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Good Sh*t: Your Holistic Guide to the Best Poop of Your Life
It's time to talk sh*t—literally—with this relatable and humourous interactive handbook that will help you conquer the (ceramic) throne so you can conquer your life.
If you grew up in the Western world, you were probably taught that poop is gross. Unspeakable, even. But it’s a waste to think of poop as a waste. Bags under our eyes tell us we’re not getting enough sleep. Sallow skin, thinning hair, and brittle nails tell us if our diets are imbalanced or if we're overstressed. Poop tells us all of that—and much more.
This friendly and conversational handbook from two certified yoga and Ayurveda coaches teaches you how to think of poop as a useful gauge of overall health, and helps you track the effects of simple lifestyle adjustments with:
• A seven-day tracker to observe your current poop health.
• Insights on the impact of diet, exercise, sleep, and stress on your poop, with tips for making improvements in all areas.
• Journal prompts that help you analyze behaviors that lead to good and bad poops.
• A 21-day tracker to help you see the positive impact of lifestyle changes on your poop over time.
If you grew up in the Western world, you were probably taught that poop is gross. Unspeakable, even. But it’s a waste to think of poop as a waste. Bags under our eyes tell us we’re not getting enough sleep. Sallow skin, thinning hair, and brittle nails tell us if our diets are imbalanced or if we're overstressed. Poop tells us all of that—and much more.
This friendly and conversational handbook from two certified yoga and Ayurveda coaches teaches you how to think of poop as a useful gauge of overall health, and helps you track the effects of simple lifestyle adjustments with:
• A seven-day tracker to observe your current poop health.
• Insights on the impact of diet, exercise, sleep, and stress on your poop, with tips for making improvements in all areas.
• Journal prompts that help you analyze behaviors that lead to good and bad poops.
• A 21-day tracker to help you see the positive impact of lifestyle changes on your poop over time.
128 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2021
9 people are currently reading
1686 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 30, 2022
Here's our philosophy: let go of yesterday's history before you start your story of today. To put it another way: don't add before you eliminate.
I picked this book up because I wanted to know what the 21-day tracker looked like. And I delved into this with the intention of making fun of the text. (And to be fair, the text is pretty hilarious at times.)
While some of the chapters are very questionable (i.e. detailed steps on how to poop and how to wipe your ass), I can acknowledge that the health tables are surprisingly informative and helpful. Moreover, while I'm of the opinion that asses should be washed (with a bidet) and not wiped, I was thoroughly entertained by this book.
A very quick and fun read. But personally, I think Good Sh*t: Your Holistic Guide to the Best Poop of Your Life should be taken with a generous helping of salt. Far be it from me to take shit advice (no pun intended) from two white women who own neither a bidet nor a tabo. To reiterate: asses should be washed, not wiped.
Recommended with caution.
🌻🍃 More bookish content on Shut up, Shealea 🍃🌻
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February 18, 2025
Ma ciekawe fragmenty, ale całe to gadanie o ajurwedzie brzmi strasznie sekciarsko i mam wrażenie, że autorki próbują mnie na coś namówić. Poza tym mało uniwersalne to się wydaje, książka typowo biorąca pod uwagę tylko ludzi bez problemów jelitowych. I o co chodziło z tym gadaniem o rozpalaniu ognia? xd
April 24, 2025
Ocena 2 ⭐️
Format audiobook
No nie wiem, trochę tam jest spoko rzeczy ale ogólnie zalatuje mi to sekciarstwem
Format audiobook
No nie wiem, trochę tam jest spoko rzeczy ale ogólnie zalatuje mi to sekciarstwem
May 27, 2022
Yep. It’s a book about poop. Let’s just get that out of the way.
But hey, as someone in the wellness field who’s had a long history of chronic health issues and is nearing forty, I’ve gotta admit: nothing like a bit of tending to your digestive health to make life a bit more easeful and less frustrating!
