amount of water you should be drinking a day is “half your bodyweight in ounces”.

Let’s go back to John. John weighs in at 200 lbs. Half his body weight is 100. John should be drinking 100 ounces minimum of water per day to keep his insides clean. I stress minimum here because John drinks several coffees and pops throughout his day. Any additional caffeine that you eat or drink during the day dehydrates the body. This includes coffee, tea, pop, energy drinks and chocolate. Also, sugary drinks and foods are going to have a similar effect. John can decrease the amount of coffee and pop he drinks (that would be the best option!) or he can drink that same amount in water. 12 oz. coffee = 12 oz. water. That is on TOP of his 100 ounces.

If you are feeling a little (or a lot) overwhelmed by this, don’t fret. Most people feel the same when they are first given this information. How do you start? Well, take one or two of your pops (or other drinks) and replace them with water. Then replace another, and another. The best option would result in your only beverage throughout the day being water. Is that realistic for you? For most people it is. Do you want to do it? You may not to right now! And that’s OK! You don’t have to want to eliminate all non-water drinks to make the choice to drink more water.

Start with what is achievable for you and ride the momentum. Most of our clients start drinking the amount of ounces for their weight immediately. And, guess what, they reap the benefits very quickly!

Now, you don't have to carry one of those gigantic gas station cups filled with water all day long to drink the amount you need. Just think of it this way: John needs 100 ounces of water a day. He has a few options for making sure he remembers to drink that much. He could have a little over 6 bottles of water; that means one every three hours with his meals and snacks (more on what and why you should be eating every three hours in the next book in this series). Another option would be buying a gallon jug of spring water and filling up his own cup. He may even choose to buy a giant cup and sip on it throughout the day. However John chooses to ensure he drinks enough water is just fine with us!

Another quick tangent about pop, since John was such a pop-oholic before he met us (and don’t worry, there will be a book in the series that gets into all the details about pop!). If you are a diet soda drinker, this is for you. For each diet soda you drink, your body needs 7 times that in water to even start to flush it out of your system. That means for each 16 oz. bottle of soda you need to drink 7-16 oz. bottles of water. We won’t get into the specifics in this book, but realize that the lasting effect of drinking diet is huge.

Now back to water. “I don’t like the taste of water, that’s why I don’t drink much.” We have a few solutions for that! If you don’t like the taste of water, you are not alone. This, however, is an easy fix. Here are a few options:

1. Add frozen or fresh fruit to your water. This will spruce it up a little and give you a hint of fruity flavor without any sugar and preservatives in “fruity” drinks. You may even get some bonus vitamin C as well! Frozen fruit acts like ice to keep your water cool and refreshing.

2. Add fresh lemon or lime juice to your water. This will give you a refreshing burst! Stay away from concentrates unless they are only juice. Many concentrates contain added ingredients to preserve the juice and, frankly, you just don’t want to drink that stuff!

3. TRUE Lemon, Lime, Orange or Grapefruit. We love this product! They are little packets of dehydrated juice. One packet per 12-16 oz. water, depending on how much flavor you like. These are very convenient! If you check our purses, cars or coat pockets you are likely to find a few!

4. Bonus tip: if you don’t like water once it goes room temperature, then freeze your water bottles. They will melt as the day goes on and you will have cold water available to you at your fingertips!

Another quick tip. Not all water is created equal. First of all, we want to clarify that when we say water, we mean water (big surprise right?). Bottled waters with added flavors, vitamins, minerals or caffeine does NOT count as water. Adding a flavor packet to your water that contains sugar, artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors does not count and neither does sparkling (bubbly) water..

The best water is 100% natural spring water. The spring water brand should reference the source of the spring (or springs) where they get their water from. If you dare, take a look at the last bottle of water you drank or purchased. If it is purified water, it may show the source of the water. It is not uncommon to find city water purified and bottled up into a nice little package. Plus, some companies ADD extra stuff into the water. What could they possibly add you ask? Sodium (salt!) and other minerals you don’t want added to your water. If you are trying to keep your salt intake down, wouldn’t you be upset to find out you have been paying to drink it in your water! Do you want to pay $1.50 for city water with added salt? We sure don’t!

The reason why we don’t like purified water (besides the taste) is that purification systems aren’t able to effectively clean out the leftover stuff in the water. Leanne has spoken to several water purification companies and has been advised that to purify water from all the remnants of artificial sweeteners and other toxic things that we pee out, a filtration system would need to consist of a combination of reverse osmosis and UV light. Because we always prefer the cheaper option, spring water becomes the best choice in water.

