Sesame Seed Bowel Transit Time Test

How well is your digestive tract moving food? Is it moving at an optimal, healthy pace? We need
our food to be processedand broken down on a specific timeline for our bodies to receive the
important nutrients that come from our food. The sesame seed bowel transit time test can give
us some information about how our digestive tract is functioning and if we need to make some
changes to our health. All you will need for this test are one tablespoon of golden or yellow
sesame seeds, one cup of water, a watch or clock, and a notepad and a pen. We know that our
gut lacks the enzymes to digest and break down sesame seeds (similar to corn), which is what
makes them so effective for this test. We also know that the vagus nerve is the driving force for
peristalsis and keeps the digestive tract moving at an optimal pace. Any variations from this
pace can signal a loss of VN control or some other digestive dysfunction. Here’s how to do the
test. First, add the sesame seeds to the cup of water and stir it around. Next, drink the cup of
water with sesame seeds in it, being sure to not chew the seeds. Take a look at the time and
mark it down on your notepad or on your phone. Then, wait until the next time you need to go to
the bathroom for a bowel movement. Each time you go to the bathroom and have a bowel
movement, take a look and see if you notice any sesame seeds in your stools. Mark down the
times and continue checking until you no longer see any seeds. The optimal time in which to
see the seeds begin appearing is around 12 hours after ingestion and the latest is around 20
hours after. Seeing seeds 16 hours after ingestion indicates optimal digestive sequence and
function. If your body is pushing the seeds out very quickly, your digestive tract is not working
hard enough and the VN is likely not firing optimally. If your body is very slow to eliminate the
seeds, then vagus activity is certainly decreased. In either case, testing of the gut microbiome is
highly recommended, as it can uncover the cause of poor bowel transit time and potentially poor
vagus nerve signaling.