It may not be actual demons but your poop is always telling a story, and sometimes it’s a spooky one. You can tell a lot about what’s going on inside your body just by examining what’s in the throne. So, don’t be scared – here’s a quick guide on what you should look for the next time you take a deuce.

The Fundamentals

There are a few important factors to consider when evaluating the health of your poop:

• Frequency: At minimum, a person should have one good bowel movement a day, but two to three is ideal.
• Transit Time: The transit time for food, the time it takes for a meal to enter the mouth and then exit the rectum – should ideally be less than 24 hours. Transit time is related to exercise, diet, lifestyle, and water intake.
• Color: Walnut brown in color.
• Consistency: The consistency of toothpaste.
• Length: About the length of a banana.
• Odor: Free of odor!
• Process: Stool should leave the body easily and you should be in and out of the bathroom in a couple of minutes. The process should be fast and painless.
• Evacuation: You should feel like you had a complete elimination.

Color

Your poop should be a nice medium brown walnut color. If it’s not, it may be a sign that something is off in your body. or, it could simply be that you ate something that affected your stool color. Always be sure to consult your doctor if you have questions about an unusual color change in your poop. What do some of the other colors mean?

• Yellow: May indicate excess fat in stool, or possible gluten allergy (celiac disease).
• White or light-colored: There may be a lack of bile in your stool from an obstruction, or you may be taking anti-diarrheal medications. May not be properly digesting fats, or consuming too many processed, refined seed oils.
• Green: Food may be moving through your digestive tract too quickly, causing diarrhea. Eating a lot of green, leafy veggies, ingesting green food dye, or taking iron supplements can also cause green poop.
• Black: May indicate a serious condition, like bleeding in the upper digestive tract, such as the stomach. Can also be caused by taking iron supplements, eating black licorice, or taking binders like charcoal.
• Bright Red: May indicate bleeding in the lower digestive tract, such as the colon. Often, this is from hemorrhoids. May also be caused by certain foods, like beets or cranberries, or red food dye.

Consistency

The Bristol Stool Chart is a helpful tool for determining if your poops are a healthy consistency. Types 3 and 4 are what you want to see in the toilet. The others really might be demons. Kidding!

• Type 1: Separate hard lumps, like nuts (constipation)
• Type 2: Sausage-shaped, but lumpy (constipation)
• Type 3: Like a sausage but with cracks on its surface (normal)
• Type 4: Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft (normal stool – ideal!)
• Type 5: Soft blobs with clear cut edges (lack of dietary fiber)
• Type 6: Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool (diarrhea)
• Type 7: Watery, no solid pieces, entirely liquid (diarrhea – your digestive tract is inflamed!)

Buoyancy

Normally, your poop should sink to the bottom of the toilet. If it’s solid and floats occasionally, it typically means that you ate a large amount of fiber. But, if your stool is soft and floats consistently, you may have trouble digesting fats. To make sure, also watch for consistently greasy stools that skid the toilet, or white/pale stool. Sometimes a change to a diet high in fat can temporarily cause your poop to float and look greasy, but if it stays that way for more than a few weeks, seek out your doctor for help.

How to Get an Ideal Poo That Won’t Scare You

• Drink more water; try for half your weight in ounces daily.
• Relax before eating.
• Chew your food and eat slowly.
• Make dietary changes by avoiding processed foods and seed oils – eat real, nutrient-dense food!
• Keep a food journal to rule out food allergies or sensitivities.
• Add probiotics to your daily routine.
• Elevate your feet when you poop (think Squatty Potty).
• Get adequate amounts of fiber in your diet.
• Get regular colonics, of course!

At Move Colonics and Move Nutrition, we can help you start dropping divas instead of demons. Book an appointment to get you on the angelic path to perfect poops.

In Health,

The Move Colonics Team