Next stop: Poo-phoria. Here are nine of our team’s top tips for smoother, more consistent stools in the new year.

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Written by Emma Loewe: Writer, author, and editor of Cultured. Her writing explores the intersection of nature, climate, and human health. Emma is the author of “Return to Nature” and “The Spirit Almanac.”
Reviewed by Jennie O’Grady: Senior SciComms Specialist at Seed Health

Before it was synonymous with Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, the term “euphoria” was most commonly used in the medical field. A 19th-century textbook defines it as “well-being, or the perfect ease and comfort of healthy persons.”1 

This sense of whole-body euphoria can follow an experience in nature, a deep social interaction, or—as the internet recently informed me—a super satisfying poop. 

Poo-phoria” is a pop-culture term that describes the sense of well-being that washes over us after we pass a large stool, demonstrating the power of the gut-brain connection.

Hoping to feel more poo-phoric in the new year? Here are some of the Seed team’s top tips for smoother, more consistent stools. Next stop: Transcendent toilet time.

1. Elevate Your Evacuation With a DPMD

New year, new toilet accessory. Research shows that using a Defecation Posture Modification Device (DPMD)—a fancy name for a stepstool—can help improve a few key poop metrics.2 Think: reduced straining, less time on the toilet, and more complete bowel emptiness.

By placing your feet on a stool when you’re on the toilet, you increase the angle between your rectum (where poop is stored before evacuation) and anus (where it eventually leaves the body).3 This widening allows stool to pass more easily, quickly, and in some cases, euphorically.

2. Fuel up on Fiber

Fiber is like a 1,000-piece puzzle for your digestive tract: It takes a while to get through, but the results are worth the effort. 

Fiber is a complex carbohydrate (polysaccharides) composed of chains of at least three sugar molecules. Difficult to break down in the earlier phases of digestion, fiber reaches the colon relatively intact—where it feeds beneficial bacteria and fosters a stronger, more resilient gut environment.

Fiber is like a 1,000-piece puzzle for your digestive tract: It takes a while to get through, but the results are worth the effort. 

Research shows that a high-fiber diet can increase stool weight while being low in fiber can back you up.4 To up your fiber intake, load up on fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. (Just be sure to add these to your diet slowly, as upping your intake too quickly might upset your gut.) 

Every meal is an opportunity to build a more balanced gut environment—so aim to swap simple sugars and highly processed foods (chips, candy, soda, etc.) for more fiber-rich options a few times a week in the new year. 

EXPLORE FURTHER: What Is the “Best” Diet for Your Gut?

3. Feel the Difference With DS-01®

Our 2X clinically validated DS-01® Daily Synbiotic delivers 24 research-backed probiotic strains to your colon—where they can get to work supporting digestive function and a healthy gut lining. The proof is in the poop: Having more regular bowel movements is one of the most common effects our members experience when taking DS-01®.*

Learn all about the inner workings of the probiotic-prebiotic combo here, and read up on the results of our latest clinical testing here.

4. Don’t Bombard Your System With Booze

Now for the news that nobody wants to hear: Alcohol and its active component, ethanol, can spur a cascade of not-so-cheers-worthy changes in the GI tract, like irritation of the intestinal lining.5 As a result, some people may find that their stools are loose, watery, and downright unsatisfying after a night of drinking. 

You don’t necessarily need to commit to Dry January in order to feel better (though it certainly won’t hurt!). Research on those with alcohol use disorder shows that cutting back on drinking even slightly can positively impact intestinal permeability and microbiome composition, likely translating to better bowel movements.6,7

5. Drink (and Eat) Enough Water

Being dehydrated can make your stool hard, dry, and/or difficult to pass (poop is around 75% water, after all!).8,9 Drinking enough water (and eating high-water content fruits and veggies) supports the physical, chemical, and microbial breakdown of food through the many stops of the digestive tract. Eating your food slowly and mindfully can have similar effects, so aim to work a few tech-free meals into your week in 2025.

EXPLORE FURTHER: Following the Journey of Your Food: From Eating to Excreting

6. Swap Out Saturated Fats

Saturated fats, found in animal products and some plant oils, tend to prolong “gastric emptying,” or the time it takes for digested food to move from the stomach to the small intestine.10 The longer that food stays in the stomach, the longer it will take to be fully processed—and the longer you’ll be waiting between bathroom trips.

