What Your Poo Says About You: A Beginner’s Guide to Bowel Health
It might not be the most glamorous topic, but your bowel movements can tell you a great deal about your health. From shape and frequency to colour and consistency, your poo offers important clues about how well your digestive system is functioning.
Here’s what you need to know about reading your body’s most natural signal.
The Bristol Stool Chart – Your Gut's Report Card
The Bristol Stool Chart is a medical tool used to categorise the shape and texture of stools into seven types:
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Type 1: Hard lumps (like nuts) – often a sign of constipation
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Type 2: Sausage-shaped but lumpy – still constipated
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Type 3: Sausage-shaped with cracks – slightly sluggish but acceptable
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Type 4: Smooth, soft, sausage-like – ideal!
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Type 5: Soft blobs with clear edges – borderline diarrhoea
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Type 6: Fluffy pieces with ragged edges – mild diarrhoea
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Type 7: Watery with no solid pieces – severe diarrhoea
Type 3–4 is generally considered healthy, suggesting your gut is moving waste through efficiently.
Frequency Matters
While once a day is common, healthy bowel movement frequency can range from three times a day to three times a week — as long as it feels complete and comfortable. If you’re going less than three times a week, or straining to go, it’s a sign your gut might need support.
What Else to Look Out For
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Colour: Brown is normal, but green (bile), yellow (fat malabsorption), or black/red (potential bleeding) may indicate a problem.
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Smell: All poo smells, but a particularly foul or chemical odour may point to digestive imbalance.
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Float or Sink: Floating could indicate undigested fat or gas buildup.
What Your Poo Might Be Telling You
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You're not eating enough fibre
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You’re dehydrated
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Your gut bacteria are imbalanced
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You might have food intolerances
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Stress is slowing down your digestion
Final Thoughts
Your poo is like a daily gut health report card — if you’re willing to look. If anything seems off for more than a few days, or you're regularly uncomfortable, it’s worth addressing. Tracking your bowel habits can help identify patterns and guide you toward lasting relief.
Want professional help decoding what your gut is telling you? Visit www.gutheaven.co.uk