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The Bowl Truth
by Martiga Lohn
YOUR STOOLS CAN REVEAL A LOT ABOUT YOUR HEALTH, IF YOU LEARN TO READ THEM.
LET'S FACE IT: DIGESTION HAPPENS. Few of us, however, are able to talk about the end result without
embarrassment. It's too bad we're not more willing to pay attention to our stools, because they may be
just as useful in diagnosing our health as taking our temperature or our blood pressure. "People can tell a
measure of their health by their bowel movement," says Ted Loftness, M.D., an internist in Litchfield,
Minn. "Nothing is so overrated as sex and so underrated as a good bowel movement."
From your stool you may be able to get clues about your diet, your gastrointestinal health, and even
whether your stress, anger, or anxiety levels are too high.
HOW FOOD BECOMES STOOL From the moment food enters your mouth, your body embarks on a
campaign to turn it into a soupy mush called chyme. Chewing, saliva, peristalsis (the involuntary
contractions of gastrointestinal muscles), bacteria, hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes, bile, and other
secretions all work to give each meal the consistency of split pea soup. While your digestive cells are
absorbing sugars, starches, fats, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, waste products continue
traveling down the line. In the colon, all the leftovers are combined, packed together, and partially
dehydrated. What remain--our feces--consist of water, indigestible fiber, undigested food (such as corn
and small seeds), sloughed-off dead cells, living and dead bacteria, intestinal secretions, and bile. (The
worn-out red blood cells in bile give excrement its distinctive brown color.)
If all goes as it should, you'll end up with a healthy bowel movement. Although digestive idiosyncrasies,
variations in intestinal bacteria, and other variables can produce different standards for a healthy stool, in
general it should be brown to light brown; formed but not hard; cylindrical, not flattened; fairly bulky and
full-bodied, not compacted; somewhat textured but not too messy; and very easy to pass. And it
shouldn't smell--much. "You're passing methane and bacterial, degraded foodstuffs, so there's always
going to be an odor," says Patrick Donovan, N.D., a naturopath in Seattle. "But it shouldn't be a very
strong, pungent odor."
Experts disagree on two other stool characteristics: the number of pieces and their buoyancy. Each bowel
movement preferably should be in one piece, about the shape and size of a banana and tapered at the
end, according to Melanie Ferreira, a nutritionist and instructor at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food
and Health in New York City. Others, however, object. "Stools don't have to be well-formed logs,"
Donovan says. "They can disperse in the toilet water; they can break down."
As for "floating versus sinking," one school argues that stools should float. Ferreira says buoyancy is a sign
that the body has absorbed the minerals in the food and that these nutrients are not contained in the
waste. Another camp believes healthy bowel movements should touch bottom because of their bulk and
fiber content. Loftness is not impressed with either argument: "Most stools will sink," he says. "Whether it
floats or sinks really doesn't seem to make any difference."
An occasional deviation from this total picture is usually considered okay; chronic deviations (or any
featuring blood) are not, and should be checked with a doctor. For a list of specific characteristics that
may point to health problems, see our chart below.
The Bowl Truth
by Martiga Lohn
If Your Stool Looks...
BLACK, TARRY, AND STICKY
VERY DARK BROWN
It Could Mean...
Bleeding in your upper digestive
tract. The black color comes from
digested blood cells.
You drank red wine last night or
have too much salt or not enough
vegetables in your diet.
GLOWING RED OR MAGENTA
You've eaten a lot of reddish foods
such as beets.
LIGHT GREEN
You're consuming too much sugar, or
too many fruits and vegetables with
not enough grains or salt.
PALE OR CLAY-COLORED
BLOODY OR MUCUS-COVERED
PENCIL-THIN AND RIBBONLIKE
Minimal amounts of bile are being
excreted, perhaps because of problems
with the gallbladder or liver.
Hemorrhoids, an overgrowth of certain
bacteria in your gastrointestinal
tract, colitis (inflammation of the
colon), Crohn's disease (also known as
inflammatory bowel disease), or colon
cancer. Red blood usually means the
ailment is located near the end of
your digestive tract, whereas black
blood signals partially digested blood
coming from an ailment higher up the
tract. Seek medical advice promptly.
A polyp or growth in your colon that
narrows the passage for stool.
LARGE AND FLOATING, WITH
GREASY FILM ON TOILET WATER
Malabsorption--your digestive system
isn't getting the full nutritional use
of food.
LOOSE AND WATERY, SOMETIMES
WITH UNDIGESTED FOODSTUFFS
Diarrhea. Possible causes are food ,
poisoning lactose intolerance,
antibiotics, antacids, dietary
changes, travel, anxiety, stress,
inflammatory bowel disease, or
irritable bowel syndrome.
SMALL, HARD, ROUND PELLETS
Constipation--even if you're
defecating frequently. Possible causes
are eating too much dry food,
including protein, and not enough
vegetables and raw foods; laxative
abuse; worries; or irritable bowel
syndrome.