Hurray, you just made it through #1! With your newly found love and appreciation of water, venture with us to our #2 topic: Poop (pun intended).

(Looking for a different chapter? Click here!)

Chapter 7: Poop Should Float

Poop. Bowel movement. Crap. Dump. Poo. Make a deposit. Dookie. Poo poo. Brownies. Call of nature. Number Two. Defecation. Whatever you call it, it should float. If you have regular floaters, that indicates that you have sufficient fiber in your diet. Forget about what size, shape or color it is for now. We need to concentrate on the most important quality of poops: is it a floater or a sinker?

So, what? Why does it matter? Just like your body needs water to function properly and flush out all the toxins, it also needs fiber to scrub out all the built up junk that accumulates in your intestines. Build up in there means extra weight (that gunk gets heavy!). Even worse, when the junk builds up then your intestines can’t do their job, which is to absorb nutrients from your food. So you weigh more than you should AND that huge salad with grilled chicken you choked down at lunch really isn’t helping. Fabulous (insert sarcastic voice)!!

All the “leftovers” from your food and drink (in other words the stuff that doesn’t have any nutritional value and your body doesn’t need) must escape. You don’t need that stuff and your body doesn’t want it so it does the best it can to be rid of it. But your digestive system can only do so much if you don’t help it out. Drinking plenty of water helps “wash” out your insides, but what about giving them a nice scrub? When you have dirt on your hands and under your fingernails, you not only need a nice flow of clean water, but also something to scrub those grimy fingers with. The same goes for your insides. Water will wash it out but doesn’t have the power to breakup any build up on your intestines.

Your intestines function is to absorb the nutrients (vitamins and minerals) from the food you eat and distribute it to your cells. If the intestines can’t properly absorb those nutrients then the cells aren’t fed. When extra food gunk is lingering in the intestines and it hangs out for a while, it starts to build up. Think of commercials for chemicals that unclog drains. Can you visualize how the drain gains more and more build up over time and then gets to the point where the water is flowing through a small opening? The water is barely touching the drain pipe or isn’t touching it at all. Now pretend that drain pipe is your intestines. Grossed out yet? You should be!

All of the junk built up gets heavy and you are carrying it around with you every day. Do you really want to be carrying around garbage all day, every day? Plus your cells get filled with other stuff (like cholesterol and toxins) because they have to fill up with something, otherwise they die. And some cells will die. This is getting depressing! But it is! Being a human garbage truck is no fun and your body does not enjoy it. Not only does it just sit in there being gross. But, moreover, the gunk sitting in there gets squeezed and squeezed over and over again. You are reabsorbing the excrement from that gunk. Just like a garbage truck squashes and smushes the garbage to compact it, your intestines try to squeeze out anything that may be useful to your body. In this case, it is not useful. It is just the opposite! It’s toxic! You are drinking toxic garbage water!

Problems pooping? MANY people suffer from some form of constipation. If the waste stays in the large intestine too long, the intestine continues to squeeze out the water. Hey, it is just doing its job! This creates a more solid waste, which is why finally pooping after being constipated can be a painful process. The longer the waste is in the colon or large intestine, the more water (including toxins from the waste) is sucked out and put back into the body. The intestine will continue to absorb toxins until the waste moves through and is pooped out. That is why it is so important to listen to your body’s signals and not wait to poop. If you get the urge, go to the bathroom!

The opposite is diarrhea. If the large intestine doesn’t have enough time to take out water, then the liquid waste just comes out. The water absorption is VERY important to a person’s overall health and hydration. Dehydration can happen quickly when suffering from diarrhea.

As little as 2% of water loss changes brain awareness! Having a brain fart? Blonde moment? (We can make blonde jokes because we are both natural blondes.) Feeling slow, foggy or generally “out of it”? It could very well be directly linked to a thirsty brain! If it isn’t given some refreshing water and moves to 11%-15% dehydration, then things get really serious. Can you believe that our bodies are 72%-95% water, depending on the organ? That means WE NEED WATER! If you have diarrhea, keep hydrated with water or ice chips. It could quite literally save your brain.

So, you know “what” you eat (I hope!) and you can see poop come out. These two visible factors are great indicators of how your body is working on the inside and can give you clues on how those inside parts are working or struggling to work properly!

