Your Poop Is Ok
How is your turd? Is this the correct color? How about frequency – do you do it once a day, regularly? Don’t reply (and especially in the comments, please). In truth, whatever your answers, you are fine.
I’m not sure why we are all so interested in feces, but there is a lot of information that ranges from informing you about it (hooray?) To trying to convince you that something is wrong. One popular video names several problems a person might notice in department # 2, and then condescendingly suggests that if you don’t suffer from any of them, you are “the world’s only perfect poop.” But truth be told, there are a ton of sane ones out there.
Bristol Stool Table is a communication tool, not a test
This video and many others point to the Bristol chair scale to see if you poop correctly. But this scale has nothing to say about your health. It’s just a convenient way to talk to your doctor – to say that you have gone through a lot of sixes and sevens, instead of trying to describe your diarrhea in detail.
Occasional poop at both ends of the scale is normal or can have an easily identifiable cause. For example, a change in texture could be related to a change in the amount of fiber eaten. Maybe you are experiencing something close to diarrhea, due to a virus, or due to the fact that you are taking medication, like many antibiotics for which diarrhea is a side effect.
There are also many variations in the regular feed. When we discovered the stool analyzer , I ran a questionnaire on several of my recent poop and scored from five-star excellent to two-star poor. I have not been sick and have not died yet. Maybe it’s a “Bad” stool analyzer.
While you can scrutinize the color and shape of your print as much as you want, if you don’t have any symptoms that really bother you, your toilet is not an indicator of health. It’s more like tourist attractions weather forecasts that only tell you what you already know. If the rock is wet, it is raining. If your feces are liquid, you have diarrhea.
You don’t have to change everything
If you read enough articles on healthy pooping, you can be convinced that you are doing it wrong. But you can sit on the toilet instead of squatting if that suits you. (Squatting or propping up your legs in a chair can be enjoyable, but not necessary .)
Likewise, watching videos on the toilet doesn’t ruin your gastrointestinal health, but it’s okay if you decide you don’t want to use your phone in the bathroom to poop in a more relaxed state.
There are many healthy habits that can change your number two experience as well as improve your overall health and are worth considering. The NYU Langone Gastrointestinal Unit offers good nutrition (including plenty of fiber), exercise, and colon cancer screening as recommended.
If you think you may have a health problem that requires medical attention, be sure to see your doctor, regardless of whether you have strange-looking poop in your symptoms. But if you’re feeling good, don’t dwell on the deeper meaning of your feces. Chances are, you’re okay.
This article was originally published in October 2016 and was updated in September 2020 with more information on the Bristol Stool Scale and Healthy Habits.