This charming and irreverent little book makes the claim that “our gut health is the key to everything,” and aims to cut through the shame around waste in the name of encouraging us to, well, look at our bowel movements before we flush as a key to monitoring our health. And the authors, two Ayurveda instructors, do have a point. We can learn a lot from our stool about how our overall health is doing, but most of us don’t really know how to interpret what we’re seeing without a somewhat trepidatious Google search.
If you were raised in the culture I was, you’re definitely going to have a few fits of the giggles while reading this book. This seems appropriate, as apparently 95% of the serotonin we produce comes from the gut! “The perfect poop experience starts first thing in the morning, while you’re still in bed,” the section on “Poop Philosophy” begins, and I admittedly burst into laughter and shouted “I hope not!”
While that quotation is fortunately not to be taken literally, the authors do suggest that a healthy person should need to visit the toilet first thing in the morning, and that it should be a comfortable, mindful experience. (Sorry: no phones allowed.) Awareness is generally the name of the game here. If you’re not already paying close attention to your stool (I admit nothing) you’re encouraged, like any good experiment, to start by recording your baseline in the provided tracker alongside relevant variables.
You’ll take three weeks to “work through” the book, though you can certainly keep up the tracking longer if you like. It’s less of a comprehensive plan and more of a collection of suggestions both general and specific to what you learn while tracking your digestion. The authors provide various reference points that you can compare with your tracker to ascertain whether you should be digesting faster or slower, drinking more water, adjusting your diet, or concerned about a health issue. Journaling prompts are also included to help you work through your thoughts and feelings on the subject. As silly as it may seem, I like this inclusion given how powerful taboo can be and how equally powerful it can be to simply say or write something that you’ve felt to be shameful.
Given the Ayurvedic background, there’s an unsurprising focus on the concept of agni (typically translated as “digestive fire.”) To maintain a healthy fire, the authors share various habits you’ll already be familiar with if you’ve ever looked into Ayurvedic lifestyle recommendations: tongue scraping, self-massage with oil, practicing yoga asanas, drinking warm water in the morning, avoiding caffeine. Perhaps most helpful for those trying to cut a coffee habit is a list of foods to “get things going,” if you will, without it.
Recommendations are provided for how you should ideally sequence and combine your food, most of which was new to me. No more cashews as a bedtime snack, bummer! There are also remedies included for hangovers, improving mood, preventing constipation, and handling hard stool and gassiness emergencies.
As you may have guessed from the cutting-out-coffee tip, the path to getting your gut health back on track isn’t necessarily going to be easy. While some dietary changes might be fairly simple swaps, you’re also encouraged to eat without distractions and to go to bed before 10pm, which isn’t necessarily accessible for most. (I notice that the authors are European—perhaps they get actual lunch breaks!) But it’s all information.
And it’s not just about how easy it is to use the toilet—some of the recommended dietary guidance can improve your mood as well as your daytime energy. While some of the more generic advice (sleep hygiene! reduce your stress!) may not be particularly new or helpful, it could be illuminating to implement some of the authors’ recommendations and observe whether you notice changes. Many of the remedies are relatively simple and worth the potential benefits to try, even if you’re not interested in sticking to a strict Ayurvedic regimen. If nothing else, you’ll be more aware!
(ARC provided through NetGalley.)
But hey, as someone in the wellness field who’s had a long history of chronic health issues and is nearing forty, I’ve gotta admit: nothing like a bit of tending to your digestive health to make life a bit more easeful and less frustrating!
This charming and irreverent little book makes the claim that “our gut health is the key to everything,” and aims to cut through the shame around waste in the name of encouraging us to, well, look at our bowel movements before we flush as a key to monitoring our health. And the authors, two Ayurveda instructors, do have a point. We can learn a lot from our stool about how our overall health is doing, but most of us don’t really know how to interpret what we’re seeing without a somewhat trepidatious Google search.