That’s not to say that you should cut fat out of your diet entirely. Some of the beneficial bacteria in your gut can utilize unsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, and fish. These tend to be easier to digest and they may have a neutral or slight speeding effect on transit time compared to their saturated counterparts.11

7. Stop Stressing Out Your Stool 

The gut-brain axis might as well also be called the brain-gut axis. It’s bidirectional, meaning that just as your digestion can impact your mood (and bring on the poo-phoria), your mood can impact your digestion—for better or for worse.

High levels of stress and anxiety tend to correlate with gastrointestinal challenges, meaning that anything you can do to improve your mental state could also pay off for your BMs.12 Whether it’s through meditation, breathwork, or journaling, consider how you can incorporate more stress-relieving practices into your daily routine in the new year.

8. Flex Your Digestive Muscles With Exercise

It isn’t just your biceps and quads that get stronger when you work out. Regular exercise can support the digestive system, helping it to more efficiently break down food and shuttle it to its final destination (the toilet!).13 Exercise also seems to enhance the number of beneficial microbial species in the gut and enrich overall microflora diversity—helping contribute to championship-level BMs.14

When it comes to exercising for your gut, light-to-moderate activities like walking, jogging, and hiking seem to be the most helpful.15 Consider this your cue to start going on fart walks.

EXPLORE FURTHER: How Your Gut Health Impacts Your Gym Performance (And Vice Versa)

9. Resist the Urge to Use Laxatives or Stool Softeners

Periods of infrequent pooping can be frustrating and downright uncomfortable. But they happen to the best of us. 

The next time you’re backed up, steer clear of “quick fixes” like laxatives. They might provide relief at the moment, but research suggests that they can aggravate the gut barrier and contribute to dysbiosis (potentially dangerous microbial imbalance) in the long term.16,17 

Instead, try to double down on the habits and routines shared above. Your gut thrives on consistency, so the more you can work them into your every day (yep, even Friday and Saturday) routine, the better. 

If you’re doing everything “right” and still consistently pooping less than three times a week, consider flagging it to your doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I make my poop smell better? 

First off, let’s clarify: Everyone poops. And everybody’s poop smells. As gut bacteria break down different food particles, they emit aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs).18 They may be a little stinky, but these microbial byproducts are nothing to be ashamed of. 

That said, certain foods may lead to more VOCs during their processing—including red meat and cruciferous vegetables.19,20 So if you’re trying to save on toilet spray, you can consider limiting these (just be sure to replace them with other forms of nourishing protein and fiber). 

How should I sit to poop better? 

The human body is hard-wired to squat while pooping (our ancestors made it work without toilets). If you tend to strain on the porcelain throne, elevating your feet can help emulate this squatting position and free up more room for poop to pass. 

How can I poop more regularly? 

Regularity stems from regularity. Practices like upping fiber intake, drinking plenty of water, exercising, reducing stress, and taking a science-backed probiotic can positively impact your poop schedule over time—but only when done consistently. 

The Key Insight

Pooping can be one of life’s great pleasures. To make it more enjoyable (and even downright euphoric), get into the habit of prioritizing fiber and minimizing sugar, saturated fat, and alcohol; drinking plenty of water; doing low-to-moderate intensity exercise; minimizing stress; using a DPMD; and taking a science-backed probiotic.

And once you have a poo-phoric passage in the new year, don’t flush it into oblivion without taking a peek. Check out our guide to interpreting what your poops’ shape, size, and consistency say about your health.

