Another poop question (sorry)

I've been a vegetarian for a year and half and a pretty healthy one.  Since then, I have had good and very regular poops.  I went to Japan on vacation in September though and had a hard time eating (ended up eating lots of pastries and noodles and I think some meat broth on accident).  The whole time I was in Japan I was pooping little round balls that are kind of hard to pass (I know, this is gross).  When I got home I returned to my old eating habits, but I am still pooping the same way!  I am so annoyed and I can't find anything on the Internet to try except eating fiber and drinking water, which I do!  Any suggestions/ideas?? 

It sounds like a lot of the food you were eating was of the 'refined carb' variety... pastries and noodles etc..... and that kind of food turns into a sort of flour and water paste in the stomach.  Add that to dehydration, stress of travelling, change of time-zone (I'm guessing the last two) and you can find your guts struggle to move it all along... so you end up with 'rabbit pellets' at the end of the process.  (A little meat broth wouldn't have affected you.)

The answer is to drink a lot more fluids, preferably warm ones rather than cold.  And rather than simply 'eating more fibre'.... make sure you're getting lots of bulky fibrous foods like leafy green vegetables, wholegrain foods and pulses/legumes.  It's the bulk of the food that means your stools are plump, not just the fibre content.   Individual foods that help would be kiwifruit, tomatoes, leafy lettuces, prunes, chilli peppers, onions, garlic, figs....  Increase the oil/fat content of your diet as well.... fat literally 'greases the wheels'.   Avoid eating too many eggs or bananas.... both are rather 'binding'. Gentle exercise wouldn't go amiss.

If that doesn't help try an over-the-counter stool softener.  And if all that doesn't work, that would be the time to see your doctor.   Good luckI