We don’t often talk about poop, so you may not know what is normal. If not, you might be missing important signs that your body is telling you about your digestion. Once you know the ideal, you can start to listen to your body.
As we will discuss, the frequency and consistency of your poop are great indicators of your digestive health. It's important to understand these messages because your digestive and gut health has a tremendous impact on your overall health.
Obvious symptoms of digestive trouble include stomach upset, gas, constipation, or diarrhea. However, even without those signs, you may be suffering from poor digestion and gut trouble without even knowing it.
Let’s shake the awkwardness of the conversation so that we can listen to the messages our body is sending us.
The Basics
When we talk about poop, we will be looking at the form, frequency, color, and smell. Each of these aspects can give us insight into our digestive health.
When we consider the form of our poop, the Bristol Stool Chart is a helpful tool. This chart was developed by Stephen Lewis and Ken Heaton at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. It is a diagnostic tool that classifies human feces into seven forms.
Take a moment to look at the chart and consider what you tend to experience!
Cabot Health, Bristol Stool Chart / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
An Ideal Poop
Ideally, we will have smooth soft poop that doesn’t fall apart when the toilet is flushed (a four on the Bristol Chart). The poop should be a chocolatey brown color like that of a Hershey bar. Bowel movements should not have a very strong odor or be difficult to wipe.
Since bowel movements are one of the body’s ways of eliminating toxins, it is important to have one to three bowel movements consistently each day. It should not hurt to poop, and you shouldn’t have to strain.
Trouble Signs
There are many things to look for if you are not experiencing an ideal poop. Once you identify the issue, you can start working on a solution.
- Form - Having poop that is too soft could mean that you are not eating enough fiber, while poop that is too hard may indicate that you need to drink more water.
- Color - Poop that is very dark could indicate bleeding in the GI tract, while poop that is too light may indicate malabsorption.
- Frequency - Less than one bowel movement a day is a sign of constipation, while more than three bowel movements a day is considered diarrhea. These are important indicators of gut health and should be discussed with your doctor.
- Smell - Poop doesn’t smell lovely, but it shouldn’t smell terrible either and could be a sign of a heavy toxin burden.
It may be important to work with your doctor if you are experiencing any of these trouble signs to identify the root cause. There are many other things that it could indicate as well (bacteria, parasites, thyroid trouble, etc.).
A Modern Solution
Many people say that squatting is the most natural way to poop, putting the body in the right position to strain less while eliminating waste more thoroughly. Squatting relaxes the muscles providing a straighter pathway that allows things to flow better.
The Squatty Potty is a modern toilet stool that allows you to get in a squat position while sitting on the toilet. It was created by a family who was trying to help a loved one dealing with constipation.
In addition to having a great product design, they are known for their hysterical (but educational) commercials…
(The Squatty Potty’s educational, funny, and slightly inappropriate commercial!)
It’s not every day that we talk openly about poop or mystic unicorns! But since our digestion greatly impacts our overall health, maybe we should start talking about it more. Please know that I am comfortable talking about all these awkward health topics. Feel free to bring them up with me; anything that concerns your health is fair game!
Dr. Jamie