Low residue diet 💩

I was reading more of Michael Moss’ Sugar, Salt and Fat about the history of ultra-processed food and specifically the section about tang. They noted the primary reason why NASA was interested in Tang, that artificial orange beverage, was it had virtually no fiber which made it easier for the human waste osmosis system to recycle water on the space ship.

I had to Google the term, and found out the so-called low residue diet is a thing, especially with people with bowl disorders like Crohn’s disease or even hemorrhoids, though I think with the later you’d actually want more fiber to help pass poop easier. That said, it sounds pretty disgusting and unhealthy – if anything I think you would want more fiber not less in your diet – as Americans already eat way too much processed foods without enough fiber to keep the poop moving through your body. Fiber is key to healthy digestion and moving the unusual parts of food through your stomach.

I always try to add more fiber to my diet from unprocessed sources – be it shredded carrots on pancakes, onions, beans, whole and chopped up fruits. Fiber takes up a lot of space in your stomach which displaces your intake of fats, sugar, and carbohydrates. It literally fills you up and reduces your ability to overeat. Plus it guides excessive nutrients through your digestive track and out the other side.

Good, solid, regular poops is a good thing. Fiber really does that. When you hear about people who don’t poop for days or struggle on the toilet, you got to really wonder about their diet – and realize they’re probably just eating American with all the colorful boxes and plastic wrappers that are toxic to burn. Especially when I find I have to poop in the morning and mid-day, though some of that has to do with the strong coffee at work. But it’s good to clear yourself out.

That said, I do think all that poop is kind of a waste. Humanure composting, done in a proper way to kill pathogens while recovering the unused nutrients in poop seems like just a sensible thing, just like you collect and compost food scraps. With all that fiber and unused nutrients going out the other end, it really makes sense to recover all that one’s body can’t consume especially when the inputs are so good with a high-fiber diet made up of whole foods.