Health
Guide to a healthy gut
Illustrations by Liz Zonarich/Harvard Staff
Test your knowledge by taking our quiz — featuring advice from doctor’s new book
About 40 percent of Americans say their bowel movements, or lack thereof, are disruptive to their daily lives, according to Trisha Pasricha, the Harvard Medical School assistant professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and director of research for the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at BIDMC.
The gastroenterologist and the writer behind The Washington Post’s “Ask a Doctor” column is also the author of a new book, “You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong: How to Make Your Bowel Movements a Joy.” She helped us to develop the following quiz about gut health.
1. True or false: Pooping once a day is ideal.
4. True or false: Telling a lie can affect the function of the bowels.
6. When you think of high-fiber foods, you likely think of prunes. What other fruit has been extensively studied for its bowel effects?
7. Which of these loaves of bread is best for gut health?
9. Which of the following is true of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?
