Description

We all learned it as a kid: everybody poops. But that’s kind of when we stop talking about it, outside of the occasional joke.

This topic may be uncomfortable, but it’s so important for you to know what makes a healthy “poop” because it can tell you a lot about your digestion. And if your digestion is off, this could be an indication that something else is going on that you need to address.

You’ve probably noticed that your bowel movements can reflect your physical, and sometimes even emotional, health. You may get constipation or have diarrhea when you eat something that "doesn't agree with you," or when you're super-nervous about something.

And what about fiber and water? If you’re not getting enough, it’ll probably show in your poop. What about the all-important gut microbes? If they're not happy, it'll probably show in your poop.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• How often are you going?
• • One to three bowel movements per day = ideal.
• How does it feel?
• • Assuming you didn’t eat spicy street meat last night, bowel movements should be quick and painless. They shouldn’t require straining, a panicked run to the toilet, or sitting long enough to do the entire New York Times crossword.
• What color is it?
• • Healthy poop is brown. The color comes from bile, which emulsifies dietary fat and helps us digest it. However, you may notice some normal day-to-day changes, like green poop after eating leafy greens or red poop after eating beets.
• How does it smell?
• • It’s never going to smell like roses, but extremely foul-smelling poop can point to underlying issues.
• Does it sink or float?
• • Healthy poop may do either, but this offers hints as to the fat (float) to fiber (sink) ratio of your diet.

Here’s a trivia question for you:

Did you know there is an “official” standard for poop? I mean a university-created chart! One that is used to help diagnose conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? It’s called the Bristol Stool Scale!

Meet the Bristol Stool Scale

The Bristol Stool Scale was created at the University of Bristol in the UK in 1997, developed by Dr Stephen Lewis and Dr Ken Heaton. You can see the chart here.

The scale breaks down type of poop into seven different categories ranging, from type 1 (very constipated) to type 7...