the BEET TEST
what your transit time is actually telling you
________
Eat a serving of beets (about ½ cup, cooked)
Watch for red in your stool over the next few days
Count the hours from when you ate them to when you see it - that's your transit time
Too fast
under 12 hours
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Things are moving through you before your body's had the chance to actually pull anything out of what you ate. This usually isn't about eating "enough" - it's about your system not having the time or the safety to extract it. Often tied to a nervous system that's living in fight or flight, or an imbalance pushing things through before absorption can happen.
The sweet spot
12–48 hours
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Your body's got the time it needs to break things down, pull out what it needs, and move the rest along. This is the range you're aiming for.
Too slow
over 48–72 hours
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Things are sitting. Could be hydration, could be fiber, could be low stomach acid or sluggish bile flow, could be a nervous system that's stuck in freeze and not prioritizing digestion at all. When things sit too long, what's supposed to move out starts getting reabsorbed instead - including what your body was trying to get rid of.
This is for general information only - not a diagnosis, and I'm not saying anything about what your results mean for you specifically. If your number brings up something you want to go deeper on, send me a DM or book a free 20-minute call.
I can't wait to hear how it goes for you!
With love,
Ashley xx
@connectedwithashley