What Our Poop Reveals About Digestive & Gut Health

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Is Your Poop Normal- What Poop Says About Overall Health
Wellness Mama » Blog » Health » What Our Poop Reveals About Digestive & Gut Health

All living things eat, so Everyone Poops. – Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi

Who hasn’t read that literary masterpiece to their kids at some point along the way? As parents, we spend the first 3-5 years of our children’s lives handling poop. Every. Single. Day. Poop.

Between diaper changes and snack time, it’s easy to forget about our own poop. And if your house is anything like mine, most bathroom breaks usually involve an unexpected toddler wandering in for the party. But if we actually stop and take a look in the toilet bowl … our poop can be a very real indication of our overall health.

Healthy Poop: Does It Matter?

We all poop. It’s one of the few reminders we get about our health on a (hopefully) daily basis and yet, we don’t pay much attention to it. Not only that, but we also don’t like to talk about it. In our culture, sometimes it’s easier to talk to people about sex than poop.

But the truth is: if you’re not pooping right … something could be terribly wrong inside your body.

Is Your Poop Normal- What Your bowel movements can tell you about your health

For example, research in 2010 suggested that your brain and the good bacteria in your gut communicate directly, influencing your mood, your immune system, and your inflammation.

A 2015 study by researchers in Belgium concluded that “stool consistency is strongly associated” with the healthy of the gut microbiome (meaning the good and bad bacteria living in the intestines).

Next, there’s good short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in your colon, which have anti-inflammatory effects and increase insulin sensitivity.

Poop Problems = Poor Digestion

Think of your poop like the annoying chirping sound your smoke detector makes when the battery is low. It’s relentlessly letting you know there’s a problem, and if you don’t do something about it, your house could burn down.

Most of us spend the time and energy to consume healthy, non-GMO, organic food. But are we digesting it well? Are we breaking down and absorbing those nutrients well? The quality of your poop is a direct indication of how well you’re digesting your food.

If you’re poop isn’t healthy, your digestive tract is either moving too slow or too fast, which can lead to an increased risk of developing chronic health conditions like neurological disease, autoimmune disease, and chronic inflammatory conditions. The rate your bowel movements move through the digestive tract also determines how many nutrients and water you absorb from your food.

However if you’re pooping well, it could be an indication your body is relatively healthy and a good sign you’re winning when it comes to health.

Digestive Health Quiz: How Does Your Poop Stack Up?

There’s four critical elements to a perfect poop. If you’ve ever had one, you know how amazing they are. But if you’re not sure, take this quiz and see where you stack up.

1. How Often Do You Poop?

The research suggests you should poop every day. In fact, the range of “normal” is typically 1-3 times a day. Poop is waste and you need to get rid of it every single day to make sure that you’re properly removing toxins and other waste material that’s gotta go.

The bottom line: If you find yourself pooping only a couple pf times a week, or on the other hand, going 5+ times a day, you could be at risk of health problems.

2. Are You Pushing Too Hard?

How easy is it for you to poop? It’s normal in our culture to take our cell phone to the bathroom or read a magazine for a half hour, battling to win the poop fight. But the reality is that a “normal” poop shouldn’t take but a few minutes. This isn’t childbirth … it should be easy! Pushing typically leads to hemorrhoids which are all too common today but not normal.

The bottom line: Normal poops strike a balance between not having to push or strain, but also not having so much urgency you barely can hold it. If you’re spending 10+ minutes on the toilet or running to make it just in time, you’re not having normal bowel movements.

3. Do Your Stools Look Like a Snake?

Did you know there are different classifications or types of poop? Yep, we’re going there.

The most important part of a “normal” poop is the quality, so part of this quiz requires you to look down and see what’s really going on. Thankfully, the folks at the University of Bristol published a study in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, gifting us with the Bristol Stool Chart.

Here it is in all its glory:

Bristol Stool Chart

Start sizing up your recent bowel movements with the knowledge that anything between a 1-3 is considered constipated, while 6s and 7s are considered diarrhea.