If you were raised in the culture I was, you’re definitely going to have a few fits of the giggles while reading this book. This seems appropriate, as apparently 95% of the serotonin we produce comes from the gut! “The perfect poop experience starts first thing in the morning, while you’re still in bed,” the section on “Poop Philosophy” begins, and I admittedly burst into laughter and shouted “I hope not!”
While that quotation is fortunately not to be taken literally, the authors do suggest that a healthy person should need to visit the toilet first thing in the morning, and that it should be a comfortable, mindful experience. (Sorry: no phones allowed.) Awareness is generally the name of the game here. If you’re not already paying close attention to your stool (I admit nothing) you’re encouraged, like any good experiment, to start by recording your baseline in the provided tracker alongside relevant variables.
You’ll take three weeks to “work through” the book, though you can certainly keep up the tracking longer if you like. It’s less of a comprehensive plan and more of a collection of suggestions both general and specific to what you learn while tracking your digestion. The authors provide various reference points that you can compare with your tracker to ascertain whether you should be digesting faster or slower, drinking more water, adjusting your diet, or concerned about a health issue. Journaling prompts are also included to help you work through your thoughts and feelings on the subject. As silly as it may seem, I like this inclusion given how powerful taboo can be and how equally powerful it can be to simply say or write something that you’ve felt to be shameful.
Given the Ayurvedic background, there’s an unsurprising focus on the concept of agni (typically translated as “digestive fire.”) To maintain a healthy fire, the authors share various habits you’ll already be familiar with if you’ve ever looked into Ayurvedic lifestyle recommendations: tongue scraping, self-massage with oil, practicing yoga asanas, drinking warm water in the morning, avoiding caffeine. Perhaps most helpful for those trying to cut a coffee habit is a list of foods to “get things going,” if you will, without it.
Recommendations are provided for how you should ideally sequence and combine your food, most of which was new to me. No more cashews as a bedtime snack, bummer! There are also remedies included for hangovers, improving mood, preventing constipation, and handling hard stool and gassiness emergencies.
As you may have guessed from the cutting-out-coffee tip, the path to getting your gut health back on track isn’t necessarily going to be easy. While some dietary changes might be fairly simple swaps, you’re also encouraged to eat without distractions and to go to bed before 10pm, which isn’t necessarily accessible for most. (I notice that the authors are European—perhaps they get actual lunch breaks!) But it’s all information.
And it’s not just about how easy it is to use the toilet—some of the recommended dietary guidance can improve your mood as well as your daytime energy. While some of the more generic advice (sleep hygiene! reduce your stress!) may not be particularly new or helpful, it could be illuminating to implement some of the authors’ recommendations and observe whether you notice changes. Many of the remedies are relatively simple and worth the potential benefits to try, even if you’re not interested in sticking to a strict Ayurvedic regimen. If nothing else, you’ll be more aware!
(ARC provided through NetGalley.)
November 30, 2024
Nie wiem czego się spodziewałam, ale dowiedziałam się, że pawanmuktasana to pozycja która „pomoże ci porządnie uwolnić bąki”. I że powietrze kieruje menstruacją. I można zrobić challenge „21 dnj zdrowej kupy”.
March 13, 2025
Okej, posłuchałam, kiwam głową i odchodzę z namysłem, że może kiedyś zacznę prowadzić ten dziennik kupy, choć szczerze wątpię.
Książka może i stara się normalizować temat wypróżniania, tyle że brzmi, jakbyś należał do ajurwedurskiej sekty, a twoja kupa to boski przymiot duchowieństwa. Rozumiem, że w łazience mam czuć się królową sedesu, a moje ciało to świątynia, którą mam oczyszczać, ale kurka bez przesady. Jedyne co wyniosłam z tej książki, to że warto prowadzić dziennik swojej kupy, powinno się celebrować robienie kupy i że kupę robi każdy😱 Z takim szokiem informacji zostawiam Wam pod ocenę tę książkę, może akurat komuś się przyda. Jeśli nie, to w zasadzie nic nie stracicie jeśli nie przeczytacie - zyskacie jedynie godzinę czasu z Waszego życia.