The question of the qualities of poop now comes up. Depending on who you ask or what you read, there are many theories on the size, shape, and color of the ideal poop. We don’t like to complicate anything, so let’s just keep it simple. Here are the two things you want to watch for in your poops:

1. It floats

2. You are pooping 2-3x per day

Poop should float. This means the fiber is attaching to fat and scrubbing the insides clean, carrying it to the pot and dumping out the bad stuff from the food you ate. Just like oil and vinegar, fat floats! And you want your poop to float too as an indicator that it’s filled with fat… so the fat isn’t left in your body to reabsorb! If there is not enough fiber in a person’s diet, then the fat stays put in the body and because the small intestine is such a hard worker, the fat will get reabsorbed over and over. Remember, this is one reason blood cholesterol can increase.

Now that you know why it’s important, how do you get your poop to float? The answer, just like with drinking water, is pretty simple. Fiber. Glorious, wonderful fiber.

(Looking for a different chapter? Click here!)

Chapter 8: Better Than an Enema

Now that you understand the importance of fiber in your daily diet, you are probably itching to find out just how to put it into practice. Good news, it is simple and inexpensive! You may have tried different “sources” of fiber in the past to help things move smoothly and were frustrated with the results or simply disgusted by the taste. If you are thinking “been there, done that” then this will be a pleasant change!

The (not so) secret to adequate daily fiber has two parts: choosing foods that have higher fiber AND eating whole flaxseeds. The combination of these two habits will have your insides sparkling clean lickity-split! By having adequate fiber in your daily diet, then you give your intestines a nice clean scrub. Have you ever seen or used a baby bottle brush? The pokey brush with bristles 360 degrees around is able to grab hold of any sticky junk built up in the bottle. When you are including enough fiber in your daily routine, then that fiber works like a baby bottle brush…breaking up and grabbing hold of any lingering yucky stuff trying to hang out where it doesn’t belong. Because you will be drinking enough water, that garbage gets washed right out and ends up in your poop. Now we have arrived to the “floating poop” phenomenon (that you understand now, right?!).

So, how much fiber do you really need then? Because nutrition labels are based on a 2,000 calorie diet and are intended to be a “guide” to give the consumer a breakdown of daily values, we prefer to go by grams of fiber rather than use the percentages. The amount recommended on nutrition labels is half the amount of fiber that we have found to really be effective in keeping those insides squeaky clean. The amount of daily fiber will vary from person to person, but a general rule of thumb is 45-55 grams per day. You will find most other sources quote less than that, but, honestly, fiber is like the hidden treasure of healthy habits. It will assist with weight loss (remember all the heavy build up is getting “removed”), lowering cholesterol, mood and energy improvements (we always feel better after I’ve gotten rid of a heavy load…let’s be honest, we know you do too!) and LOTS of health issues. Remember, the gunk blocks the “good stuff” from your food and drinks to getting to your famished little cells. Hungry cells are NOT happy cells! Don’t be the cause of HANGRY cells!

Now, let’s switch gears back to the best sources of fiber. Fiber, the “hidden treasure”, has several priceless gems hiding inside the treasure box. The first is foods naturally high in fiber (or as the professionals call them, complex carbohydrates). Remember when I said it is easy to get the fiber you need? Here is an example using our old friend, John:

Even though he doesn’t really think about it much, John has a deep love of carbs. He regularly eats toast, cereal, burgers with giant buns, extra rice at his favorite Mexican restaurant and piles of spaghetti.

What easy-peasy changes can John make to increase his fiber but keep the same “eating habits”? He can buy 100% whole wheat bread with 33% fiber or higher instead of white bread and looking for the keyword “whole” grain. When cereal shopping, he can look for cereal with fiber % of 40 or higher instead of sugary, low fiber cereal. Another easy swap is brown rice instead of white rice. And for all those spaghetti dinners, John can simple change out the regular pasta for whole wheat.

The taste won’t change that much for the pasta and rice. John may have some time getting used to the different bread and cereal, but it is worth it! To get the maximum benefits of all that fibery goodness, John also needs to start adding in fresh fruits and veggies as well as beans and nuts into his diet. If you are already wondering which specific foods would be best, great, your brain is moving in the right direction! The next book in our series will provide you with a detailed breakdown of which foods are going to give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to fiber.

