The corn test is an easy and simple way to get an understanding of your transit time. That is, how long it takes for your body to digest and eliminate food.
You may be familiar with the fact that our bodies don’t digest corn, and you can see the kernels in your poo. We use this fun fact as our way to measure transit time.
So – here’s how you do it.
- Do not eat corn for a week
- Eat a good serving of corn. 1 cob will be enough, or a 1 cup if you’re using frozen corn kernels. You don’t have to eat it on it’s own, you can include it as part of a meal.
- Note the day and time that you eat it. Enjoy your corn as you can’t eat any more for a few days.
- Each time you go to the toilet, inspect you poo for corn. If you see corn note the date and time.
- Keep doing this every day until 2 days have passed without seeing any corn.
Interpreting your results
Ideal transit time is 24-36 hours, so if your corn re-appears 24-36 hours after you ate it this is great.
Less than 12 hours likely means you are not digesting and assimilting your food properly. You may have loose bowels.
Over 36 and your transit time is a bit sluggish and means you are constipated (holding on to your poo for longer than you need to, potentially reabsorbing toxins held in the waste matter.