Książka może i stara się normalizować temat wypróżniania, tyle że brzmi, jakbyś należał do ajurwedurskiej sekty, a twoja kupa to boski przymiot duchowieństwa. Rozumiem, że w łazience mam czuć się królową sedesu, a moje ciało to świątynia, którą mam oczyszczać, ale kurka bez przesady. Jedyne co wyniosłam z tej książki, to że warto prowadzić dziennik swojej kupy, powinno się celebrować robienie kupy i że kupę robi każdy😱 Z takim szokiem informacji zostawiam Wam pod ocenę tę książkę, może akurat komuś się przyda. Jeśli nie, to w zasadzie nic nie stracicie jeśli nie przeczytacie - zyskacie jedynie godzinę czasu z Waszego życia.
July 21, 2022
Despite the reviews I loved this book. It’s cute, informative without going into too much detail, helpful, and has several journal prompts to help you get to the bottom of your pooping situation which I personally would have never thought of. 😂
Honestly it’s even a good book for guests to browse through & get a good laugh while learning a few things here and there.
Definitely would make a great gag gift for someone who struggles with their bowel movements😂
Honestly it’s even a good book for guests to browse through & get a good laugh while learning a few things here and there.
Definitely would make a great gag gift for someone who struggles with their bowel movements😂
March 7, 2023
This is a fun, entertaining book which is practical and encouraging. Yup, poop is an unspoken taboo, and we don't discuss this. I'd like to say that the book is damn intimate and covers details about your poop like colour, texture, smell, consistency, frequency, etc.
It took some getting used to, but Blohberger and Neeter write beautifully, making the reader comfortable with this personal topic. There's a lot of good illustrations to help understand what is being referred to.
Why you should get this
-All about poop (TMI even)
-Understand if your pooping frequency is fine
-More on your digestion
-Bonus on farts and pee
-Tracker and notes section
Y'all there is nothing to be embarrassed about, go buy this book.
It took some getting used to, but Blohberger and Neeter write beautifully, making the reader comfortable with this personal topic. There's a lot of good illustrations to help understand what is being referred to.
Why you should get this
-All about poop (TMI even)
-Understand if your pooping frequency is fine
-More on your digestion
-Bonus on farts and pee
-Tracker and notes section
Y'all there is nothing to be embarrassed about, go buy this book.
December 3, 2024
Maybe I’m just more well versed in poop than I thought but this book had so little actual information in it. Each section was written like it was the paragraph intro to a bigger topic but it wasn’t - that was it! Cool concept, not enough info
September 10, 2022
Pooping is important! This is definitely the more woowoo side of bms, but there were helpful suggestions throughout. Especially appreciated the yoga poses to relieve bloating!
January 25, 2023
There is some great information in this book. The section on diet I found particularly useful.
Read
January 17, 2025odcinek podcastu o uduchowionej kupie
January 22, 2022
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I love it! It's a beautifully designed book, and really makes you thoughtful about poop!
The book teaches you how to observe your #2s and learn what they are saying about your health, and it has a tracker and journal section to help you decode what is going on in your gut. Its great, useful information to help be informed of your health. Definitely recommend!
The book teaches you how to observe your #2s and learn what they are saying about your health, and it has a tracker and journal section to help you decode what is going on in your gut. Its great, useful information to help be informed of your health. Definitely recommend!
June 26, 2022
This delightful little book is not only a guide to help you poop better, but it’s also a cute and accessible mindfulness workbook to help you build better habits and routines to promote health in general. If you’re looking for an introduction to Ayurvedic practices that is extremely easy to understand, this is a great place to start. This guide does a great job explaining how bowel movements can be used as a barometer for overall health and how our attitude towards poop and pooping also affects our wellness. Towards the beginning of the book, there is a cute reflection about obstacles to pooping well, that I think is helpful for people who feel embarrassed about pooping in public restrooms.
