Everybody poops, but nobody really talks about it. But while putting a lid on all potty talk may keep conversations civilized, it may mean we’re missing out on valuable clues to our health.
Your poop can tell you if you’re eating enough fiber and drinking enough water, or if your digestive system is processing food too slowly or too quickly. Also, lasting changes in your bowel habits or the appearance of your poop can be a sign of a medical condition that requires treatment.
Read on to learn what your poop can tell you, how you can easily describe it and why it’s good to talk about it. Just hold off on sharing the details of your latest bowel movement until after dinner. There should be some limits, after all.
After you go to the bathroom, turn around and take a look. Based on what you see, do you wonder: Is my poop normal? Do I have healthy poop?
From the earliest diapering and potty-training days to every age and stage that comes after, it’s important to be aware.
Turns out there’s a lot of variety in what’s normal. Just as everyone poops, everyone’s poop is different. And your poops may not be exactly the same every day. However, there are some general characteristics of “normal poop.”
Just how small or big should your poop be? A normal stool size is at least a couple inches in length, and ideally between four and eight inches. Tiny poops aren’t good. You shouldn’t be pooping out pellets – not unless you’re a bunny, deer or other wild animal. Also, if you’re consistently seeing long, skinny poops that are pencil like or very large stools, give your doctor a call.
A normal stool size is at least a couple inches in length, and ideally between four and eight inches. Tiny poops aren’t good. You shouldn’t be pooping out pellets – not unless you’re a bunny, deer or other wild animal.
People use a lot of different expressions when they talk about having a bowel movement. But in terms of accuracy, the ones comparing poop to logs are probably the closest.
The healthiest shape for poop is a long cylinder. When poop takes on other shapes, it may indicate something could be going on with your digestive system.
Ideally, your stool should be somewhere between firm and soft. Thankfully you can figure this out just by looking at it – there’s no need to do a touch test. If your poop is a well-formed log and it wasn’t too hard to squeeze out, it’s probably the right consistency.
What’s a normal stool color? Normal poop is brown and comes in every color from tan to espresso. The brown color is largely due to bile and bilirubin.
Bile is a yellowish-green fluid made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bilirubin is an orange-yellow substance that the body makes through the normal process of breaking down red blood cells. Through the digestive process, these fluids mix with your foods and usually make your poop brown.
The color of your poop generally reflects what you consume – whether that’s food, beverages or medicines. While brown is the most typical color, there are other colors we may see in the toilet. Here’s what the color of your poop might mean about your health:
Black poop: There are a few reasons why your poop may be black, including taking iron supplements or a bismuth medication like Pepto Bismol. But black stool can also mean that you have bleeding in your upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Any internal bleeding is an issue, so if you can’t figure out why your poop is black, make a primary care appointment right away.
Green poop: If your poop is a little greenish, it’s totally fine. Green poop may signal that your food isn’t spending enough time in your digestive system or that you’re eating a ton of leafy greens like spinach. And if your poop suddenly looks like neon green playdough, the likely cause is artificial colors from drink mixes, bakery frosting or frozen novelties.
Red poop: There are dietary reasons why your poop may turn red – beets, cranberries, red gelatin or tomato juice. But red poop can be a cause for concern because it may mean you have bleeding in your colon – this can be a sign of colon cancer or digestive disorders. Bloody stool may look coated in red, or you may notice spots of red in it. If you can’t explain the red color by your food choices, get in touch with a primary care doctor.
Yellow poop: If your poop is yellow, greasy and stinky, it probably means that you’ve been eating too much fat. But sometimes it can be a sign of malabsorption, which means that your body isn’t able to pull nutrients from food during digestion. Malabsorption usually happens due to sickness, food intolerance or diseases that affect the intestinal lining.
Pale or white poop: Chalky is not a good look on poop. It may mean your body isn’t producing bile. It could be that you have an infection or that your bile duct is blocked. Pale poop could also be a side effect of medicines, including some used for diarrhea. If there are white bits of a foamy or jelly-like substance in your poop, it could be mucus from your digestive system. A little mucus in your stool is okay, but if there’s a lot, you’ll want to talk to your doctor about that, too.
The most normal time to poop is in the morning after your body worked overnight processing your food. But there’s nothing wrong with having bowel movements at other times of the day.