The bottom line: A “normal” poop is like #4 on the Bristol Stool Chart: “like a sausage or a snake, smooth and soft.” If your poops aren’t looking like this, they aren’t normal and there’s work to be done.

4. Are You Getting It All Out?

For some people this is a non-issue, but part of a “normal” poop is having what’s so eloquently referred to as a “full evacuation.” Are you getting all your poop out in one swift motion? Do you have to keep coming back to finish the job? Or do you feel like there’s always something left behind lingering and making you feel uncomfortable?

The bottom line: A “normal” poop is a complete poop. If you never quite feel the relief I’m talking about … you’re not having ideal bowel movements.

How to Improve Your Poop

If your poop isn’t normal based on the quiz above, we know your digestive health isn’t what it should be. So here’s a few tips to improve your digestive health and get closer to perfect poops.

1. Eat Real Food

The biggest mistake we see is people that claim to eat healthy, but in reality their diet is full of sugar and low on veggies. Stick to eating real food. It’s one of the most important changes anyone with digestive problems can make.

If you’re someone who’s struggling with constipation or diarrhea, a diet like the Specific Carbohydrate Diet can help heal your gut and get control of your symptoms. The most important thing you can do is listen to what your poop is telling you and continue to make changes to improve the food you’re eating.

2. Consume Probiotics

Our gut has a TON of bacteria, and a healthy gut flora is critical for healthy poop. Consume good “bugs” every single day. Start with fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha or water kefir and see how well you tolerate them. A high quality probiotic is one supplement that can also boost the immune system in the gut and improve digestive health.

3. Eat More Fat

Fat has a direct impact on peristalsis, the waves our bodies make to get rid of poop, and can be extremely helpful for people who are constipated. Increase your healthy fats from sources like especially from quality meats, coconut oil, sardines, and foods like olive oil, avocados, and grass-fed butter. Or get healthy fats into your coffee or tea.

4. Drink Enough Water

Drink enough water! This is the most simple and most often missed step to good elimination. Actual amount will vary by person but drink enough water that your urine is lightly colored and doesn’t have a strong smell. Also take into account how much tea or coffee you drink in a day as this could be working against your water count.

5. Use a Squatty Potty

A Squatty Potty is a device you put under your feet to elevate them and change your overall posture when you poop. Simply put, it’s more like squatting (which is how our body was designed to eliminate before modern toilets came along). This post explains the benefits more in-depth, but if you or someone in the family regularly has bathroom issues, I highly suggest putting one in every bathroom. Lower-end models aren’t terribly expensive and the increased comfort level when pooping = priceless.

6. Take a Digestive Tincture

If you (or one of the kids, more likely) is closer to the #1 end of the Bristol Stool Chart (constipated), try making this herbal digestive tincture made with ginger root, fennel, and peppermint. It soothes constipation-related tummy troubles and often gets things moving (very gently).

7. Get Better Sleep

I know, for moms this one seems almost laughable. Still, it’s interesting to know several studies show there’s a possible connection between poor sleep and poop problems, specifically constipation. Even if you’re in the stage of mom life where sleep is scarce, optimize your sleep environment and stay off electronics a few hours before bedtime.

8. Test Your Poop

Yes, I did this. I took a sample of my own poop and mailed it to a lab. It wasn’t the most glorious life moment, but the insight I got into what was really going on in my gut was priceless. If you’re tired of guessing what is going on with your gut or want to know exactly the best steps to enrich your gut microbiome, I can’t recommend this step enough. Thanks to companies like Viome you can do this in the privacy of your home without a doctor (although a doctor certainly might be needed for serious gut issues). See my personalized gut health report and how to set up this test for yourself here.

Are you willing to take a peek at your poop? Is it healthy or need some work? TMI? Share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

100 responses to “What Our Poop Reveals About Digestive & Gut Health”

  1. Rini Avatar

    I really liked this post. People hesitate and dislike taking a look at their poo before flushing but it is very essential. Most of the health issues can be judged with the texture and the color of the poo.
    Thanks for this post and i will make a point to share with my friends and family too.

