Poop. Stool. Number 2. Whatever word or phrase you use to refer to bowel movements, two things are clear.  We ALL do it, and our poops are not always easy or regular or pleasant for us — or for those around us.

Here’s what the poo doctor has to say!

If you’ve ever wondered what your stool color means, or been concerned about color changes or the foul-smelling odor of your stool, or suffer from constipation, diarrhea, or other bathroom woes, you’ve come to the right place.

In this guide, we’ll discuss everything you ever wanted to know about poop but might have been afraid to ask.

Let’s start with the basics. What is poop?

What is poop?

Poops are the waste products left over from digestion that can be toxic to the body unless removed by your bowel movements.

Your stool is composed of water, undigested fiber, living and dead bacteria, mucous, cells, and other substances produced by the intestines and liver.

Stool fun facts

• Approximately 75% of your stool is made up of water. (The exact amount of water varies from person to person.) ¹
• There are an estimated 100 billion bacteria per 1 gram of wet stool. Research indicates that nearly half of the bacteria in fresh stool are alive. ²
• Stool gets its brown color from bile released from the gallbladder during the digestion of fats and from bilirubin, a yellowish compound derived from red blood cells.
• Normal poop color varies widely and ranges from light yellow to dark brown to black.

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Fun facts about poop.

Your poop is mostly water. Approximately 75 percent of your poop is made up of water…
And loaded with bacteria! There are an estimated 100 billion bacteria per 1 gram of wet stool, nearly half of which are alive.
Poo is molded by the intestines, which is why healthy poop is log-shaped.

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What is normal poop?

What constitutes normal poop can vary, but there are a few medically accepted standards.

Color

The normal “healthy” poop color is brown, but stool color can vary depending on several factors that we’ll discuss shortly.

Fun fact: Foods eaten can temporarily change poop color.

Shape

A healthy stool is roundish with a log-like appearance.

Fun Fact: The stool is shaped and molded by the intestines. As a result, normal poop is log-shaped.

Size

The typical healthy stool is at least a couple of inches in length and passes easily without pushing or straining.

Fun fact: The size of your stool is directly related to the amount of fiber and water you consume. Fiber adds bulk to the stool, and bacterial fermentation of this fiber creates a gel that holds your stool together. ³

Consistency

The consistency of stool should be firm but smooth. It should not be difficult or painful to push out or so soft it breaks apart.

Fun Fact: Stress or anxiety can change the consistency of stool, most often leading to constipation or diarrhea. ⁴

Frequency

The frequency of bowel movements varies widely from person to person. The average frequency is between 3 times a day and once every 3 days. But this is very general. ⁵

Fun Fact: The frequency of doing “number 2” is pretty consistent for most people. For example, if you poop once a day in the morning, that will likely remain your routine with little variation. (Though this can sometimes change due to diet and other factors.) ⁶

To find out if your poops are “normal,” simply compare them to the ones pictured on the Bristol Stool Chart.

What is the Bristol Stool Chart?

The Bristol Stool Chart was created in 1997 by a team of doctors in Bristol, England. The doctors measured the time it takes for food to exit the body via stool and noted that this transit time impacts the size and shape of the stool and therefore indicates the health of the digestive system. ⁷

Using this chart, medical professionals can quickly determine the probable health of a patient’s digestive system simply by having the patient point to the applicable picture. From there, the clinician can decide whether further testing is warranted.

Explanatory Text

Type 1: Separate hard lumps (severe constipation)
Type 2: Lumpy and sausage-like (mild constipation)
Type 3: Sausage shape with cracks (Normal)
Type 4: Like a smooth soft sausage or snake (Normal)
Type 5: Soft blobs with clear-cut edges (Lacking fiber)
Type 6: Mushy consistency with ragged edges (mild diarrhea)
Type 7: Liquid consistency with no solid pieces (severe diarrhea)

End Explanatory Text

The chart shows a series of stool pictures of various sizes and shapes. Each is assigned a number from 1-7.

• Type 1: Separate hard lumps.
• Type 2: Lumpy, resembling a sausage
• Type 3: Sausage shaped with visible cracks on the surface
• Type 4: Sausage or snake-shaped; smooth and easy to pass
• Type 5: Soft blobs with clear-cut edges
• Type 6: Mushy consistency with ragged edges
• Type 7: Liquid consistency, no solid pieces

Types 1 and 2 indicate mild to severe constipation, and types 5, 6, and 7 indicate mild to severe diarrhea. The ideal “healthy” stool is types 3 and 4, smooth and easy to pass.

The size and shape of the stool tells only part of the story. Stool color and any unexplained color changes are also important in monitoring the health of your digestive system.

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1. Diet. Some foods can temporarily change stool color.
2. Medications and supplements. Some prescriptions, over-the-counter meds, and dietary supplements may promote changes in the color of the stool.
3. Diarrhea. Darrhea may give you a yellow-green stool color because of a lack of bile in your stool.
4. Medical conditions. Conditions that affect the intestines, liver, and pancreas can change stool color.
5. Blood in the stool. Blood in the stool caused by bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, hemorrhoids, and other factors.

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Poop color: what it means and when to worry

Color changes in the stool are very common and do not necessarily signal a serious issue with your digestive tract. But it is important to know the possible reasons why your stool color has changed and when to see a doctor.

