Feces, Number 2, Brown Bombs, Dookies, Turds, Shit, Poop, Poo, Guano… can you believe there are over 50 different terms people will use to describe what medically is referred to as Stool, Feces, Fecal Matter, or Bowel Movements?
You’re probably wondering, “Why are we talking about this, D?!”
Well, let’s just say our ‘Caca’ can tell us a lot about how our lifestyle choices, including diet and stress management techniques, are affecting our bodies and health overall.
Everyone poops, but yet, it’s something we don’t talk about much, and most doctors and coaches rarely even bring it up in conversation with their patients and clients.
What is your feces made of?
75% of it is water
25% of it is solid matter
30% of the solid matter is dead bacteria
30% of the solid matter is indigestible foodstuffs
10-20% of the solid matter is cholesterol & other fats
10-20% of the solid matter is inorganic substances
2-3% of the solid matter is proteins
Your droppings are the are the last of what you ate. What you eat, and how you eat it can affect your digestive system. Not only is your dung reflective of changes happening in your diet, but also can be indicative of what is happening internally.
To understand this better, let’s look at the 4 main characteristics of your Bowel Movements; Shape, Smell, Color, and Frequency.
Shape
To describe the shape, The Bristol Poop Chart is professionally referenced:
Type 1: Separate hard lumps, like little pebbles.
Severe Constipation- Usually from poor hydration/low fiber
Type 2: Hard and lumpy and starting to resemble a sausage.
Mild Constipation- Usually from poor hydration
Type 3: Sausage-shaped with cracks on the surface.
Normal
Type 4: Thinner and more snakelike, plus smooth and soft.
Normal
Type 5: Soft blobs with clear-cut edges.
Normal(ish)- Lacking Fiber in Diet. If this is ongoing this can be a sign of bowel issues.
Type 6: Fluffy, mushy pieces with ragged edges.
Severe Diarrhea- This usually signals an illness, food poisoning, or some other digestive or intestinal issue. Can be stress-induced as well.
Type 7: Watery with no solid pieces.
Severe Diarrhea- This usually signals an illness, food poisoning, or some other digestive or intestinal issue. Can be stress-induced as well.
Smell
There’s no way around it, you’re poop won’t smell the best (nor should it). But the smell should be similar to you. The time to start paying attention to the smell is if it starts smelly rancid or extremely foul.
This foul smell is often connected with ‘bad’ bacteria taking up room and board inside your intestines upsetting the gut dramatically. This can usually be cleaned up by correcting your diet.
If your diet hasn't changed recently and you’re experiencing extremely unpleasant smells, talk with your Health Care Provider as it could be indicative of:
Celiac disease
Crohn’s disease
Chronic pancreatitis
Cystic fibrosis
An intestinal infection, caused by a virus, bacteria, or parasites
Malabsorption
Color
Most of your bowel movements should be near the brown hue. This is due to bile that helps break down fats in your digestive system, bilirubin which is a product red blood cells make at the end of their life cycle, and the digested remnants of the food you’ve eaten.
Color changes based on the foods you eat.
The main culprits? Fruits, vegetables, and food dyes.
If a strange color lingers around it could be indicative of something happening internally.
Greenish poop -
Bacterial, Viral, Parasitic infection
IBS
New medications
Reddish poop -
Rectal bleeding
Hemorrhoids, Anal fissures, or Ulcers
IBD
Colorectal cancer.
Blackish poop -
Blood in your upper digestive system from ulcers
A Byproduct of taking iron supplements or Pepto
Yellowish or greyish poop -
Liver, Gallbladder, or Pancreas disorders.
Alcoholic Hepatitis
Blocked of Bile Ducts
Frequency
There is no standard amount of times you should be using the loo. Some doctors believe that anything more than 3 times a day is unhealthy and can be categorized as diarrhea. I believe 1-2 movements a day is a healthy amount.
When it comes to frequency if it’s not in that normal range some will label it as diarrhea or constipation, which every single person has experienced at least once in their life
Diarrhea usually goes away on its own. If you’ve had chronic diarrhea for more than a few days, contact a medical professional.
Common causes of diarrhea are due to contaminated foods, medications with high amounts of magnesium in them, or infections/bugs in the digestive system. Other causes are diseases or issues with the organs of the digestive system.
Chronic diarrhea can be disastrous due to the loss of water leading to dehydration.
Constipation is never fun to deal with. It can be identified as 3 or less movements within a week. The most common causes of constipation are dehydration, low amount of physical activity, and drug use such as opioids.
If you find yourself constipated often check water intake, movement, and fiber intake. These will usually solve the issue.
With a better understanding of what makes up your Number 2’s, we can start seeing active feed-back from our bodies about our lifestyle choices.