Bottoming is a lot of work, most of which occurs before cock even enters hole. Because of this, the majority of the effort goes unappreciated.
Tops (you know, the insertive partner during sex) don’t forgo their beloved morning coffee, subsisting on a strict diet of ice chips and gummy bears. Nor do they endure the grueling preparatory shower, pumping bulbs worth of bathwater into their asses as Chromatica plays just loud enough so their roommates can’t hear.
The prep work is excessive and an unfair expectation that prevents many bottoms from being intimate. But here’s some tea to whet your holes: You’re overdoing it, especially in the douching department. Truth is, douching is not always necessary, especially when you make the effort to eat properly.
To source the integral ingredients of a bottom-friendly diet, I spoke with Daniel O’Shaughnessy, an award-winning nutritionist and author of Naked Nutrition, a forthcoming LGBTQ-focused guide to good health and diet. Let’s dig in.
Know Your Fiber
Fiber is a bottom’s best friend. But fully harnessing its capabilities is more complex than tossing a spoonful of Metamucil into a glass of water––though that’s still a great idea.
“It’s important to understand the different types of fiber, which is determined by how it dissolves in water,” O’Shaughnessy says. “The first, soluble fiber, has metabolic health benefits, supports constipation, and helps prevent things like hemorrhoids. The second, insoluble fiber, works mainly as a bulking agent and helps motility of the colon.”
Soluble fibers are found in foods like oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and most fruits and vegetables. Insoluble fibers can be found in whole grains such as brown rice, wheat bran, nuts, beans, and some vegetables, like cauliflower, potatoes, and green beans. Most plant foods have a combination of both fibers. For example: An apple’s flesh is a soluble fiber, whereas the skin is an insoluble fiber.
As a rule of thumb, you want to limit insoluble fiber 24 hours before you have sex. O’Shaughnessy advises you go easy on the whole grains, switch to white rice instead of brown, and peel your vegetables.
It’s also important to know your “trigger foods” and limit these foods a few days before you have sex. Take extra note of spicy foods, eggs, red meat, caffeine, alcohol, and junk food, as these are common triggers.
“If you’re not used to eating a lot of fiber, then you may want to increase slowly, as it can lead to excess wind, which defeats the point,” O’Shaughnessy says.
Steer Clear of Dairy, Red Meats, and Junk Food
What you shouldn’t eat is just as important as what you should—and the first thing you want to drop is dairy.
“Sometimes, dairy is the cause of things getting all gooey down there,” O’Shaughnessy says, the biggest culprits being milk, cream, yogurts, cheese, and whey protein. “By simply removing dairy for a couple of days, you can see if it helps improve your stool consistency. If you’re worried about losing your [weightlifting] gains from stopping whey protein, switch to a vegan brand or collagen protein.”
While not as concerning as dairy, you may want to limit red meats as well, since some people cannot sufficiently digest its fats and proteins. If this is the case and you still want your steak, O’Shaughnessy recommends you try a digestive enzyme with meals and to chew your food extra well.
You’ll also want to keep an eye on your fat intake, as again, it can be difficult for some to digest. “As a rule of thumb, if your stool floats, then you might be having an issue with fat digestion and need some support with digesting fats,” O’Shaughnessy says.
Supplements Can Help
If you want to go full-tilt with your pro-bottom diet, you can add supplements to improve your digestive function. But be careful, some supplements don’t mix well with certain medications, so do your research beforehand.
As mentioned earlier, we stan fiber, so taking a teaspoon of Metamucil once a day in a shake or water is helpful. “But be mindful that fiber is a binder, so things like PrEP should be taken two hours away from using it,” O’Shaughnessy says.
He also recommends a multi-strain probiotic to improve the quality of your stool and digestive health, as well as a quality magnesium if you’re experiencing constipation, as it helps draw water into the bowel to encourage regularity.
Learn Your Body and Your Bowels
Ultimately, the key to a bottom-friendly diet is to make sure you’re effectively digesting your food so that stool comes out in a solid, formed mass, which leaves less residue after a bowel movement. Starving yourself, as so many wrongfully do, is not good for your body and your health. It’s also ineffective, since contents stored in the colon are from 24 to 48 hours ago. What you need to do is plan ahead and eat well. “If the above steps are followed, then eating a few hours before should be OK,” he says. “It should make your movements solid and regular so you can plan accordingly.”