According to the Mayo Clinic, all shades of brown and even green stool color are considered normal. ⁸

Some of the reasons for a change in stool color include: ⁹

• A diet that includes foods like leafy green vegetables or beets is known to change stool color to a shade of green or red, respectively. (Consuming an excessive amount of leafy green vegetables often leads to green poop.)
• Some prescription, over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements may promote changes in the color of stool.
• Diarrhea may give you a green stool color because there is a lack of bile in your stool. Such color changes often happen when food moves through the large intestine too quickly to be completely broken down by bile. Bile is a yellow-green fluid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile breaks down fats into fatty acids so that they can be digested.
• Conditions that affect the intestines, liver, and pancreas. Celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and Crohn’s disease can cause changes in stool color. (Celiac disease is known for causing yellow stool.) ¹⁰
• Blood in the stool caused by bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract

Descriptive Text

• brown
• reddish
• white or clay-colored
• black or dark brown
• yellowish
• green

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Here is a list of color changes in stool with an explanation of what they may indicate. ¹¹

Green stool

As previously mentioned, green stool color is often a symptom of a lack of bile in the stool, as usually occurs with diarrhea. Green poop may also be caused by the foods you eat. In either case, green stool color is usually nothing to worry about. However, if you cannot associate your green-colored poop with diarrhea or with anything you’ve eaten, you should contact your medical doctor.

Clay-colored stool

The clay-colored or light stool could be a sign of bile duct obstruction and may warrant a call to your doctor. But clay-colored stool may also be caused by anti-diarrhea medications, such as Pepto-Bismol. If you notice a light or clay-colored stool, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider.

Yellow, greasy, foul-smelling stool

A yellow, greasy, or foul-smelling stool could be a sign of excess fat in the poop, as occurs with Celiac disease and Cystic Fibrosis.

Black stool

Black stool may be a sign of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, i.e. the stomach. This is a medical emergency. If you notice a black stool, seek prompt medical attention. The good news is that this color doesn’t always indicate blood in the stool. Iron supplements, anti-diarrhea medication, and black licorice may also cause this stool color change.

Maroon stool

Maroon stool color may indicate gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, and you should go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital. ¹²

Bright red stool

A bright red stool is associated with bleeding in the lower intestinal tract, i.e. the rectum or the large intestine. Bright red stool is often a sign of hemorrhoids. But it can also signal an anal fissure (a small tear in the anal lining), infection of the intestines, or the presence of inflammatory bowel disease. If you notice a red stool color, seek prompt medical attention.

When to get help for poop color changes

Any time you notice persistent color changes in your poop, contact your medical doctor. If you notice a black or red stool color, it’s best to go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

What is unhealthy poop?

Stool color combined with the Bristol Stool Chart can tell you a lot about the health of your digestive tract.

What constitutes unhealthy poops can vary widely from person to person, but in general unhealthy poops include:

• Color changes in your stool. Any color other than brown or green may signal a problem with your digestive tract, and you should call seek medical attention.
• Pooping too often, i.e. more than three times daily.
• Not pooping often enough, i.e. less than three times a week
• Excessive straining and/or pain when pooping, indicating constipation
• Loose stool. Whatever the stool color may be, stool that is watery, mushy, or shapeless is a symptom of diarrhea.

3 main causes of unhealthy poops

There are many reasons why the color and consistency of your poop may be abnormal. Here are three of the main reasons:

Diet

Routinely eating a poor-quality diet composed mainly of low-fiber, heavily processed carbs, and sugar is a common cause of unhealthy poops and digestive issues. There are a couple of reasons for this.

Your digestive system needs dietary fiber to keep food moving through your intestines to trap and remove waste. This supports healthy regular bowel movements as dietary fiber adds bulk to poop, making it easier to pass. Adding fiber to your diet can also soothe diarrhea as fiber absorbs water and firms up the stool.

But there is an even more important reason to add fiber to your diet. Fiber feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Research indicates that digestive health, as well as overall health, depends upon the richness and diversity of bacteria and other microbes living in your gut. A precise balance of good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract is essential to health.

Digestive conditions associated with unbalanced gut bacteria (dysbiosis) include:

• Leaky gut syndrome
• Celiac disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Colitis
• Crohn’s disease
• And more.

When bacteria eat (ferment) fiber in the lower colon, they excrete powerful postbiotic metabolites that many experts believe may be responsible for the many health benefits commonly attributed to probiotics.

One particular postbiotic metabolite, butyrate, is a short-chain fatty acid that multiple studies suggest may offer a host of health benefits. ¹³

Without an adequate daily intake of fiber, good bacteria cannot thrive. If you regularly eat low-fiber, heavily processed carbs and sugars — heavily processed foods are almost always devoid of fiber — you starve the good bacteria and feed the bad bacteria. Believe it or not, bacteria have food preferences.

Stress

Excessive stress kills good bacteria and can lead to gut dysbiosis with all the negative digestive and health effects that implies. It can also shut down the digestive system and lead to constipation or cause food to move too quickly through the digestive tract, leading to diarrhea.

Underlying Issues

Many underlying issues affecting digestive organs can indicate serious conditions, such as gallbladder disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or colorectal cancer. (Gastrointestinal disorders have become increasingly common, and they almost always affect the quality of your poops.) Food allergies and sensitivity to certain foods may also cause unhealthy poops.

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