Doctor shares what it means if you always need to poop immediately after you eat

A doctor has recently shared what it means if you always need to poop after a meal.

Now with all the hype around gut health on social media, it's about time we all learned about our inner workings, especially regarding our pooping schedules.

Why? Because this can tell us a lot about our health.

Dr. Joseph Salhab recently took to TikTok to decode what your body is trying to tell you if you're going to the toilet immediately after you eat.

A doctor has explained what it means to go to the toilet immediately after eating. Credit: Kinga Krzeminska/Getty

"Do you have to poop immediately after you eat?" he asked his millions of TikTok followers. "If this happens to you then you're not alone."

He noted that "it’s not because food is moving instantly throughout your GI tract" as many of us might assume and instead it relates to brain function.

“When you eat and you feel like you have to use the restroom right after, this is something called the gastrocolic reflex,” the gastroenterologist explained, stating that when the stomach starts expanding, it sends a signal down to the colon to contract in order to "make room for the food."

The urge to go to the restroom right after food is triggered by the gastrocolic reflex. Credit: Lubaphoto/Getty

Due to the colon being the area where stool and water are stored, it begins to push out old digested food and fluids.

Some people may also be more sensitive to this reflex, which is why we see conditions like IBS develop in them.

To combat this, the doctor relayed a few helpful tips.

"If this causes a problem for you then some of the things that you can do is adhere to a low FODMAP diet which can give you a list of foods that may be causing your problems," Dr. Salhab said in the video.

"Other things you can try and do is avoid carbonated beverages, high sugary drinks, alcohol, certain citrus foods, sometimes dairy as well, and fried or fatty foods," he added.

He also emphasized that it's important to remember that everyone's body is different and no "blanket recommendations" should be prescribed to deal with a certain problem.

Instead, it's best to keep track of what you're eating and how it impacts your body.

And it seems as though the advice has helped a lot of people struggling with their gut issues.

"A low fodmap diet was the answer to my prayers after more than 10 years of having ibs with diarrhea. Avoiding the foods that causes it is definitely worth it," wrote one user while another added: "I did the low fodmap diet. it helped a lot!"

A third stated: "No but typically after morning coffee" to which the doctor replied stating that "caffeine is a potent stimulator of the gastro colic reflex."

Featured Image Credit: Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty