Potty Talk: How Dietitians Can Mediate the Relationship Between Food and Bathroom Habits

This product is free for BHN members.

This webinar was presented live on October 27, 2021.

• Review of “normal” digestion/absorption, stool formation, transit time
• How the gastrocolic reflex (GCR) stimulates bowel movements and what dietary factors trigger it (large volume meals, high-fat meals)
• Identify clients’ digestive euphemisms (“Doesn’t agree with me”, “Stomach issues”, etc.) and encourage them to speak plainly about symptoms
• Review of Bristol Stool Chart and how the poles represent hyper- or hypomotility
• Understand how the mechanics of hyper- and hypomotility may cause secondary GI symptoms (bloating, pain, gas, nausea)
• Discuss how disordered eating may contribute to irregular bowel patterns (grazing patterns of eating, excessive consumption of “diet foods”, low-carb and orthorexic tendencies, bingeing/purging)
• MNT for diarrhea: soluble fiber-rich foods, evaluate “diet foods” and supplements for food triggers (inulin, polyols, high vitamin C or Mg doses, etc.), soluble fiber supplement, peppermint oil supplement
• MNT for constipation: bigger meals, adequate fat intake, soluble fiber-rich foods, Miralax or high-dose Mg, soluble fiber supplement
• Case studies

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 2
Performance Indicators: 4.1, 8.1, 10.4

Learning Objectives

1. Understand typical gut transit time and how dietary factors may affect this
2. Describe how disordered eating behaviors affect bowel patterns and secondary GI symptoms
3. Prescribe nutrition and over-the-counter interventions to address irregular bowel movements

Speaker

Emily Arkin, MS, RD, LD

Emily Arkin, MS, RD, LD is a registered dietitian nutritionist based in Washington, D.C. She specializes in eating disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and Health At Every Size®-aligned medical nutrition therapy. Emily has worked at IOP and PHP levels of care for eating disorder treatment and is currently a member of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). She is also a member of Dietitians in Gluten and Gastrointestinal Disorders (DIGID), a subgroup of the Academy’s MNT DPG. Under DIGID, she contributes to the “Disordered Eating”working group that is developing MNT resources for GI dietitians who encounter eating disorders in their practice. Emily cares deeply about helping clients discover (or rediscover) joy in food. Her practice honors the uniqueness of each individual and centers the client’s health and relationship with food through a non-diet approach.