Did you know that your poop can give you much information about your gut health?
That may surprise you, but your bowel movements tell you a lot about your gut health. Everything from how often you go, the shape, consistency, the colour, & smell of your poop can provide hints as to what’s going on in your gut.
Factors to consider when it comes to your poop:
Frequency - Ideally, you should be pooping 2-3x per day for optimal elimination of toxins, chemicals, hormones. The root cause of constipation is typically a combination of factors, such as dehydration, poor diet, inactivity, fungal & bacterial overgrowths, parasites, environmental toxins, thyroid & hormonal imbalances, magnesium deficiency, stress & vagal tone dysfunction. If you have a long history of constipation, factors must be investigated to resolve it entirely.
Shape & Consistency – Your poop should be soft & long enough to form a curled-up sausage or snake-like shape in the toilet. According to the Bristol Stool Scale, you want Type 3 (sausage- shaped with just a few cracks on the surface that’s quick & easy to push) or Type 4 (sausage or snake-like, smooth & soft that’s quick & easy to push). You should be able to go to the bathroom in just a few minutes & it should not be a long event. It is a sign of underlying gut dysfunction if you are dealing with straining or long waits.
Colour – Ideally, your poop should be a standard brown colour due to a compound called bilirubin & also bile, which are both a yellowish colour. When these substances mix with your digested food, intestinal secretions, bacteria, & old red blood cells in your digestive tract, they turn your waste brown. If your stool is more of a black, green, white, or red colour, it could mean a few different things, from taking certain supplements or medications, eating certain foods, antibiotics, not absorbing enough nutrients, to more extreme issues like a blocked bile duct, bacterial infections, GI disorders, hemorrhoids, or intestinal bleeding.
Smell – Bacteria & the waste products that collect in your intestines during digestion cause your poop to have a smell, but the foods you eat, especially those high in Sulphur (like broccoli, garlic, cabbage) can contribute to the odour & make it worse. When poop smells especially foul, it can be an indication of an underlying issue such as a bacterial or viral infection, inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies & intolerances.
Be sure to check out our Part 2!
The GI-MAP test is one of the core tests we do at Vagus Clinic. This allows us to create personalized treatment protocols to address your current gut dysfunction. Book a complimentary discovery call with one of our Health Coaches for more information!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
Block quote
Ordered list
Unordered list
Bold text
Emphasis
Superscript
Subscript