It should take just a couple minutes for you to have a bowel movement – certainly not more than 10-15 minutes. If there’s pain or straining to get your poop out, you’re probably constipated.
People often wonder if they’re pooping too much or too little. The truth is that everyone is different. For some people, it’s normal to go three times a week. For others, it’s normal to poop three times a day.
The frequency of your bowel movements is usually only a problem if your stools are too hard or very runny. If you’re producing soft, well-formed logs that aren’t hard to push out, your bowels are probably in good shape.
What if your bowel habits change and you’re pooping a lot but it’s not diarrhea? It may be nothing to worry about – it may even be a sign that you’re making healthy changes like eating more fiber or getting more exercise. But if you have other symptoms like a fever, bloody stools or painful stomach cramps, you’ll want to check with your doctor.
Poop never smells like a bouquet of roses. So if your poop stinks, you’re in good company. But if the smell of your poop makes your eyes water, that’s not normal. Most likely it’s due to an infection or a stomach bug, and your stinky poop will go away after you get better.
But in some cases, foul-smelling feces happens when your body is unable to process gluten or other nutrients. If you notice that your poop smells really bad after you eat certain things, bring it up to your doctor – especially if you’re experiencing unexplained weight loss, too.
Most poop sinks. But it’s not uncommon for poop to float.
What it means when your poop sinks:
Poop sinks when it’s denser than the water that it’s in. Usually this is a sign that your poop is normal and healthy.What it means when your poop floats:
Poop floats when it’s less dense than the surrounding water. Floating poop can be caused by new foods or by excess gas in things like beans or sugar-free candies. If floating stools are caused by your diet, they’ll go away once the food is out of your system – so in a day or two. But if you have floating stools that are also stinky, it can be a sign your body isn’t processing food correctly because you have an infection, food intolerance, digestive disorder or other medical condition.If you’re having pooping problems, you’re probably not thrilled at the idea of describing your bowel movements in detail when you visit the doctor. The good news is that you may not have to.
There’s a handy poop health chart that doctors often use to describe the type of bowel movements people have. The Bristol stool chart categorizes the shape and texture of bowel movements into seven types.
Chances are you’ll experience all these poop types at one time or another. But if you continue to have unhealthy poop types like constipation or diarrhea, you should talk to your doctor.
Shape and consistency: Type 1 looks like smallish, roundish pellets that are surprisingly hard to squeeze out – especially for their size. They typically look like marbles, nuts or berries.
What it means: If your poop is coming out in small balls, it means you’re constipated, and your stool might have been hanging around in your digestive system for a couple extra days. Normally it takes about three days for food to complete the journey through your digestive system.
Constipation is usually caused by diet or lack of exercise. Other causes are a blockage in the digestive system and conditions that affect hormones such as pregnancy or diabetes. It’s normal to be constipated occasionally, but if you’re always blocked up, it’s not good for your health. Find out what causes constipation and how to get relief.
Shape and consistency: Congrats! It’s a log – just not the healthiest kind. Type 2 poop looks like a lumpy log. You can tell it’s type 2 if it’s a log that took a bit of effort to get out.
What it means: If your number two is type 2, you probably have mild constipation. As with type 1, common causes can be diet, blockage and hormonal changes.
Shape and consistency: Type 3 has a sausage shape with cracks on the surface. It can look a little bumpy like a cob of corn. This type of bowel movement should slide out quickly with little effort. When you flush it down, it shouldn’t fall apart.
What it means: Hooray! Your poop is normal, and your digestive system is working the way it should.
Shape and consistency: If you’re seeing a log that has a smooth surface like a sausage or a snake, then you have type 4 stool. This type is also easy to push out and should flush down in one piece.
What it means: Way to go! This shape is also normal. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.
Shape and consistency: Type 5 stools are soft blobs with defined edges. They are smallish like type 1 but easy to push out.
What it means: Your diet may not have enough soluble fiber and your food was pushed through your digestive system too quickly.
Shape and consistency: With type 6, you’ll see mushy blobs with ragged edges. These stools can look a little like porridge.
What it means: You have mild diarrhea. This could be related to diet, illness or a medical condition. If you have chronic diarrhea, even a mild version, it can be difficult for you to get the nutrients you need from your food.