Alright, we just CANNOT keep this to ourselves any longer. The second gem is one of our most favorite things on the planet. It is tiny, but oh so powerful. Drum roll please….whole flaxseeds! Maybe you have never heard of these tiny little magic seeds or have seen them on the top of crackers. These guys are seriously amazing. With 52 vitamins and minerals, including the popular Omega 3 Fatty Acids and the oh-so -scrubby “pointy” ends, don’t let the size fool you. (Sorry guys, flax seeds top chia seeds hands down!). Only two tablespoons per day of flaxseeds added to your newly enhanced diet is ALL you need to do to go from sinkers to floaters. And we all want floaters now, right?!

Just so you are fully prepared for how the flaxseeds are going to clean out your insides, understand that the essential pointy ends of the seeds is what grabs hold of the gunk. So, buying ground flaxseeds (and paying more for them) is a waste of your precious money. Yes, you get the vitamins and minerals, but we love flaxseeds for their scrubbiness!

Similar to the poop your dog has when it eats corn, you may see some whole flaxseeds in your own poo. Don’t freak out. That’s actually good! Those guys that made it out whole are the ones that are really cleaning out your intestines! Now that you will be checking to see if your poop is floating, feel free to quickly scan your business for flaxseed remnants.

So, once you get back from the most exciting grocery shopping trip you have ever been on (we know you are excited to buy your own bag of magic seeds!) you will start wondering just how you are going to eat them. We are the presidents of the flaxseed fan club, so as a new member, we will give you a few tips. We prefer to sprinkle our flaxseeds on a meal. They really don’t have a distinctive taste and they just add some crunch to your food. We have added them to cereal, oatmeal, salad, pasta dishes, rice, soup, almond butter and jelly sandwiches…just about everything! We have had some clients that prefer to eat them right off the spoon or mix them into a bit of water and swallow them down.

No matter HOW you decide you like to eat flaxseeds, just be sure to get your TWO

TABLESPOONS PER DAY and, the most important part, they must be WHOLE. You can choose to eat them all at once or throughout the day. Because we are busy bees, we eat ours all at once, otherwise we may forget the rest!

(Quick side note: if you have an intestinal problem like IBS or diverticulitis then you may not be able to dive right into two tablespoons per day. We still recommend flaxseeds for the majority of our clients with these and other gut conditions, but without knowing your specific situation, we want you to realize that you need to take it slow and see what you can handle. Sometimes the gut has so much build up, scar tissue and/or pus pockets that it freaks out when you start adding in fibrous stuff to your diet. If you want medical advice that applies to your specific situation, please don’t hesitate to contact us at LMConsultingDietitians@Gmail.com and schedule an appointment!)

Now that you know all about the beautiful treasure box of fiber, we need to revisit water one more time. IF you are chomping away at enough fiber throughout the day and you don’t drink enough water, then what is going to happen? Yep…TUMMY ACHE. You MUST drink that water to wash out the nasty stuff that all your fiber has taken ahold of, otherwise it won’t be able to move on its own and it will just sit there making you really miserable. The title of this book “Pee should be clear, Poop should float” is a saying we use all the time. Keep in mind that it is a complete phrase. If you only say half then you are sadly missing out and you may be in for an upset stomach. There, you have been warned! (Don’t say we didn’t warn you!)

(Looking for a different chapter? Click here!)

Chapter 9: Congratulations, You’re an Official Toilet Inspector!

Whoohoo! You have officially entered into the journey of pee and poop and successfully made it out the other end. You have explored digestion, hydration, fiber and learning how to evaluate the contents of your toilet. It may have had a difficult start, because there may have been health ideas and information that you had believed to be true and you stuck with us as we proved them wrong. Maybe you already knew, somewhere deep inside, that water and fiber and food are all really important to a person’s health, but you just needed someone to explain it simply. Or you could still be a little skeptical. That is okay if you are! Remember at the beginning of the book when we encouraged you to take your health into your own hands? If you aren’t all in (and even if you are) do your own research! Try our suggestions, change your habits and prepare to be wowed!

So, what are the next steps? Hopefully you had some time to put into practice what you have been learning, but if you read through this book without putting it down, now is your chance to apply what you have learned! You have been equipped with two very powerful pieces of nutrition information:

1. Pee should be clear (Knowing why and how to hydrate)

2. Poop should float (Knowing why and how to get enough fiber)

This power combo gives you the ability to clean out your insides and keep them clean. Just like the baby bottle brush scrubbing your insides and the shower of flowing water washing away the gunk, you can now dramatically impact your health. Of course, don’t stop there, because this is just the tip of the nutrition iceberg. BUT, this is the pivotal point where you are shown that the iceberg is there. You don’t realize what you didn’t know until you finally know it. Now you know!