    The post with Oil remedies is also good. I have been using castor oil for cracked heels, lips and acnes too. I massage daily with castor oil during summers which helps bring my body temperature bit down and i don’t feel too hot. I drink castor oil once a week to cleanse my system, it works miracle. If the stomach is clean then there entire mood changes and the skin glows. Castor oil is detoxifying.
    I use Coconut oil(virgin, used in cooking) as a sun block, it works better than the sun screens, it just leaves the skin a little reddish which can be removed easily again by applying coconut oil on the face and massaging it, finally cleaning it off with a little of gram flour. Coconut oil works great as a cleanser, far better than the cleansing products available in market. I apply 2-3 drops of coconut or castor oil again after washing my face with flour so the face doesn’t over dry. I have a combination skin which is troublesome most of the times.
    And the milk uses you wrote works nice, it is good in cleaning dirt from skin, and moisturizing too. I put milk eye pads which reduces dark circles.
    Thank you for the remedies.

  2. MAYANK Avatar

    Not able to decide what kind of poop I am doing. SO could you help me out.
    Whenever I eat my Breakfast, lunch or dinner, I feel that I need to go to washroom. But it isn,t correct everytime. I am not able eat according to my hunger. Normally little bit less.
    What to do ?

  3. Abel Garcia Avatar
    Abel Garcia

    Well mine is a 4 on the poop chart but it’s only one maybe 4inch piece. I only go once a day and I don’t feel like I have to go. I just don’t think I’m pooping enough. Like I’m not getting it all out and my lower abdomen feels abnormal.

  4. coco Avatar

    I poop every 3 days straight 3x those 3 days after 4-6 days of not pooping. First it comes out as type 1 then type 3 and last type 4. I eat regularly and drink lots of water. Sometimes when I drink a bottle full of cold water all at once it makes me go poop in a rush.

  5. Jay Avatar

    what if i’ve been having 1/6-7 for the last week or two? i have a bm every day but i feel like i haven’t actually had a real bm…

  6. Sherry Avatar

    I have and have always had a serious problem with doing the number 2 since i was a little girl. I go up to 5 weeks without making a bowel movment, and this aint just an every once in awhile thing, after 4 or 5 weeks, i might go, but it hurts so bad, and i grunt and push and rock back and forth, and it still dont comeout, i know this sounds sickening, but many times i’ve had to put gloves on and dig it out.. it has felt like i’ve turned my butt inside out for it to comeout, then i’ve been scared to death that i’ve pulled out my intestines. I’ve takin enemas, but dont work, so i’ll take another one bout 10 min later, still dont help, so i’ve taken exlax, just different things. But like i said, once i do go after all them weeks… then it’s another 3 to 4 weeks before i could go again, i’ve felt like i’ve needed to go ot hospital forit … but it is so bad, that i cant walk, you can tell its right there, but it just wont come out. Im very scared, when i was younger it didnt worry me, but im almost 47 now and i feel like it’s gonna be the thing to kill me. I had a friend die from this. I gotta have a colonoscophy done in july, so i know i’ll be goin thrn cause i gota get a bunch of things to drink that will cleear me out. But that’s not somethin i’d wanna do every week cause i feel that can be harmful to. Is there anything at all that you might be able to give me any advise on that could help me and keep me regular? i would really appreciate it

  7. Wael Avatar

    Thanks for that, me also i was wondering to who can i talk to about this, but this topic helped to discussion. As i was looking in the chart mine is like 5 and its been a while since my stomachs started to feel not normal but i keep on saying it will be fine and until now and number 5 is there, i did go to doctor and he gave me some pills and now i stop the pills and its been a month or more but still its 5, what would be the problem, ? any one did have that. Thanks

  8. Kay Avatar

    Thanks for the info and great chart!
    I didn’t see a response to the one who does not have a clean finish and has to wipe a lot afterwards. I have this problem in the mornings, but when I have movements in the afternoons, I don’t. In fact, I have a very satisfying clean finish then. Sorry to be so graphic, but the morning problem is that there is a very sticky, thick consistency, and the last bit won’t drop off, so clean up is problematic, and takes quite a while and a lot of toilet paper. I also use either a neem gel, a neem lotion, or a handsoap to get perfectly clean. This makes traveling, and especially camping, complicated.