Citations

  1. Power, H., & Sedgwick, L. W. (1881). The New Sydenham Society’s lexicon of medicine and the allied sciences (based on Mayne’s lexicon). The New Sydenham Society.
  2. Modi, R. M., Hinton, A., Pinkhas, D., Groce, R., Meyer, M. M., Balasubramanian, G., Levine, E., & Stanich, P. P. (2018). Implementation of a defecation posture modification device. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 53(3), 216–219. https://doi.org/10.1097/mcg.0000000000001143
  3. Sakakibara, R., Tsunoyama, K., Hosoi, H., Takahashi, O., Sugiyama, M., Kishi, M., Ogawa, E., Terada, H., Uchiyama, T., & Yamanishi, T. (2010). Influence of body position on defecation in humans. LUTS Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, 2(1), 16–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-5672.2009.00057.x
  4. Forootan, M., Bagheri, N., & Darvishi, M. (2018). Chronic constipation. Medicine, 97(20), e10631. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000010631
  5. Bode, C., & Bode, J. C. (1997). Alcohol’s role in gastrointestinal tract disorders. Alcohol Health and Research World, 21(1), 76–83. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6826790/
  6. Leclercq, S., Matamoros, S., Cani, P. D., Neyrinck, A. M., Jamar, F., Stärkel, P., Windey, K., Tremaroli, V., Bäckhed, F., Verbeke, K., De Timary, P., & Delzenne, N. M. (2014). Intestinal permeability, gut-bacterial dysbiosis, and behavioral markers of alcohol-dependence severity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(42). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415174111
  7. Ames, N. J., Barb, J. J., Schuebel, K., Mudra, S., Meeks, B. K., Tuason, R. T. S., Brooks, A. T., Kazmi, N., Yang, S., Ratteree, K., Diazgranados, N., Krumlauf, M., Wallen, G. R., & Goldman, D. (2020). Longitudinal gut microbiome changes in alcohol use disorder are influenced by abstinence and drinking quantity. Gut Microbes, 11(6), 1608–1631. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2020.1758010
  8. Arnaud, M. J. (2003). Mild dehydration: A risk factor of constipation? European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 57(S2), S88–S95. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601907
  9. Mawer, S., & Alhawaj, A. F. (2023, November 13). Physiology, defecation. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539732/
  10. Little, T. J., Horowitz, M., & Feinle-Bisset, C. (2007). Modulation by high-fat diets of gastrointestinal function and hormones associated with the regulation of energy intake: Implications for the pathophysiology of obesity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86(3), 531–541. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/86.3.531
  11. Ockner, R. K., Pittman, J. P., & Yager, J. L. (1972). Differences in the intestinal absorption of saturated and unsaturated long chain fatty acids. Gastroenterology, 62(5), 981–992. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0016-5085(72)80115-x
  12. Hosseinzadeh, S. T., Poorsaadati, S., Radkani, B., & Forootan, M. (2011). Psychological disorders in patients with chronic constipation. Gastroenterology and Hepatology From Bed to Bench, 4(3), 159–163. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4017427/
  13. Jensen, M. M., Pedersen, H. E., Clemmensen, K. K., Ekblond, T. S., Ried-Larsen, M., Færch, K., Brock, C., & Quist, J. S. (2023). Associations between physical activity and gastrointestinal transit times in people with normal weight, overweight, and obesity. Journal of Nutrition, 154(1), 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.06.005
  14. Monda, V., Villano, I., Messina, A., Valenzano, A., Esposito, T., Moscatelli, F., Viggiano, A., Cibelli, G., Chieffi, S., Monda, M., & Messina, G. (2017). Exercise modifies the gut microbiota with positive health effects. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017(1). https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/3831972
  15. Clauss, M., Gérard, P., Mosca, A., & Leclerc, M. (2021). Interplay between exercise and gut microbiome in the context of human health and performance. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.637010
  16. Weersma, R. K., Zhernakova, A., & Fu, J. (2020). Interaction between drugs and the gut microbiome. Gut, 69(8), 1510–1519. https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2019-320204
  17. Tropini, C., Moss, E. L., Merrill, B. D., Ng, K. M., Higginbottom, S. K., Casavant, E. P., Gonzalez, C. G., Fremin, B., Bouley, D. M., Elias, J. E., Bhatt, A. S., Huang, K. C., & Sonnenburg, J. L. (2018). Transient osmotic perturbation causes long-term alteration to the gut microbiota. Cell, 173(7), 1742-1754.e17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.05.008
  18. Chan, D. K. (2016). Diagnosing gastrointestinal illnesses using fecal headspace volatile organic compounds. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 22(4), 1639. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v22.i4.1639
  19. Tennoune, N., Andriamihaja, M., & Blachier, F. (2022). Production of indole and Indole-related compounds by the intestinal microbiota and consequences for the host: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Microorganisms, 10(5), 930. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10050930
  20. Liu, Y., Zhang, H., Umashankar, S., Liang, X., Lee, H. W., Swarup, S., & Ong, C. N. (2018). Characterization of plant volatiles reveals distinct metabolic profiles and pathways among 12 Brassicaceae vegetables. Metabolites, 8(4), 94. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo8040094