Tuesday Topic Of The Day:
What your poop says about health
I know this topic is rather weird to say the least but I hope today I could bring my viewers some enlightening, and interesting facts about your stool!
Every 1-3 days (hopefully), our body shares an in-depth (it should sink) summary of our health. It’s called poop.
The ancient Chinese, Greeks, Egyptians, and many more ancient cultures monitored the shape, size, and texture of poop to diagnose health problems.
But, in this day and age, we have progressed to far more complex ways to measure our health and diagnose problems.
Frankly, we stopped giving a shit about our poop. Most people just cover it with TP and flush it down.
But, that’s all about to change. Our poop still has a lot to say about our health. And sometimes it’s the simplest things that shed the most light.
Why Poop Is Important 💩
In our body, the digestive system is hugely influential. If it had an Instagram account, it would have trillions of followers from all locations in the body.
Not only does the digestive system have a large reach, but it’s also huge. The surface area of your gut is about 40 times larger than that of your skin. Forty!
And think about all of the money, time, and effort we spend on our skin. If we just put a little bit of that effort towards our guts, we’d all be better off.
Our gut is massively connected and important to our health. The gut has more nerves than our spinal cord. It produces 20 different hormones, significantly more than both male and female sex organs.
Plus, the bacteria in our gut manufacture 95% of our body’s supply of serotonin, the ‘happiness chemical’ that regulates our mood and anxiety.
Gut health and its mysterious connection to the brain is currently the topic of thousands of scientific studies.
What we know right now, is that people with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease have a higher rise of anxiety or depression.
Your gut health and your mental health are linked.
We also know that in the UK, a fecal transplant is commonly used to cure illness. A fecal transplant is exactly what it sounds like — taking poop from a healthy donor and transplanting it into the intestines of a sick recipient.
Not only does the bacteria from the fecal matter cure symptoms, but doctors found that recipients started to crave the foods that the healthy donor was eating, making it a more long term solution.
Now that you’re both fascinated and disgusted, it’s time to learn what poop says about your health.
Bristol Stool Chart Type 1 (Severe Constipation)
- Passing fewer stools then three stools a week
- Having lumpy or hard stools
- Straining to have bowel movements
- Feeling as though there’s a blockage in your rectum that prevents bowel movements
- Feeling as though you can’t completely empty the stool from your rectum
- Needing help to empty your rectum, such as using your hands to press on your abdomen and using a finger to remove stool from your rectum
If you’ve experienced either Type 1 or 0 for over a week, you must get back to a healthy poop schedule. You should see a doctor and make significant lifestyle and diet changes.
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience unexplained and persistent changes in your bowel habits.
…So what are exactly the main causes of being constipation?
well for one it’s probably your diet and what you eat… obviously if your just sitting back and eating T.V dinners, ramen noodles and flushing it down with Mountain Dew… then you probably need to change that if you don’t start eating well balanced meals then your not giving your not giving your health any favors!
Bristol Stool Chart Type 2 (Mild Constipation)
I’m really not going to go over this to much because all the information is really the same like Type 1 but it’s less server then Type 1
Bristol Stool Chart Type 3 (Healthy Poop)
This is the best type of poop. It should come out easily and look like a dark brown sausage. It means you’re getting plenty of fiber and water.
Bristol Stool Chart Type 4 (Healthy Poop)
This is another normal, healthy type of poop. However, it’s getting a little soft, making it a snake-like and narrow stool.
Bristol Stool Chart Type 5 (Needs More Fiber)
These soft poops are easy to pass. They are blob-like with clear-cut edges. You need more fiber to increase poop density.
Bristol Stool Chart Type 6 (Mild Diarrhea)
It’s a mushy, shapeless pile that indicates mild diarrhea. This usually happens when your routine is derailed.
It could be that you’re drinking more alcohol than usual or you have mild food poisoning. It shouldn’t last more than a couple of days. Make sure you stay hydrated.
Bristol Stool Chart Type 7 (Severe Diarrhea)
There is no fiber in this poop, it’s completely liquid. You’ve got the runs, and if it persists for more than a couple of days you should see a doctor.
Remember to drink tons of water. Diarrhea dehydrates you quickly.
Stool Color and Health
You can also learn what your poop says about your health from the color. So, what color is a healthy stool?
The ideal poop health color is dark brown. All other colors are not normal and make good data points as you analyze your poop.
If you’re concerned about the color of your poop, there’s a useful WebMD article on what stool colors mean.
Healthy Poop Schedule
Pooping every day on a fairly consistent schedule is the goal.
However, according to this assessment of normal bowel habits, adult poop frequency is between three per week and three per day.
Also, healthy poop should only take about a minute to push out, and no longer than 15 minutes.
Conclusion is… eat more well balanced meals, exercise, and a drink more water. About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men. About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women. I mean it’s not rocket science just take care of yourself because your important… also who wants to be constipated?
Also one more thing I should mention is that I AM NOT A DOCTOR! If you want farther information please do your own research or talk with your doctor if it’s something serious hopefully it’s not serious though and if your going through pooping please seek help!
Recourses:
https://www.ryanandalex.com/what-poop-says-about-your-health/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/constipation/symptoms-causes/syc-20354253