You might have heard you should have a bowel movement once a day.

你可能曾經聽說過，每天應該要排便一次。

But the truth is that if you poop anywhere from three times a day to three times a week, you're completely and totally normal.

但事實是，只要在每天大便三次到每週大便三次的範圍內，你就完全正常。

[Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter]

[珍甘特醫生談身體的那些事]

Hey there, it's Dr. Jen Gunter.

嗨，我是珍甘特醫生。

As an ob-gyn and pain-medicine doctor, I end up talking to my patients about poop more than you might think.

身為婦產科及疼痛醫學醫生，我和病人談到大便的次數遠高於你的想像。

Overall, I hear a lot of anxiety about it.

總的來說，我聽過很多人對大便感到焦慮。

Some people worry about not having a bowel movement once a day, even though its a phony metric.

有些人擔心沒有每天大一次便，即便這個衡量標準是騙人的。

Other people struggle with constipation.

也有人被便秘所苦，

Often, they don't get the treatment that they need, and they can even turn to dangerous solutions, such as colon cleanses.

他們通常沒有接受他們需要的治療，甚至會轉而尋求危險的解決方案，比如洗腸療法。

But for all the poop talk, there's one word I don't hear enough: fiber.

但在所有關於大便的談話中，有個詞出現的次數實在太少——纖維。

Let me take you through the journey from food to poop.

讓我帶你走一趟從食物到大便的旅程。

Digestion actually starts in the mouth.

消化其實是從嘴巴開始的。

Chewing breaks the food down into smaller particles.

咀嚼讓食物變成較小的粒子。

As you eat, your food mixes with saliva, which moistens the food, and has enzymes that start to break down those starches and fats.

進食時，你吃的食物會和口水混合，口水能濕潤食物，含有酵素，會開始分解澱粉與脂肪。

Contractions in your esophagus push the food to your stomach, where acid and gastric juices and enzymes further break the food down.

食道會收縮，把食物推入胃部，在胃中，酸、胃液和酵素會進一步分解食物。

The food then travels to the small intestine, where fats, proteins, carbohydrates and micronutrients are further broken down, with help from the pancreas, gallbladder, liver and the microbiome,

食物接著來到小腸，在那裡，脂肪、蛋白質、碳水化合物以及微量營養素會在胰臟、膽汁、肝臟、 微生物相的協助下被進一步分解，

so they can be absorbed across the small intestine and sent to the liver for processing.

這樣它們才能在小腸中被吸收，再被送去肝臟做處理。

What's left moves to the large intestine or the colon, which has three main jobs:

剩下的會進入大腸，也叫結腸，其主要工作有三：

absorbing water and electrolytes,

吸收水分與電解質、

producing and absorbing vitamins,

製造與吸收維生素，

and forming and squeezing the material, now called stool, towards the rectum.

以及形成糞便，把它擠向直腸。

When the rectum is full, it sends a signal to the brain,

當直腸滿了，便會向大腦發送訊號，

and the brain takes into account whether it's a socially acceptable time to poop,

大腦會考量現在的場合是否適合大便，

and if it is, it sends a signal to the anal sphincter muscles to relax.

如果是，大腦會向肛門括約肌發出放鬆訊號。

And boom, you know what happens next.

接著噗通一聲， 你知道發生甚麼事了。

This process involves more than 10 organs and typically takes anywhere from 24 to 120 hours in healthy people.

這個過程涉及了至少十個器官，健康的人要花費的時間從 24 小時到 120 小時不等。

So it's helpful to think of poop as exactly what it is -- all the stuff that doesn't get digested in this process.

簡單地說，大便其實就是在這個過程中沒有消化掉的東西。

It is water, bacteria, dead cells and mucus, all glommed together with fiber.

包含了水分、細菌、 死細胞，以及黏液， 全都和纖維搓成一團。

Fiber is amazing.

纖維很了不起，

It affects the digestive tract from top to bottom.

它從頭到尾影響了整個消化道。

It is very simply a carbohydrate the body can't absorb.

纖維就只是身體無法吸收的碳水化合物。

While other carbs are broken down into sugars, fiber passes by sort of moseying along, doing all kinds of cool things.

其他碳水化合物會被分解為醣類， 纖維卻像是慢慢溜達過去，發揮很多很酷的功能。

High-fiber foods physically take longer to eat, so they help us pace our meals.

吃高纖食物要花身體更多的時間，因此能幫助我們調整用餐速度。

The bulk also slows down digestion, especially in the stomach, and makes you feel full longer.

大塊的體積也會減緩消化，特別是在胃中，也讓飽足感更持久。

Fiber also draws water into the stool, keeping it soft.

纖維也會把水帶進糞便中，保持糞便柔軟。

Scratchy, hard stool is, to put it mildly, unpleasant.

粗硬的糞便——怎麼說呢——讓人不太舒服。

It also increases bacterial mass.

它也會增加細菌量。

The water and bacteria together increase the bulk of the stool, which helps it move along.

水分及細菌加在一起會增加糞便的體積，對糞便的移動有幫助。

Fiber also slows absorption of sugars into the bloodstream and reduces absorption of fats and cholesterols.

纖維也會減緩醣類被血液吸收的速度，也會減少脂肪及膽固醇的吸收。

And as fiber collects in your colon, it feeds all your good gut bacteria, helping you maintain a healthy microbiome.

當纖維在結腸中聚集，成為腸道好菌的食物， 幫助你維持健康的微生物相。

Fiber is associated with the reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, several gastrointestinal conditions and even certain cancers.

纖維也能減少下列疾病發生的風險： 糖尿病、心臟病、數種胃腸疾病， 甚至某些癌症。

And yet, most of us aren't getting enough of it.

然而，大多數人都沒有攝取足夠的纖維。

For example, in the US, the vast majority of adults aren't eating the recommended 28 grams of fiber per day.

比如，在美國， 絕大多數的成人每天攝取的纖維都不到 28 公克的建議量；

In fact, the average American just gets 15 grams of fiber a day.

事實上，一般美國人每天只攝取 15 公克纖維。

So how exactly do you get more fiber?

所以要如何攝取更多纖維呢？

The generic answer is to eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes.

一般常見的答案是，多吃全穀類、水果、蔬菜，和豆科植物。

But I want you to consider some more specific fiber-rich foods that I personally love:

但我希望你能考慮選擇 下列這些我很喜歡，也富含纖維的食物：

pears, raspberries and blackberries, avocados and artichokes,

梨子、覆盆子、黑莓、 酪梨，和洋薊，

high-fiber cereals, whole grains — my favorite is farro — lentils, kidney beans and chickpeas.

高纖榖片、全穀類 ——我最愛法羅麥—— 小扁豆、菜豆、鷹嘴豆。

Almonds, pistachios and sunflower seeds are other options.

其他的選擇還有杏仁、 開心果，以及葵花籽。

When in doubt, reach for those.

不確定時，就選這些。

And happy pooping.

那就祝你大便愉快了。