Chock-full of tips to help improve gut health and places to record and reflect on your progress, this little guide provides an easy entry point to mindful eating and lifestyle changes. The section about digestive times was actually really helpful as a tool to reflect on why I might feel heavy or have a harder time sleeping after eating certain foods.
There is great information about oils, herbs and spices, food combos, natural stimulants, Ayurvedic remedies, yoga postures, and breathing exercises that promote better digestive health and balance. And there are cute moments throughout the book for journaling and exploring your personal relationship with digestion and barriers to digestive health.
As a yoga teacher and someone who has studied Ayurveda, I already do a lot of the mindfulness practices in this book, but I still found the daily tracker provided at the end helpful. It includes categories that I don’t always reflect on and consider all together (stress, sleep hygiene, caffeine consumption, food, hydration, poop, etc.) and puts them nicely side by side for easy analysis. And even though I am familiar with a lot of these practices, it was still a great reminder how living mindfully extends to all areas of our life, including pooping. I did the 7-day tracker before and the 21-day journal after and uncovered patterns in my digestion and learned how certain foods and habits were affecting my sleep and mood in ways I wasn’t previously aware of. So that was a very helpful exercise.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Ayurveda or anyone who wanted to do a gut reset using holistic and natural practices. It’s an easy way to track your habits and progress.
Thank you to Quirk Books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Chock-full of tips to help improve gut health and places to record and reflect on your progress, this little guide provides an easy entry point to mindful eating and lifestyle changes. The section about digestive times was actually really helpful as a tool to reflect on why I might feel heavy or have a harder time sleeping after eating certain foods.
There is great information about oils, herbs and spices, food combos, natural stimulants, Ayurvedic remedies, yoga postures, and breathing exercises that promote better digestive health and balance. And there are cute moments throughout the book for journaling and exploring your personal relationship with digestion and barriers to digestive health.
As a yoga teacher and someone who has studied Ayurveda, I already do a lot of the mindfulness practices in this book, but I still found the daily tracker provided at the end helpful. It includes categories that I don’t always reflect on and consider all together (stress, sleep hygiene, caffeine consumption, food, hydration, poop, etc.) and puts them nicely side by side for easy analysis. And even though I am familiar with a lot of these practices, it was still a great reminder how living mindfully extends to all areas of our life, including pooping. I did the 7-day tracker before and the 21-day journal after and uncovered patterns in my digestion and learned how certain foods and habits were affecting my sleep and mood in ways I wasn’t previously aware of. So that was a very helpful exercise.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Ayurveda or anyone who wanted to do a gut reset using holistic and natural practices. It’s an easy way to track your habits and progress.
Thank you to Quirk Books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
September 2, 2022
I honestly thought this was going to be a joke when I read it but it is full of practical advice for maintaining better overall health. Just like with our pets, gut and digestive health is so important. What comes out in the toilet is an indicator of our health and what needs to be improved or not. I actually learned quite a bit from this book about what you eat has a direct effect on the (un)ease of defecation.
I appreciate that the authors made this book fun to read.
Recommended for those wanting to improve health in all areas.
Thanks to NetGalley, Julia Blohberger, Roos Neeter and Quirk Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Already Available!
I appreciate that the authors made this book fun to read.
Recommended for those wanting to improve health in all areas.
Thanks to NetGalley, Julia Blohberger, Roos Neeter and Quirk Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Already Available!
March 3, 2022
People like talking about their poop, and making inferences from it, so this book seemed worth reading. I read a lot of slightly alternative medical books - I like to know what information is out there, and whether it might benefit or harm people.
Let me tell you, it has been a long time since I’ve been so disappointed.
Good Sh*t has very little in the way of information. The facts that are somewhat correct, are so basic that they appear on the first page of a Google search. While the book is classified as non-fiction, not a single reference appears within its pages. (“According to Ayurvedic literature” is not a reference.)
