What Your Poop Is Telling You About Your Overall Health

Do you have a habit of looking at what comes out in the toilet bowl? This may sound like a funny question, but the truth is that your poop can tell you a lot about your overall health

Doctors often ask their patients about their bowel movement. Things like,how often do they poop? What does it look like? Is it hard, pebbly, and a struggle to pass? Can they see bits of undigested food? Do they have watery diarrhea? Blood in their stool? Drops of oil on the water? These questions are very important and can tell a lot about a person’s health.

Recently, there’s more and more research about poop, linking more and more of our chronic health problems with the bacteria living in our bowels. There have been studies that show the bacteria living in our bowels can influence our moods and our behaviors!

Here are some key things that you should pay attention to next time you poop.

1. Do you know your poop?

The brown color of your poop comes from the food that has been digested and all the nutrients have been absorbed from it.

Regular bowel movements are essential for good health, because in that way your body eliminates all the unnecessary substances. Therefore, the color of your poop can tell a lot about your general health.

1. Textures of poop

• Separate hard lumps, like nuts

This is a sign that your body lack fiber and fluids. In this case, you should drink more water and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

• Sausage-shaped, smooth and soft

This is how normal poop should look like and it is a sign of a good health.

• Watery, no solid pieces, all liquid

This is classified as diarrhea and is usually caused by some infection. In this case, you should drink more liquids to keep your body hydrated.

• Sausage- shaped but lumpy

This is not a serious condition and you should drink more fluids and eat foods rich in fiber.

• Soft blobs with clear-cut edges

Normal, but you still need to consume more liquids.

• Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool

Still normal, but it is on the way to become diarrhea.

• Soft and sticks to the side of the toilet bowl

This means that your body does not absorb fats properly which can cause too much fat in the body. Chronic pancreatic disease can be the main reason for this condition.

1. Shade of poop

• Brown

Brown is the normal color of your poop.

• Green

This means that you may have eaten a lot of green leafy vegetables or foods with green coloring.

• Yellow

This color of the poop can be a sign of excess fat in the body which occurs due to malabsorption disorder such as celiac disease.

• Black

This can be a sign of an internal bleeding, caused by certain ulcers or cancer. Also, it can be caused by supplements that contain iron or bismuth subsalicylate. Consult your doctor.

• Light colored, white or clay-colored

This can be an indication of a bile duct obstruction, or by certain medications. You should visit your doctor.

• Blood- stained or red

If you notice blood in your poop, it can be a symptom of cancer. You should immediately consult your doctor.

1. Quick facts about poop

• The food you consume usually takes 1-3 days from the time you eat it till it ends up in your poop.
• Poop is made up of bacteria, undigested food, dead cells, and mucus.
• Healthy poop sinks slowly. How often should you poop?

Normally, people poop one or twice a day, but some may poop more or less.

How to keep poop healthy?

Consume foods rich in fiber (20-25g), drink plenty of water and exercise regularly.

Proper hydration is of vital importance for normal pooping.

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