7 Things Your Poop Says About You

Your poop can reveal important clues about your health and digestive system. Here are seven things your poop can indicate:

1. Consistency: The consistency of your stool can indicate how well your digestive system is functioning. Normal poop is typically soft but formed, resembling a sausage or a snake. Watery or loose stools may indicate diarrhea or a digestive issue, while hard or lumpy stools can indicate constipation.
2. Color: The color of your poop can vary based on your diet and overall health. Brown is the most common color, due to bile produced by your liver. Greenish stool may indicate rapid transit through the digestive tract, possibly from eating green vegetables or foods with green food coloring. Red or black stool may indicate bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Frequency: Normal bowel habits vary from person to person. Generally, anywhere from three times a day to three times a week can be considered normal. Changes in frequency, such as persistent diarrhea or constipation, could indicate an underlying issue.
4. Shape: The shape of your poop can also provide insights into your digestive health. Healthy stool is typically smooth and sausage-shaped. If your stool is consistently narrow or pencil-thin, it could indicate an obstruction or narrowing in the colon.
5. Odor: The smell of your poop is influenced by what you eat and the bacteria in your intestines. While poop is not expected to smell pleasant, a particularly foul odor could indicate an infection or malabsorption issue.
6. Presence of mucus: Small amounts of mucus in your stool are normal and help with lubrication. However, increased amounts of mucus could indicate inflammation in the intestines or a gastrointestinal infection.
7. Other contents: Occasionally, your stool may contain other materials that aren’t typically associated with poop, such as undigested food particles, which could indicate issues with digestion or absorption.

Monitoring these aspects of your poop can provide valuable information about your digestive health. Significant changes in color, consistency, frequency, or presence of unusual contents should be discussed with a healthcare professional, especially if accompanied by other symptoms such as abdominal pain, fever, or weight loss.