Shape and consistency: Type 7 is pure liquid with no solid pieces – like gravy.
What it means: You’ve got diarrhea. It can be caused by a variety of things, such as food poisoning or an illness like norovirus. But it can also be caused by medical conditions or food intolerances to things like gluten or lactose.
Healthy poop – and a healthy you – depends on many factors, including diet, exercise, overall health, medications and stress. But lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise can go a long way toward producing perfect poo time after time.
Include colon-healthy foods in a diet that’s heavy on the fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eating a rainbow of foods can help your body get the widest array of vitamins and minerals for the best colon health. Plus, eating whole foods makes it easier to get the fiber you need to move things along.
Water helps break down food during digestion, allowing your body to pull out all the helpful nutrients. If you’re dehydrated, your body doesn’t have enough fluids to make your poop the right consistency, causing constipation. To stay hydrated, make sure you drink regularly throughout the day, especially when you’re thirsty.
Eating on a schedule may help keep digestion on track – and give your body time to process your food between meals. Try to eat breakfast within one hour of waking and lunch 4 to 5 hours after breakfast. For best digestion, don’t eat dinner within three hours of bedtime. And since it takes 3 to 4 hours for your digestive system to fully digest food, adding a mid-morning and an afternoon snack can keep digestion moving between mealtimes.
Getting your body moving is a great way to keep digestion moving, decreasing the time that food spends in your colon and helping with constipation. And it doesn’t take a lot of activity to support poop health. Even walking around 10 to 15 minutes a day may do the trick. Stretching and yoga can help, too.
Current colorectal cancer screening guidelines recommend you get screened beginning at age 45, or sooner if you have certain risk factors like hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes. There are different screening options available, including a colonoscopy and the FIT test, which is a poop test you can do at home. The starting age for colorectal cancer screening recently changed, so check with your insurance company to see what’s covered.
Sometimes a bad bathroom experience is just the result of a bad burrito. Sometimes constipation is caused by too much cheese. These things happen – even to the best of digestive systems.
But there are times when your symptoms may indicate a bigger problem, and you should talk to a doctor. So, watch out for changes in your bowel habits that last longer than a few days, including:
When you meet with the doctor, they’re going to want to know how your digestive system is – or is not – moving and grooving. Collecting this information can be as easy as keeping a tally of how often you’re going and the types of poop you have – there are even a variety of mobile apps out there to help you keep track.
It’s also a good idea to pay attention if the food you eat makes a difference to your bowel habits. And of course, make note of pain, bleeding, weight loss and other symptoms.
Based on your bowel habits and symptoms, your doctor will work with you to come up with a treatment plan. They may also refer you to a gastroenterologist, which is a doctor who specializes in digestive heath.
While no one really wants to talk about digestive problems, paying attention to what plops into the toilet can lead to a healthier poo – and you.
Stool comprises digested food, proteins, bacteria, salts, and other substances produced and released by your intestines. What your poop looks like can be important. Unexpected changes could be a sign of an underlying condition.
We all do it. For some, it’s a necessary inconvenience. For others, it’s a pleasant and satisfying part of the digestive process. It has fascinated toddlers since time immemorial, and there’s a reason for that.
Going number two might not be the prettiest topic for a dinner party, but there’s much to learn from this mundane yet mysterious process. In the end (no pun intended), it’s simply a part of our functioning body.
So, what exactly is poop? Although everyone is unique in the size, shape, and smell of their poop, there are a few things that indicate a healthy (or unhealthy) poop.
Share on Pinterest
Healthy poop can be as varied and as unique as the individuals who make it. But there are a few general rules to follow if you want to assess your poo artistry for optimum health.
The poop emoji has one thing right: the brown coloring. The combination of stomach bile and bilirubin, which is a pigment compound formed from the breakdown of red blood cells in the body, gets the credit for this oh-so-lovely shade of brown.
A somewhat log-like shape is how most poop should come out due to its formation within the intestines. However, as we’ll get to later, there are a variety of shapes that poop can have.
When they differentiate from the log shape, that’s when your poop is trying to tell you something’s up.
Poops shouldn’t come out in small pellets — something else we’ll get to later — but instead should be a couple of inches in length and comfortable and easy to pass.
