DOC2US - Your trusted online doctor

A lot of people think that “poop” is a topic that should not be discussed openly, some say it’s a taboo but to most people, it just makes them feel uncomfortable - if you know what I mean.

But even if it grosses you out to even think, let alone read/ discuss it, it’s actually pretty important to pay attention to your bowel habits.

Changes in the color, shape, and consistency of your stool can reveal a lot about your health, particularly your digestive health - Are you eating right? Does your body lack water? Could you be having infections etc?

But is there such thing as normal poop?

According to Sophie Balzore, M.D. gastroenterologist, there isn’t a universally accepted standard for what is considered normal. Everyone’s “normal” is different.

“The frequency, texture, and smell of the bowel movements an individual has [ most regularly ] is their normal”

Color Concerns

There are a number of things affecting the color of your stool: the amount of bile (a yellow-green fluid that helps digest fats) in it, the foods you recently consume and the overall general health of your digestive system. Certain medications could also affect the color of your stool.

Here’s a color-based guide to what your poop says about your health:

Light to dark brown stool

A healthy stool is typically brownish in color, but basically, any shades of brown are considered normal. A pigment called bilirubin is responsible for making this color.

Green

First of all, relax. Having green poop is more common than you think. There are several reasons why this happened;

You recently ate a little too much green vegetables (which is good)
Too much food coloring ( not so good)
Your poop moved too fast in your intestine & the green in your bile does not have time to break down.

So there’s no need for you to panic every time you see your stool turned hulk-like colored next time. But if this happens a little too often, see a doctor.

Shades of Red

If your poop shows a tint of red, try to recall what you ate recently. It could be due to food such as beetroot, tomatoes, food coloring or even cranberries. Red-colored medicine could also be a culprit.

On the other hand, if you see bright red stool, it’s usually a sign of bleeding in the lower intestine or from hemorrhoid. Talk to your doctor about it.

Black

If you’re not taking iron-supplements or consumed black licorice the day before, black-colored stool may indicate internal bleeding somewhere higher in your GI tract. The blood changed color as it passed through the intestines.

If this continues, reach out to your healthcare provider.

Lighter Colors

In breastfed infants, yellow stools are fine, but for others, they could mean disruption in fat absorption caused by various sources such as parasites, illness-causing inflammation in the pancreas or congenital disease.

Sometimes, stools can be white or gray-looking, too. This may occur due to bile duct blockages, gallstones or liver problems. Either way, your doctor should be informed about it.

What About The Shape and Consistency of My Stool?

Under normal condition, fecal matter should be 75% percent water and 25% solid matter, consisting of dead bacteria, indigestible food, and inorganic substances.

Similar to what determines stool color, the consistency, and shape of stool can be affected by diet, fluids consumed, medications, exercise and how long it takes for the feces to be releases outside our body.

The Bristol Stool Scale classifies stool types into seven categories based on size and texture.

Signs of Constipation

If you feel that you’ve been going for number twos and dumping either Type 1 or Type 2 kind-of-stool, based on the chart above, then you are unfortunately suffering from constipation.

These stools have been around in your bowel for quite some time, causing it to lose its water and nutrients - hence, making it hard, lumpy and painful to pass.

Try to get more fiber in your diet and drink more water to move things along.

Signs of Healthy Digestion

Types 3 and 4 are the kind of poop you want to have. They are considered the optimal form of healthy stool. These kind of poop are usually sausage-shaped and are easy to pass.

Signs of Diarrhea

You may be experiencing diarrhea when you pass stool types 5 through 7. They are typically watery and mushy.

These stools are in the large intestine and colon for the least amount of time.

“Diarrhea can be caused by many factors including medications, dietary changes or intolerance, stress, medical illness, and infections,” - Dr. Michael Cheng, M.D., a gastroenterologist.

Make sure you replace the fluid and minerals you’re losing by drinking plenty of fluids, preferably drinks that contain electrolytes. Fruit juices and soup can help too.

Clearly, there’s more to your number two than you might have realized, even at the microscopic level. So perhaps next time, you should take a closer look before flushing all that information down the toilet.

Download our Doc2Us app from Google Play Store or Apple Store and chat with a doctor now.

References:

Unitypoint.org. (2015). What Does the Color and Consistency of Your Poop Say About You? (Infographic). [online] Available at: https://www.unitypoint.org/livewell/article.aspx?id=d7a92af5-f39d-46fa-81ef-a17dce49788f.
Piedmont.org. (2019). What your stool says about your health. [online] Available at: https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/what-your-stool-says-about-your-health.
WebMD (2019). What Your Poop Is Trying to Tell You. [online]. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/ss/slideshow-poop-type-color.
Faerman, Z. (2017). What the Color, Size, Shape, and Smell of Your Poop Says About Your Health. [online] SELF. Available at: https://www.self.com/story/what-your-poop-says-about-your-health.

Image Credit:

9. https://www.garlicandzest.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/florentines-10.jpg

Written By

Dr. Jeanrette J. Nierras

Reviewed By

Color Concerns