dietdigestionFood

What your poop is telling you.

By May 8, 2018 February 18th, 2020 No Comments

The body is a flow system – every system has a specific function that works in conjunction with all of the other systems of the body for one overriding purpose: to keep you alive and well.

Our bodies get bombarded every day with harmful toxins like chemicals in food, pollution in the air, along with everyday contaminants like fragrances, beauty shop products, and household cleaning supplies. The good news is our bodies are well designed to filter out and get rid of these harmful by‐products through our “primary pathways of elimination.” And you guessed it, the digestive system is one of those pathways that help keep your body healthy!

In the case of the digestive system, one of its main functions is to absorb nutrients and eliminate whatever it is that your body decides it doesn’t need, including all those toxins mentioned above. And how does the digestive system do that? In the form of bowel movements and, well, to put it simply…poop!

If the body’s bowel functions aren’t working properly, the other systems of the body are signaled and go into overdrive in an attempt to compensate for what the digestive system is unable to do. That puts extra stress on other organs like the liver and kidneys, organs that aren’t designed to do what the digestive system does. As soon as there’s a back up, it’s pretty easy to end up in a slow (or sometimes fast) downward spiral in health.

Your digestive system is one of the easiest ways to monitor what’s going on inside your body. It’s one of the first symptoms that can alert you to something going awry. Bowel movements can help us monitor everything from how hydrated we are to how well our vital organs of elimination are working. Keeping this pathway of elimination open will immensely help your other organs do their job well and will let your body focus on keeping you healthy.

That being said, how do you know if your body’s digestive system is working properly? Our bodies are constantly providing us with messages and clues as to what is going on inside. The key to good health is to understand the meaning of these messages. Today we’re sharing some ways you can get honest and educated about what your poop says about you!

DO want

DON’T want

At least 2 bowel movements per day (the circadian rhythm of the large intestine 5am & 7am)

Only 1 or no bowel movements in a day

Bowels that are easily moved

Strain, pain, cramping and explosive gas

Stools that are fairly large in diameter
(the average diameter
of a colon is 2-3 inches)

Skinny stools

Stools should hold together

Rabbit pellets, diarrhea

Smoothe on the outside, similar to the
shape of a colon

Chunky or lumpy stools (this can often be a sign of dehydration or incomplete elimination)

Brown in color

Green, clay colored, very dark…or any other color than brown

“Bobbing” stools

Sinking or floating stools (this is one of the major indicators of improper digestion of certain nutrients)

Very little odor

An overpowering stench (also an indicator of poor digestion)


We’ve also included this infographic as another resource. Take a look, print it out and keep it in your bathroom so you can better understand what your poop is telling you. Image from Igmur.