Gut expert warns that you need to visit a doctor if your stool has a specific appearance
The way you poo can have major implications on your heath, and it can also tell you whether or not you need to visit the doctors and get checked out.
Pooing, we all do it, but how it looks is one of the most important factors.
While you might think you’re doing a pretty good job as long as it’s not liquid or rock-hard constipation which leaves you struggling for an hour, you might be wrong.
That’s because as well as the texture, there’s a lot to do with the colour of it too and how often you go.
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Recently, speaking on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, the director of Zoe, and a gut health expert, Dr Will Bulsiewicz spoke about your poo.
He explained that there was once a study conducted in the 90s in Bristol, which polled thousands of people to see what texture their poo is.
The list ranged from the most ideal type of poo to the worst with seven options a person could have.
He began listing from number 1 to 7 - with types 2, 3 and 4 considered healthy.
Type 1
Separate hard lumps which could be down to your fibre intake.
This poo is very constipated and can also come in the form of one giant ball.
Type 2
This is a lumpy and sausage-like poo which isn’t ideal either and means you’re slightly constipated.
Type 3
This one is a sausage shape with cracks in the surface, which is no big deal, with Will explaining that all it takes is a little bit of ‘fibre, hydration and exercise’ to get you where you need to be.
Then there’s the best poo you could ever hope for.
Type 4
This is a smooth and well-formed sausage which will leave you walking out of the bathroom like a champion.
Type 5
This type of poop is a little different, as it’s soft blobs. No big deal, sometimes it happens, you just need more fibre.
This is where we get to the nasty stage, and it shows inflammation.
Type 6
This mushy glob isn’t what you want to see, and it could mean your gut is in trouble.
Type 7
The next is pure liquid, signalling that something is wrong with your gut.
Now, all of this can fluctuate and it’s not necessarily something you need to see a healthcare professional about, unless you spot blood.
When asked about the colours of poo, which can range from white if you have no bile, yellow if you eat too much fat, and green if you have an infection.
Red came out as one of the most dangerous.
To Will, red means blood, and as colon cancer is rapidly becoming a killer of younger generations, getting yourself checked if you see red is essential.
Another colour to have checked out is black, as this could mean you have a GI bleed into your stomach.
As well as its black look, it’ll also smell awful and is highly noticeable that something is off.
Thankfully, if you’re just dealing with some texture issues with your poo, you need to focus on healing your gut.
Now, this could be though gut-friendly foods such as kefir, kimchi, yogurt, whole wheat and grains and plenty of plant-based foods.
Or, using Zoe, the Blue Muffin poo study creator lets you know what’s going on inside of your gut, simply by eating a little muffin and reporting your poo.
Britt Jones