Ever wondered why some of what we leave behind us sinks while other times it floats?
While not exactly a subject you’d bring up at a wedding reception or job interview, most of us have probably wondered why some of what we leave behind us sinks while other times it floats.
Like just about everything else in the poop universe, it has to do with what we eat and how we eat.
Think of your poop like a balloon. (A gross balloon, to be sure, but still…) Fill a balloon with air and it’s buoyant. Fill the same balloon with something heavier (or nothing at all) and obviously, it doesn’t inflate.
The reason you may have floaters is due to gas trapped in your poop. If you notice times when you have occasional gas, it’s pretty likely you’ll have floaters, too.
Typically, carbohydrates – which include sugars – produce the most gas. Proteins and fats, not so much.
Of course, gas isn’t always caused by carbs. Eat too fast, and you’re swallowing a lot of air. Chew a lot of gum – same thing.
And, because our individual digestive systems handle different foods differently, some people may have more occasions of gas – and more floaters – than others. If you’re normally a “sinker” kind of a person, it may be because you eat more protein than carbs.
Of course, none of this necessarily happens all the time. It just depends on just what we happened to eat recently, too.
So, the next time you look (and most of us do) consider what the mix of your diet, digestive enzymes, and gas (or lack thereof) leave in its wake.