Anywhere between a firm and soft consistency is pretty much normal. If it sways too much one way or another, it could suggest some digestion or fiber issues.
A commonly heard joke is that when someone takes too long in the bathroom, it must mean they’re pooping. A healthy poop, however, should be easy to pass and take only a minute or so to push out.
That said, some people do spend a bit more time on the toilet, so as a general rule, a poop should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes.
Fun fact: Did you know most people poop around the same time every day?
On average, a person with healthy digestion will poop anywhere between every other day to three times a day. Any less could suggest possible constipation. This means you need some more water to move the “boat.”
Share on Pinterest
The Bristol stool chart is an overarching indicator of how and why different types of poops look or feel a certain way.
It’s broken up into seven categories based on a 2,000-person study published back in 1992, and it makes poop knowledge basic and easy to understand.
Appearance: Hard and separate little lumps that look like nuts and are hard to pass.
Indicates: These little pellets typically mean you’re constipated. It shouldn’t happen frequently.
Appearance: Log-shaped but lumpy.
Indicates: Here we have another sign of constipation that, again, shouldn’t happen frequently.
Appearance: Log-shaped with some cracks on the surface.
Indicates: This is the gold standard of poop, especially if it’s somewhat soft and easy to pass.
Appearance: Smooth and snake-like.
Indicates: Doctors also consider this a normal poop that should happen every 1–3 days.
Appearance: Small, like the first ones, but soft and easy to pass; the blobs also have clear-cut edges.
Indicates: This type of poop means you’re lacking fiber and should find ways to add some to your diet through cereal or vegetables.
Appearance: Fluffy and mushy with ragged edges.
Indicates: This too-soft consistency could be a sign of mild diarrhea. Try drinking more water and electrolyte-infused beverages to help improve this.
Appearance: Completely watery with no solid pieces.
Indicates: In other words, you’ve got the runs or diarrhea. This means your stool moved through your bowels very quickly and didn’t form into a healthy poop.
Now and again, when you take a look in the toilet bowl, you’ll see poop bobbing like a toy sailboat in the bathtub. As alarming as this seems, it means that the stool is less dense than the others that sink.
One potential reason for this lack of density can come from an increased amount of gas or water or even a high fiber diet.
It’s also possible that malabsorption is, once again, the reason for a floating stool. If this is the case, the other abnormalities previously mentioned, like slight constipation, might also be present.
A green poop here or hard poop there happens to the best of us. When this type of irregularity carries on for more than a day or two, you should take action and talk with a doctor. The same goes for changes in color or consistency or constipation.
Chronic constipation can obstruct the bowels, while chronic diarrhea can make it difficult for a person to absorb necessary nutrients from food. Both chronic constipation and chronic diarrhea could even be a sign of more serious conditions.
Again, the first sign of either of these should not be immediate cause for concern, but keep an eye on it and see if it lasts more than a few days.
That said, pay attention to any signs of blood. If you haven’t eaten any of the foods mentioned above that could turn your poop into this color, consult with a healthcare professional as soon as possible.
As quick as we are to write it off, our poop can provide a wealth of knowledge about our health and ourselves. So, next time you pop a squat, take note of what’s going on. The toilet bowl is a window into your health and you.
Unhealthy bowel movements can vary but may include diarrhea (loose, watery stools), constipation (hard, difficult-to-pass stools), or changes in frequency or texture that persist.
Stool type can indicate digestive health. Type 1 indicates severe constipation, while type 7 suggests diarrhea. Types 3 and 4 are considered typical, with 4 being the ideal “sausage” shape and smooth texture.
Type 4–6 stool refers to the Bristol Stool Scale, a tool for classifying stool types. Type 4 is smooth and soft, like a sausage or snake. Type 6 is fluffy with ragged edges, indicating mild diarrhea.
Type 5 stool is soft blobs with clear-cut edges, considered a borderline typical stool consistency on the Bristol Stool Scale.
Read this article in Spanish.
Emily Rekstis is a New York City-based beauty and lifestyle writer who writes for many publications, including Greatist, Racked, and Self. If she’s not writing at her computer, you can probably find her watching a mob movie, eating a burger, or reading an NYC history book. See more of her work on her website, or follow her on Twitter.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.
The company is the world’s best Tailored stackable banquet chairs supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.