Characteristics of a Healthy Bowel Movement | Diarrhea Causes | Constipation Symptoms | Dietitian in Seattle
bowel movements are underappreciated
I’ve worked in healthcare for about 25 years, and I can say this with confidence - we as a society do not pay enough attention to our bowel movements.
The quality of your poo is very telling of internal health conditions, and our modern world has taught us to ignore the signs by not educating us about what it looks or feels like to have healthy bowel movements.
I’ve had friends laugh off their constipation symptoms, stomach pain, and diarrhea after meals as if they were nothing. But my darling, your poo is no laughing matter.
This article will teach you what a healthy bowel movement looks (and smells) like, how to recognize and treat constipation symptoms and diarrhea causes, and we’ll even look at a bowel movement color chart.
I know, this is exciting sh*t! [badum tss]
Signs of a healthy bowel movement
This is not an exhaustive list, and it’s important to recognize that every body is different. If your poos don’t match up exactly with this list, it does not necessarily mean anything is wrong, per se.
If you suspect your digestion issues, gut health problems, or hormone issues are a sign of an underlying problem, listen to your gut and get assessed by a qualified holistic or functional practitioner (I CAN HELP!).
6 CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY BOWEL MOVEMENT:
Doesn’t stink up the bathroom
If you find yourself warning others not to use the bathroom after you finish your business, this may be a sign of bowel toxicity and/or slow motility. An overgrowth of bacteria in the gut will cause increased fermentation of the contents in your digestive tract, leading to harmful waste from the bacteria (1). Slow digestion will also increase the chances of this happening with or without a bacterial overgrowth. The result? Stinky poops!
Occurs 2-3 times per day
Transit time (the amount of time it takes for your food to complete the digestive process) is considered normal if it takes anywhere from 10-73 hours (2). Regardless of that number, if you eat at roughly the same time each day, and eat 2-3 meals per day, it would make sense to have the same pattern of bowel movements each day, as well. In fact, the act of eating, itself, will help to move food through the digestive tract.
Easy to pass (but not loose)
Stool that is difficult to pass, or takes longer than 10 minutes to pass, is a constipation symptom, and a problem. It could mean there is a motility issue, wherein the smooth muscles in the colon or other parts of the digestive tract, are not moving food through effectively. It may also mean the stool is too hard, making it difficult to evacuate. The consequences of poo that is difficult to pass? The longer stool stays in your colon without being eliminated, the more likely the toxins (remember, feces is waste that your body is trying to eliminate - that includes toxins) are to be reabsorbed into your bloodstream. Additionally, sitting on the toilet for prolonged periods of time will increase susceptibility of developing hemorrhoids and can weaken the pelvic floor.
Tan or brown in color
Abnormal coloring in your poo may be caused simply by eating a strongly colored food (beets!). Here are some examples of abnormally colored poos, and what they might mean:
gray or clay-colored stool - can be an indication there is trouble with the liver or gallbladder.
red stool - indicates your stool may contain blood, and should be evaluated by a healthcare practitioner immediately. Blood in stool may be an indication of anal fissures, bleeding in the GI tract, hemorrhoids, or some types of cancer.
mucus in stool - may indicate your body is fighting an intestinal infection. Bacterial overgrowth, candida overgrowth, and parasite infections are examples of intestinal infections. Mucus is a sign that your body is actively fighting it (yay!) but a proper assessment should be done to know how to support this process.
black stool - may indicate a bleeding issue in the small intestine or stomach, and possibly the colon. It’s a good idea to get this checked out.
Sinks to the bottom of the bowl
Floaters can indicate excess fats in your poo. Having excess fat in your stool can indicate liver and/or gallbladder dysfunction. Bile is responsible for breaking down fats during the digestion process. Bile is produced by the liver and is stored in the gallbladder, released when it’s needed. Fat that is not properly digested will end up in your stool, and therefore cannot be used as nutrients that regulate inflammation, protect cells, support skin health, and support sex hormones, to name a few.
Contains no undigested food bits
Doesn’t it seem like certain foods (lookin’ at you, corn) will always end up whole in your poops, no matter how much you chew?? Well, I have some bad news - it’s not corn’s fault. Undigested food in your stool is a sign that digestion is not working well. There may be an issue in your mechanical digestion (chewing, churning of the muscles in the stomach and intestines), and/or in your chemical digestion processes (stomach acid and digestive enzymes), that needs to be assessed and addressed.
Want some help assessing your poos? Tap here to download a free eBook guide.
PIN THIS IMAGE TO HELP YOU REMEMBER WHAT TO LOOK FOR NEXT TIME YOU DO YOUR BUSINESS.
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BLOG REFERENCES
ScienceDaily. (2016, June 27). Food’s transit time through body is a key factor in digestive health. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160627125525.htm
Lee, Y. Y., Erdogan, A., & Rao, S. S. C. (2014, March 28). How to assess regional and whole gut transit time with wireless motility capsule. Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. https://www.jnmjournal.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.5056%2Fjnm.20.2.265
