Every few months, a new gut health trend seems to hit social media—sea moss gel, bone broth, Coconut Cult’s probiotic mousse, fibermaxxing…the list goes on. Maybe you keep on scrolling…or maybe you pause, watch a few videos, and wonder: What if that creator is really onto something?
After all, gut health is top of mind for many people right now as public awareness of its impact on your overall well-being increases. “The health and the function of your gut impacts your body in ways that go beyond whether or not you had a good poop today,” Desiree Nielsen, RD, a recipe developer with a focus on plant-based nutrition, tells SELF. It’s been linked to everything from lower stress to better mood, for starters.
But caring for your gut doesn’t necessarily mean heeding every health craze or TikTok fad. In fact, it often means not doing that, according to experts. “There is no regulation on the internet, so anyone can say anything,” Lisa Ganjhu, DO, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF. “But that doesn’t always mean that they’re correct.” Repeat after us: Follower count doesn’t necessarily equate to medical expertise.
Still, the sheer volume of information out there can make it difficult to separate fact from fiction. To cut through the noise, we went straight to the source: asking Nielsen, Dr. Ganjhu, and other gut health experts about the most common gut health myths and misconceptions they encounter in their work—and why they aren’t true. Here’s what they had to say.
1. You *have* to poop at least once a day.
While it can be a squeamish topic for some, there’s no way around it: Your bathroom habits can be an important measure of your overall gut health. What’s coming out is often a clue to what’s going on inside—but the frequency can vary from person to person.
Because of these natural differences in GI rhythms, missing a day (or two!) doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong, according to Dr. Ganjhu. When it comes to bowel movement regularity, one size doesn’t fit all, Craig Gluckman, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health with a focus on esophageal and gastrointestinal motility disorders, tells SELF. For some people, “normal” might mean pooping as much as three times per day. For others, it might mean as little as three times per week.