    I also took a couple of antibiotics that caused severe problems with anal area skin irritation and severely chapped lips. When I stopped taking the antibiotic, the anal problem healed itself, but the terribly chapped lips have remained for many years. I finally found a goat yogurt that has helped – not a complete recovery, but quite a relief.

  9. Lara Avatar

    But what if I do my BMs just and just everytime I feel it and get a sausage with cracks? Im really concerned im only 13 , and its always clean and complete with relief..

  10. John Avatar

    I haven’t been pooping normal at all recently. When I do it comes out in either decently smoothly or often recently in a sharting disgusting fashion which concerns me. What specific health concerns am I facing? It feels as if my digestive system is off as well. When I eat certain foods it doesnt take down well and my stomach rumbles weirdly as if its struggling to process it. My sister and brother are allergic to gluten and I thought I may be allergic but havent seen a doctor yet. I feel like my situation is worse than I though now that I saw this page. Please get back to me asap!

  11. lynna Avatar

    this wasn’t addressed: i feel the overwhelming urge to go but when i actually sit down nothing wants to come out, like i don’t have to even go anymore. it’s really annoying. and my poop ranges from 1-4 on that scale above when i go normally. i drink plenty of water, but i am an erratic eater; basically i eat when i want to. i just don’t work well on an “eating schedule.”

  12. Laurie Avatar

    Love your visuals. I use to have 4’s most of the time but like a couple of others above since I have been low carb (2 years) and now adding animal fats back to my diet, I’m more 5, which wasn’t really mentioned. I go 2 or 3 times a day and it comes right out and feels very complete and satisfying, but it’s like pebbles. Occasionally a 4 but most often a 5. I eat veggies all day and take a pro-biotic and resistant starch. I just don’t get it. Any help appreciated (or maybe there’s nothing wrong)

  13. Melanie S Petak Avatar
    Melanie S Petak

    I have s serious problem I believe. I only poop once a week, usually on Mondays I know that sounds crazy but its true. However this past Monday I did not poop. I know I dont eat right but I should still poop. Sometimes I have really bad diarrhea, last week I went on Tuesday and it was diarrhea, I went to the ER gor severe excruciating pain in my lower back it felt like my kidneys. Sure enough after blood work and a cat scan I have multiple kidney stones both sides. I still have them today. This problem with my poop concerns me more, it has been this way for years. What should I do? Or who should I see for this crazy poop situation.

  14. Dregon Avatar

    You know that saying “An opinion is like an asshole, everyone’s got one”. We’ll with that being said, I’ve learned one thing from this…do not read the comment section.

  15. Chand Avatar

    Hi

    I go to toilet in the morning and again I need to go second time. I can see in my poop that the food is not digested properly. If I stay at home it’s fine if am travelling I feel nervous. I think I am not having good appetite. From one year I am suffering from gastrointestinal trouble.

  16. Kris Avatar

    So i do drink a lot of soda and Ive read and will try to cut that out and drink water. My stool is a 4 but the main problem is that i will pass my bowels and feel relieved, but 20 minutes later i get the feeling to go again. Its not an emergency that i feel to go but i will watch my stool and see what happens.

    1. Kris Avatar

      ok so ive gone again and it was like those snakes you light on the 4th of july. watery like diarrhea and smelled pretty bad. do i need to be concerned?

  17. Ben Avatar

    I probably go 4 times a day (more than normal) but I credit that to still drinking whole milk and eating black beans occasionally. I am typically done in under 45 secs when I go and have had clean (not having to wipe) poops for a week straight. That is how I know my diet is dialed in

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