With the power of pee, you can now ensure that you are properly hydrated by drinking enough water based on your body weight (remember: drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day). You also know that your pee should be clear, so if it is a hot day or you are talking a bunch or you have drank some non-water beverages, you can recognize the signals to drink more water. Looking at the toilet bowl before you flush and recognizing the color of the toilet water will soon become second nature. Don’t be surprised if you start sharing your pee color with your friends and family. Many of our clients tell us that they even check their kids’ and spouses’ pee (it helps when they are lazy flushers!).

With the power of poop, you know the easy (and inexpensive) way to have enough fiber in your diet and you will no longer be swayed by “fiber” marketing. Most of us already knew that we needed daily fiber, thanks to supplement companies’ advertising, but many of us never knew where the best place to find fiber was. Now you do! You know it is not complicated, not disgusting and you aren’t forever bound to buy one brand or choke down a fake fiber supplement. This all means that you can happily poop every day and multiple times a day! (Are you as excited as we are?!) Pooping all the junk out leaves you with a lighter and cleaner gut, which really does affect everything in your life! How can you feel good with a gunked up gut?

By combining these two awesome habits, you are left with a hydrated body (filled with happy hydrated cells and a hydrated brain!) and cleaner insides. Happy insides, happy outsides people!

What should you do first? The simplest thing is start drinking more water! If you are trying to clean your insides with only one bottle of water you know now that it isn’t going to work. So, drink more! You are probably drinking SOMETHING throughout the day, so start with replacing as many of them with water as you possibly can. The goal is to run on 100% water! But, if you are an “all or nothing” type of person and you just can’t get muster up the willpower to go 100% water, try replacing as many other drinks as you can with water. (Don’t worry, we don’t judge…but you know that we do tell it like it is though!)

Keep moving with the momentum and before you know it you will be riding the cool, refreshing wave of a hydrated body. Oh the feeling of not being thirsty and your body not desperately needing water. Your body will thank you for taking care of it by giving you extra energy! Now, if at first you find yourself making frequent trips to the bathroom as you up your water drinking, don’t fret. The vast majority of our clients find that after two weeks of regular water drinking (half their body weight in ounces per day) that they no longer need to get up multiple times in the middle of the night or run to the bathroom every 15 minutes. The good news is, is that your frequent trips to the bathroom is your body’s way of the initial clean out. It may get worse before it gets better. Don't be surprised if you can't get your pee clear right away. It may take that few weeks for your body to realize that this is your new habit and you will continue to drink that much water. Stick with it and don’t give up!

The second step, which happens to be almost as easy as drinking more water, may include a quick trip to the store for some whole flaxseeds. When shopping for a bag of magical fiber goodness, don’t worry about the color of the flaxseeds (there are several colors, like golden, light and dark brown). The most important factor to ensure you are going to receive the maximum scrubbiness for your insides, is making sure your flaxseeds are WHOLE. If you can, buy organic.

Once you grab your first bag of flaxseeds, take them home and store them in the fridge. One of the many good things about flaxseeds are the rich outer shell, which contains omega-3 fatty acids and other oils. These oils can go rancid, and as a friend of ours found out the hard way enduring days of an upset tummy and diarrhea, when the magical little seeds turn, they do more harm than good. If you store them in the refrigerator then you don’t have to worry about hot summer days turning your good flaxseeds bad. If you are like us and “out of sight, out of mind” then take a small amount out and put it in a small sealed container where you will see it on the kitchen counter. If you eat them at the same time every day then you will be more likely to remember! (We told you, we know all the tricks!)

(A brief note on food allergies: just like most foods, it is possible to have a flaxseed allergy. If you know you are allergic to flaxseeds PLEASE do not try to include them into your daily routine. Make sure you are eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies (with the edible skins washed and eaten) and whole grains (100% whole wheat, brown rice, barley, quinoa…etc.). We are in no way advising anyone with food allergies to eat something they are allergic to! If you begin eating flaxseeds and start having some sort of reaction, use your best judgement and consult an allergist if you are concerned. Just like we have been advocating, be smart and informed about what you put into your body! Okay…that is all on that topic!)

