Mariel Segarra

For prunes, aka dried plums, the dose that's been studied in randomized trials is 50 grams twice a day, or about five prunes in the morning and five in the evening.

For kiwis, it's two a day.

And a plus with kiwis is that unlike prunes, they don't seem to cause bloating.

Psyllium husk can help for both constipation and diarrhea.

It comes in different forms.

The most common is a powder.

Tricia likes to mix it with her coffee and drink it quickly so it doesn't get gelatinous.

And she says if you're new to psyllium husk, just go slow.

Try about half a teaspoon a day for a week.

And if you feel good, try increasing to one teaspoon and then two.

We'll have more Life Kit after the break.

You also suggest, this is another tip, that people work on their form when they're pooping.

And you can do that using a poop stool.

You can do that just by angling yourself in the right way.

Can you talk about this?

I think in the book you say if you don't have something to prop your feet up on that you can lean forward and do basically the thinker pose, like that statue of the thinker where you're putting your chin in your hand and your elbow on your knee.

Takeaway three, work on your form.

Most people sit on the toilet at a 90-degree angle, but that is not the optimal angle for your colon.

Try using something like a box or a stool or a stack of books to lift your knees higher when you're pooping, above your waist, ideally.

And if you don't have a prop, you can also lean forward in the thinker pose.