Given that everyone’s bowel movements are so varied, you might be unsure whether you’re dealing with constipation or simply feeling a little bit bloated.

Transit tests

Some people on social media have suggested ‘transit tests’, which involve eating non-digestible foods such as corn and white sesame seeds, and keeping an eye on your stool to see if it shows up within the next 12-18 hours. But according to Dr Ruban, there are a number of issues with this method.

“You might not notice (the corn/seeds) in the stool,” he says. “And people are different and people’s bowels are different,” Dr Ruban adds, referencing the fact that digestion is very specific to the individual.

“Digestion time varies among all of us,” Dr Perry explains. “After we eat, it typically takes up to eight hours for food to pass through the stomach and small intestine. Food then enters the colon for further digestion, absorption of water and finally elimination of undigested food.”

All in all, it can take around 36 hours for food to pass entirely through the colon, so this transit test certainly isn’t going to work for everyone.

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