The Bowl Truth
by Martiga Lohn
ALTERNATING BOUTS OF
DIARRHEA AND CONSTIPATION
Irritable bowel syndrome. This chronic
condition can be aggravated by red
meat, spices, sugar, alcohol, lack of
fiber, allergy-causing foods,
irregular hours, and chaotic
relationships.
REALLY BAD-SMELLING
An imbalance of intestinal bacteria or
eating too much animal protein, which
can putrefy in your digestive tract.
WHEN MOVEMENTS STALL
One of the most common gastrointestinal complaints is hard feces and infrequent and difficult elimination
--better known as constipation. If chronic, it may contribute to autoimmune diseases and colon or breast
cancer. "The longer stool stays in the colon, the more one reabsorbs some of the metabolic products
[such as estrogen] that have been excreted in the bile," says Donovan, who treats people with cancer in
his naturopathic clinic. "We can see increased risk of breast cancer in women with a history of
constipation."
Experts agree that regularity is important, but they disagree sharply how often the average person should
eliminate. The National Institute for Diabetes, Kidney, and Digestive Diseases says three times a week is
normal and healthy for some people. According to Ayurveda, the Indian healing system, once a day
provides an ideal, complete evacuation, says Virender Sodhi, M.D., an Ayurvedic doctor and naturopath in
Bellevue, Wash. Ferreira thinks once or twice a day is the right frequency, while Donovan says a person
should have a bowel movement within two to three hours of a major meal--or two to three times a day.
Regular bowel movements may contribute to more than better physical health. "The act of digestion and
elimination can be seen as a metaphor for our ability to absorb what is useful from our experiences and
eliminate what is unnecessary, harmful, or holds us back," Ferreira says. "If you have a healthy bowel
movement each day, you're letting go of the past and bringing in the new."
IMPROVING YOUR STOOL The three basics required for healthy bowel movements (and a healthy
digestive system) are fiber, fluids, and exercise. If your stool doesn't fit the profile of a healthy bowel
movement, the following steps can make it better.
* Eat more dietary fiber found in whole foods, especially grains, vegetables, and fruits. Fiber allows waste
to pass through your digestive system smoothly and quickly.
* Drink plenty of fluids (preferably water, as opposed to sugary drinks) to prevent intestinal blockage from
excess fiber.
* Exercise daily. Even a walking program, Loftness says, promotes bowel regularity.
* Regularly eat foods that are known to stimulate the flow of digestive enzymes, including brown rice;
pungent foods such as garlic, ginger, and onions; and daikon radish, according to Ferreira.
* Eat fermented foods such as miso (soybean paste), tempeh (soybean cakes), high-quality yogurt, and
pickles to replenish the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
The Bowl Truth
by Martiga Lohn
* Minimize or end your intake of coffee, laxatives, and refined foods, all of which interfere with regular
elimination. Be aware that certain prescription drugs, such as antibiotics and birth control pills, can also
hamper bowel movements. If you're having trouble with constipation, ask your doctor if you can change
or reduce the medications you're taking.
* Pay attention to your food while you eat, says Sodhi. Sit down. Turn off the television. Don't read or
listen to the radio. "Look at the food, the aroma, the color. That creates a kind of relationship between
you and the food," he says. It will improve your digestion.
* Heed the call of nature. Go to the bathroom when you feel the urge to eliminate, not just when it's
convenient. Doing otherwise can encourage constipation.
* Reduce your levels of stress, which can cause constipation, diarrhea, or other less-than-perfect bowel
movements. Try a stress-reducing technique such as meditation or yoga.
* If you're daring, consider this: Squat on the rim of the toilet in your bare or stocking feet while you
eliminate. "Squatting straightens the recto-anal angle and opens it more fully so elimination is much
easier," says yoga practitioner Richard Ravizza, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Pennsylvania State
University in Scranton. "You could think of it as straightening a partially kinked garden hose."
The Bowl Truth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Why is it useful to pay attention to your
stool?
What do you think is meant by “nothing
is so overrated as sex and so underrated
as a good bowel movement”?
What are some things you can tell from
your stool?
What 7 things all work together to help
digest your food?
What are the characteristics, or
standards, of a healthy stool? (7 things,
ex: brown to light brown)
Why does poop smell?
What do experts say are the 2 other
stool characteristics associated with a
health stool?
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Should your poop float or stink? Why
should it float? Why do some experts
say it should sink?
What are the most common
gastrointestinal complaints?
If constipation is chronic, what are two
problems that could arise?
What does the National Institute of
Diabetes, Kidney, and Digestive
Diseases say is normal and healthy is
regards to the amount you have bowel
movements?
Why does Ferreira say it is healthy to
have one bowel movement a day?
What are 5 tips to help improve your
stool?