Pooping is something not a lot of people like to talk about, in fact a lot of persons don’t even look in the toilet before they flush or look when they wipe.
Just to drop in some hygiene.
Remember to wipe front to back, if you’re having trouble getting a good clean use wet wipes or wash yourself. It is important to get a good clean to minimise smell, the possibility of infection if you have cuts down there and makes washing your undies much easier!
When you’re flushing the toilet, cover the toilet with the seat cover to avoid particles from going all over the bathroom and on your tooth brush and other things you use on your face. Don’t flush sitting down.
Okay back to business.
The normal amount of times to poop is 3 times per day to 3 times per week with diarrhoea and constipation being at the extreme ends.
Diarrhoea is loose stool greater than 3 times per day and constipation is passing stool less than 3 times per week.
You should pay attention to your bowel habits, as it can let you know what’s happening with your body and what you may be lacking in your diet, it may even clue you into illnesses.
So what is poop?
Poop is a waste product excreted by you body. After food is placed in your mouth all the good stuff is taken from it and it is then let out of the body as poop. You want to aim for your poop to be smooth, soft and sausage-shaped as that is the poop king.
You don’t want your poop to be hard, in small pellets (like a goats!) or lumpy as this can show that you need much more water and fibre in your diet. So up your intake of water and eat more vegetables, grains and fruits to help that stool soften.
Sticky poop really talks about the amount of fat in your excrement. Try cutting down on the fast foods, or if you notice it’s always like this no matter what you eat you need to consider seeing a doctor as you could have an issue with absorption of fats!
Loose, watery stool greater than 3 times per day… DIARRHOEA, what you don’t want to do is actually stop the diarrhoea because that’s really the body’s way of getting rid of the cause. What you do have to do is make sure you’re replacing all those loses by drinking up your oral rehydration salts, water and so on. If the diarrhoea is bloody you should consider going to the doctor as some infectious processes can cause this and you may need antibiotics.
If you find that you’re having diarrhoea but cannot keep up with rehydration (especially in children and the elderly) go to the hospital where they will ensure you get enough fluids until the diarrhoea has resolved.
But what about colour?
Sometimes poop can just take the colour of the food you’ve eaten or it can be a clue about what’s happening in your body.
Brown is G O O D.
Green can be due to the food you’re eating or that food is going through your system very quickly.
If its yellow, smells terrible and is greasy this shows fat in the stool and can be as a result of a malabsorption disease.
Red stool can be blood, whether it’s mixed in, clots or coating the stool it means you must go to a doctor. Similarly, very dark stool can be because of altered/ digested blood so pay a visit to your doctor. Sometimes it can be because of iron, but better safe than sorry.
White stool is also a reason to go visit your doctor as it can show bile duct obstruction.
When should you visit your doctor?
- When you see blood whether fresh red or digested dark blood
- When the stool is greasy no matter what you eat
- Bloody diarrhoea
- Diarrhoea where you cannot keep up with replacement (Hospital)
- Changes in your stool pattern/ cycle that bother you
- Constipation that’s not responding to changes in diet and increasing fluid intake
Here’s a great picture summary of everything I just said. Taken from huffpost.
Samantha C. Johnson
