There are a few things that all of us do from the moment that we are born. We all breathe and eat and sleep, and we all pee and poop.
Despite the fact that going to the bathroom is such a shared experience, talking about it is strangely uncomfortable.
What comes out of our bodies when we move our bowels gives us a lot of good information about how well we are eating and our overall health.
That is because our stools are what is left of the food that we eat.
The color, texture and smell of our poop not only tells us about whether we are eating right but also about how our body is digesting it.
Even though it may be interesting, most people are not in the habit of paying that much attention to what their poop looks like – at least not ‘til something changes. Poop that suddenly becomes soft and watery or hard captures our attention, and the same is true when its color changes.
Here are some of the things that your poop color, size and texture are telling you – and what you can do about it.
What Color Your Poop Is Can Tell You A Lot
Most of the time, notable changes in the color of your poop are caused by the food that you have eaten. Who hasn’t done a double take at the color of their poop after eating beets?
But if your poop changes color and stays different for a while, it may signal a health issue. Here are some examples:
Green poop is often a sign of blue food coloring or eating lots of leafy green vegetables. Sometimes it comes from taking an iron supplement. But when you have diarrhea, and it is green, it means your food moved through your system too fast.
Yellow poop is very normal in breastfed babies, and some adults have it too. But if your poop is yellow and smells bad, it can mean you are not getting nutrients from your food. Sometimes yellow poop is a sign of celiac disease. Call your doctor if it happens regularly.
White poop usually appears after you take diarrhea medicine. Sometimes it is a sign that you don’t have enough bile, which could be a sign of liver disease.
Black poop is often a sign of bleeding in your digestive tract. It can be caused by some foods, including blueberries and black licorice.
Red poop can come from eating red food, but can also be caused by blood from the lower part of your digestive tract.
The size and texture of your poop are also very telling.
Normal poop is shaped like a snake, and is soft and looks smooth. The drier, smaller and rougher it is, the more constipated you are. The more water it holds, the more your body is telling you that it is trying to get rid of what’s inside – and fast.
The best solution to make normal poop is to eat plenty of fiber and drink plenty of water.
Fiber helps your food move through your system at a healthy speed.
Water keeps your poop soft.
Experts say that you should take in 25 grams of fiber per day and drink about 8 glasses of water too. I would even go as far as to say we need 35 grams of fiber a day to keep our digestive system running tip top. And be sure you are drinking alkaline water.
If you have diarrhea, you should check to see if you are having a reaction to dairy, fructose or artificial sweeteners.
When your poop is abnormal for a long time, you should check with your doctor to make sure that there is nothing medical going on.