When it comes to making changes in your eating and drinking habits, we completely understand that it can be challenging and difficult at first. Try to approach it from a way that would best suit your personality. For example, are you a spontaneous person? Try adding your flaxseed to different meals. Are you a planner? Plan your day or week of meals and keep seven baggies of two tablespoons ready for the whole week. Do you pride yourself on accuracy? Use your favorite measuring device to ensure you are eating exactly two tablespoons every day. Are you all about putting other people before yourself? Share your new journey with your family and friends (and tell them to download and read this book!) and ask them to make the changes with you. Whatever helps you make the changes you need to make!

If you find yourself losing motivation, re-read the book! Take some of our silly phrases or success stories and copy them down on post-it notes and stick them to your fridge. We work with individuals one-on-one as well as with large groups of hundreds of participants. We have had individuals who have never spoken with us directly, but have heard this information from a friend or family member, tell us years later that they were inspired to make changes and have been reaping the rewards!

What’s next? As we have (obviously) been hinting at throughout the book, this is the FIRST book in a series! Pee and poop is the first step in a staircase of awesome little changes that have a huge impact. The next book in the series will take you to a place that teaches you what to eat, how to eat, how often to eat and essential combinations of foods. Because you have read and will put into practice hydration and fiber, and you now know about digestion, you will be all set to get into carbs, protein and fat!

Book two will empower you to know what the best food choices are in any given situation. You will become a grocery shopping guru, an eating out expert and hunger curbing specialist! (So many new titles to add to your resume!) We have so much to share with you and although Leanne would love to futuristically zap all the information into your brain in one second of information overload, we know that it is much more effective (and fun) when we move little by little.

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Thank you for reading our book!

We love hearing from anyone impacted by our teaching, so if you have something to share, like a success story or feedback on our book, PLEASE tell us! Find us on Facebook here and be sure to “Like” us for hints, tips and info in your newsfeed. If you just want to stop by and say hello, we would love to “meet” you! Thank you for reading and sticking with us throughout this silly pee and poop journey and we look forward to reconnecting with you at book number two!

Please let us know what you thought of this book by taking a minute to review it at your favorite retailer. Any thoughts, feelings or responses to this book are very important to us!

If you want to stop by our website for more information about who we are and what we do, visit us at www.LMConsultingDietitians.com.

Want to take another peak at one of the chapters? Click here to go to the table of contents!

Leanne Goncalves R.D., L.D. is a nutrition expert unlike any other. She is the founder, lead dietitian and CEO of LM Consulting Dietitians, LLC. She has years of nutrition training and experience combined with a natural passion to help others. She provides one-on-one nutrition education and counseling for a wide range of medical diagnosis, gives empowering group presentations and formulates all educational materials. This is her first ebook, co-authored with her business partner and oldest daughter.

Visit Leanne's Smashwords author biography here!

Monica Walker, M.A. is the woman behind the woman. As Business Manager of LM Consulting Dietitians, LLC she provides a very wide range of support so Leanne can work her nutrition magic. Monica has a Master’s Degree in Cross Cultural Communication with International Management and has worked in a wide range of industries. This is her first ebook co-authored with her business partner and mom.

Visit Monica's Smashwords author biography: here!

Confused? Definitions and Explanations

R.D., L.D. (Registered and Licensed Dietitian): A Dietitian must complete a dietetics degree, which is a specific program focusing on nutrition and food science. After graduation, he/she must take and pass a certification test to become registered. Licensed refers to state licenses, which require ongoing nutrition education.

Nutritionist: the definition of nutritionist according to Merriam-Webster is “a person whose job is to give advice on how food affects your health.”

According to NutritionED.org, “Certified nutritionists and registered dieticians must adhere to specific education and examination requirements administered by the state agency where that license is to be held. Requirements vary from state to state, with a wide range of certification types. There are also special requirements for those performing work related to specific agencies, health care providers and government reimbursement programs.” (http://www.nutritioned.org/state-requirements.html)

Recommended water intake: Half of your body weight* in ounces of water per day. For example a 200 lb. person would need to drink 100 ounces of water per day, divided up, it is six and a half 16 oz. bottles of water.

*This is your body weight in pounds.

Recommended fiber: 45-55 grams per day, Including two tablespoons of whole flaxseeds per day. (Fiber in flaxseed varies from 9-15 grams in two tablespoons)