I have to confess up front, this is going to be the crappiest article I’ve ever written.
You see, as I was walking my dogs Marty and Rosie the other day, it occurred to me that poop plays a huge role in my life. I’m not affrighted to confess it. I pick up after my dogs each day, I scoop my cat’s litter box each day (OK, not EVERY day, but it surely feels that way), and I talk with my clients regarding their bowel movements. In fact, while I was in India this past summer, poop was genuinely the number one topic of speech among my colleagues and me, as we equated notes on who had diarrhea and who was still healthy. I even remained on “poop watch,” for assorted weeks after my return to the States, making sure that everything was OK (and thankfully, it was!)
So, if you are a pet owner, parent, health care professional, or world traveler, you probably recognise what I mean!
But some humans don’t get to talk with regards to poop as much as I do. I know this because when I ask humans regarding their poop, I often get blank stares and uncomfortable looks. So, I let’s talk regarding all of the questions that persons want answered but are commonly scared to ask. After all, your poop is an essential indicator of your overall health!
What is Poop?
Have you ever wondered what poop actually is? About 75% of your intermediate poop is water, though this will vary depending on the person. Water is absorbed out of fecal material as it passes through the big intestine, so the longer you take to “go,” the drier your poop will be.
The remaining 25% is comprised of dead bacteria that helped us digest our food, living bacteria, protein, undigested feed residue (also known as fiber), waste material from food, cellular linings, fats, cholesterol, salts, protein, and substances freed from the liver and the intestines (such as mucus).
What Makes a Healthy Poop?
Your feces are a clear indicator of the health of your gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Mehmet Oz says, “At the end of the day you may make an analyzation of your body genuinely efficaciously by looking at what comes out of your body.”
So what ought to you look for? A healthful poop will be:
- Golden brown, which is due to pigments formed by the bacteria in the gut and bile from the liver. You want to make sure the color is normal because that tells you a lot regarding what’s going on in your gastrointestinal tract (more on color below).
- Formed into one long shape. Dr. Michael Levitt, an Australian colorectal surgeon who has written a book called The Bowel Book, says that the healthful humane stool resembles the shape and consistency (although not the same color) of an unripe banana. Dr. Oz says ” You don’t want [pieces].” Some experts disagree, saying they don’t have to be well- formed. Patrick Donovan, N.D., a naturopath in Seattle, WA says “Stools don’t have to be well- formed logs. They may disperse in the toilet water; they may break down.”
- Nearly odorless.
- About 1 to 2 inches in diameter and 18 inches long.
What About Other Colors?
Sometimes we don’t see that “golden guru,” and are faced with something else instead. Here’s a good deal of clear or deep perception into what those other colors might mean.
- Black: Feces may be black if dried blood is present in it from internal bleeding in the upper digestive tract. See a doctor if this is the case.
- Very Dark Brown: Drinking wine the night before may result in dark brown poop. This could likewise be the result of eating too much salt, or not sufficient vegetables.
- Yellow: One condition that may cause yellow poop is an infection known as giardia, a dangerous infection that may disseminate to others. Another cause of yellow poop may be a condition known as Gilbert’s syndrome. See your doctor if you are systematically seeing yellow poop.
- Green: Babies oftentimes have green poop when they are given feed for the introductory time. Children may have green or blue poop from sure impairment of normal physiological functions or from ingesting feed colorings. Adults may likewise have green poop if they eat big amounts of green, leafy vegetables or if they eat big amounts of foods with green feed coloring. Light green poop may indicate exuberant sugar in the diet. Green feces may likewise occur with diarrhea if bile salts pass through the intestine unchanged. Again, see a doctor if you are concerned!
- White/pale: Feces may appear white or pale after drinking barium sulfate, which is oftentimes given to persons who requires medical care getting an X-ray of the digestive tract. A white or pale stool may also be an indication of troubles with the gallbladder or liver.
- Red: Bright red in the feces may be indicatory of active bleeding, perhaps the result of hemorrhoids. A magenta color may result form eating intense red feed coloring, or red foods such as beets.
How Often Should I Poop?
Ah – the huge question! Experts disagree on how ofttimes a person ought to poop. The National Institute for Diabetes, Kidney, and Digestive Diseases says three times a week is normal and healthful for some people. According to Ayurveda, an ancient Indian healing system, once a day is ideal. Other experts advocate once or twice a day, while still others say a person ought to have a bowel motion within two to three hours of a major meal- -or two to three times a day. So you may see that it in truth depends on who you talk to. My personal opinion is that you above all want to be regular in your pooping schedule, and that one poop a day is ideal.
When someone poops four times a day or more and the poop has a liquid consistency, this is referred to as diarrhea. When somebody poops less than two or three days a week and the poop is hard, dry, and difficult to pass, this is known as constipation.
What’s the Deal with Corn?
It’s funny, so it’s ok to laugh. But most humans I know have experienced it and they ask why it is that when you eat corn, the next time you poop there it is again! There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that most of us do not exhaustively chew our food. Another interesting tidbit I’ve learned that there is an outer coating on corn that is made up of indigestible cellulose. This outer coating slips off the inner kernel and, since it’s indigestible, passes through the gut intact. It then emerges looking like a whole kernel, even even though it’s just the outer skin. The inside of the kernel is starchy and digestible, and that is the part that we succeed in chewing and digesting.
Well, hopefully you recognise now a lot more in regards to this important topic. And that’s the scoop on poop!