While the layout is kind of cute and colourful, I really feel this book is too short and contributes too little to spend money on. At most, the 21-day poop-sheet might be worth selling as an instant download on Etsy, because viewing one’s stools for a series of days reveals much more than a once-off gaze.
I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley - thank you!
Let me tell you, it has been a long time since I’ve been so disappointed.
Good Sh*t has very little in the way of information. The facts that are somewhat correct, are so basic that they appear on the first page of a Google search. While the book is classified as non-fiction, not a single reference appears within its pages. (“According to Ayurvedic literature” is not a reference.)
While the layout is kind of cute and colourful, I really feel this book is too short and contributes too little to spend money on. At most, the 21-day poop-sheet might be worth selling as an instant download on Etsy, because viewing one’s stools for a series of days reveals much more than a once-off gaze.
I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley - thank you!
December 5, 2021
This was a great short informative read about a topic that we all should probably take a bit more seriously. While the Advance Reader's Copy that I have didn't have a clear version of the tracking tables, I will most likely be picking up a copy of this book for myself to own so that I can take full advantage of the recommendations within the book.
February 10, 2022
I thought this book was very informative. I love how you can document everything. I personally will make photocopies because I don't want to write in my book. I did learn some things I never knew about pooping and the effects it has on your health. So if you are interested in that then this book is for you.
July 6, 2023
My bestie bought this for my birthday last year (hi 40) and I finally finished reading it. Now I need to work through all the steps, after having identified a few ways to improve my digestive system. Honestly, this was better than many of the more dense books out there because it was a quick informative read with easy to follow tips and steps to monitor your gut health
June 4, 2025
Oké oké, toch maar drie sterren dan. Ik krijg de kriebels van dat hele holistische, ayurvedische gedoetje en dit boek was meer een uitgebreide flyer dan echt een boek. MAAR... ik werd toch geprikkeld en er staan best goede tips en informatie in, als je langs bepaalde dingen kan kijken. Of niet, als dat je ding is natuurlijk!!
July 2, 2021
Quick, witty, and full of useful information. Explanations of our bodily functions were simple and clear. Dietary suggestions and natural “remedies” provide a valuable resource. This could be beneficial for anyone experiencing digestive issues, from indigestion to IBS
February 23, 2022
My sister gave me the ARC of this book, and I stashed it in the bathroom drawer. I’m out of magazines right now, so what a perfect choice to read, no?
It’s a cute, simple, brief book about your poop. With journal prompts. There’s some Ayurvedic stuff.
It’s a cute, simple, brief book about your poop. With journal prompts. There’s some Ayurvedic stuff.
June 23, 2023
This book is great!! As someone who has struggled with IBS for over a decade, I found some transformative and helpful advice in this book. I was able to quickly make changes in my life to improve my gut health.
May 22, 2024
Toilet bowl looked like the race track for the Daytona 500 with all the skid marks I left. Gotta give Julia credit where its due. I don’t even need ozempic anymore after reading this book. Waist is snatched and my DM’s are more crowded than the DMV. Period ahhhh.💩
August 1, 2024
Jak zwykle miało być ciekawie, a skończyło się na pisaniu o tym, o czym pisze się w innych książkach mających w tytule słowo „holistyczny”... Raczej niewiele się z niej dowiedziałam.
Na szczęście jest bardzo krótka, na pół godziny czytania.
Na szczęście jest bardzo krótka, na pół godziny czytania.
November 5, 2024
This book was a bit of a waste of time for me. It's not that it was poorly written, I just would have preferred it to be a bit more in depth and with a bit more practical application. But, it was short so at least it didn't waste too much time.
August 20, 2021
Humorous, informative, and useful workbook that everyone - and that means everyone- can benefit from.
January 12, 2022
This was such a fun and informative book to fill through. It has a great sense of humor and gave good tips on improving your digestive health.
January 30, 2022
As someone with digestive issues, this guide is gold.
March 1, 2022
This could be a good gift!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews