Research for this column won’t qualify us for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In fact, readers may say that discussing whether poop sinks or floats is just idle conversation. Years ago, when this column covered this topic, many readers admitted they peeked into the toilet bowl. One complained this triggered a stiff neck! But what you see in the toilet bowel exposes a lot about your health. It’s worth a peek.
It’s well known that the North American diet is too low in fiber. In the 1950s, D.P. Burkett, a British surgeon and epidemiologist, reported that Africans, unlike the English, had large bulky stools and didn’t suffer from constipation, diverticulitis (small hernias in the large bowel), appendicitis or colon cancer. His conclusion was that Africans consumed large quantities of natural fiber in the form of whole grains, seeds and nuts.
