Guide To Understanding Your Poop

Your bowel movements say a lot about your health!

Which poo are you?

Types 1 and 2 mean you’re constipated. Types 3 and 4 are ideal poops, they are easy to pass and aren’t overly watery. Type 5 heads towards diarrhea, and types 6 and 7 mean you’ve got diarrhea.

Constipation

If you’re constipated your bowel movements are hard to pass, infrequent (you should be going at least once a day), or incomplete (feels like there’s still more).

Constipation is uncomfortable, and if you have it, you know it can have a negative impact on your physical and mental health, and on your quality of life.

Pooping is a major route of detoxification! If you aren’t doing it, those toxins can get reabsorbed into your bloodstream and recirculated throughout your body.

Symptoms

  • Fewer than 1-3 bowel movements each day (you should be going at least once a day)

  • Hard, dry or lumpy stools

  • Stools that are hard to pass

  • Stools that are painful

  • Straining when trying to go

  • Feeling like there’s still more (incomplete evacuation)

  • Stomach discomfort

  • Stomach pain

  • Bloating

  • Nausea

causes

  • Diet

    • Not drinking enough water

    • Not eating enough fiber

    • Poor diet choices

    • For babies and children, dairy is often a contributing factor

  • Lifestyle

    • Stress

    • Lack of sleep

    • Physical inactivity

  • Certain medications

    • Antacids

    • Anticonvulsants

    • Calcium channel blockers

    • Diuretics

    • Iron supplements

    • Calcium supplements

    • Narcotic and opioid pain medications

    • Antidepressants

  • Getting older

  • Travel

  • Holding it when you do have to go

  • Gut motility problems

  • Functional GI problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

  • Gut infections and imbalances

    • Candida

    • Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)

    • Parasites

    • Other infections and imbalances

  • Hormone imbalances

What to do

First-line interventions (start here - diet and lifestyle)

  • Hydration

    • Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day (adults)

    • Drink at least 1 glass of water per year of age (kids)

  • Eat a whole, real foods diet and avoid processed, junk foods

  • Eat more soluble and insoluble fiber

    • Soluble fiber (absorbs water and creates bulk)

      • Steel-cut oats

      • Legumes (beans)

      • Chia seeds

      • Flaxseed

      • Nuts

      • Oranges

      • Apples

      • Carrots

      • Blueberries

      • Sweet potatoes

    • Insoluble fiber (moves bulk through the intestines)

      • Brussels sprouts

      • Broccoli

      • Cauliflower

      • Beets

      • Kale

  • Aloe juice

    • Adults: drink 1/4 - 1/2 cup 1-2 times a day, start on the low end and work your way up as needed

  • Eat A LOT of sautéed spinach (daily) until going to the bathroom (daily). Sauté in avocado oil, grass-fed butter, or ghee

  • Instead of nut butter, try this recipe as a substitute:

    • Ingredients

      • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

      • 1 cup chia or hemp seeds

      • 3/4 cup prune juice

    • Instructions

      • Mix ingredients together

      • They will turn into a pasty consistency, like nut butter

      • Keep refrigerated

      • Eat one or two tablespoons each day, and follow it with a full glass of water

    • Maintain, it might take a few days to see results

  • Constipation smoothie (from Kids Eat in Color) - can mix supplements in this

    • 1 cup prune juice (no sugar added)

    • ½ cup water

    • ½ pear

    • ½ cup frozen blueberries (no sugar added)

    • 1 Tbs. chia or hemp seeds

    • Small handful spinach

  • Increase levels of physical activity and address sleep issues and stress

  • Determine if medications are causing the issue

  • When you have to go, go. Don’t hold it!

Second-line interventions, when diet and lifestyle aren’t enough

  • Explore gut health, identify and address root cause issues

    • Digestion and absorption

    • Gut microbiome imbalances and infections like candida, SIBO, parasites, and others

    • Motility problems

      • Ginger

      • Castor oil pack

      • Magnesium citrate

      • High dose vitamin C

      • Targeted motility supplements

Third-line interventions (talk to your health care provider when medical attention is necessary)

  • Prescription motility agents

Diarrhea

If your bowel movements are frequent and watery, you may have diarrhea.

Symptoms

  • Stomach cramps

  • Stomach pain

  • Bloating

  • Nausea

  • Vomiting

  • Fever

  • Blood in the stool

  • Mucus in the stool

  • Urgent need to go

What to do

First-line interventions (start here - diet and lifestyle)

  • Try a clear liquid diet

    • Water

    • Herbal teas

    • Apple juice

    • Clear broths

    • Plain gelatin

  • Drink at least a cup of water or other liquid after each episode so you don’t get dehydrated

  • Eat

    • Small and more frequent meals

    • Foods high in pectin (water-soluble fiber) like applesauce, apples, peaches, oranges, strawberries, bananas, peas, carrots, green beans, and yogurt (dairy can make things worse, so try coconut yogurt)

    • Potassium-rich foods like potatoes and sweet potatoes without the skin, and bananas

    • Sodium-rich foods like soups and broths

    • Protein from foods like lean beef, pork, turkey, chicken, well-cooked eggs, and tofu

    • Your favorite veggies and fruits, but cook them rather than have them raw

  • Avoid

    • Caffeine, alcohol, very hot or very cold foods, and liquids, and carbonated drinks

    • Tobacco products

    • Fatty, greasy, rich foods

    • Foods that cause gas like chewing gum and carbonated drinks

    • Dairy products

  • Address sleep issues and stress

  • Determine if medications are causing the issue

  • If you have diarrhea that lasts for more than 24 hours, or if you have pain and cramping, call your physician

Second-line interventions, when diet and lifestyle aren’t enough

  • Explore gut health, identify and address root cause issues

    • Digestion and absorption

    • Gut microbiome imbalances and infections like candida, SIBO, parasites, and others

    • Motility problems

Third-line interventions (talk to your health care provider when medical attention is necessary)

  • Medications

What your baby’s poo is telling you

Your baby’s poop will change as he or she grows, drinks breastmilk or formula, and starts eating solids. But there are times when your baby’s poop might be alerting you that something’s wrong.

Texture

Newborn baby poop: Your baby’s poop as a newborn will be thick and tar-like. This should change to a looser and yellow poop within a few days after birth. If it doesn’t, call your pediatrician, it might mean he or she isn’t getting enough milk.

Breastfed baby poop: Breastfed babies have looser stools, this is normal and isn’t necessarily a sign of diarrhea.

Formula-fed baby poop: Babies that are formula fed tend to have poops that are firmer compared to breastfed babies. The color may also be more tan to brown, with some yellow and green.

Introducing solids: When you introduce solids, you can expect your baby’s poop to start looking more like adult poop.

Consistency

Constipation: Hard poop that’s difficult to pass, and small pebble like drops of poop that are dark brown might mean your baby is constipated. If you are concerned, check out tips below for addressing constipation, and alert your pediatrician.

Diarrhea: It might be hard to identify if your baby has diarrhea because infants have looser poops. If your baby has loose, watery stools that happen more than once per feeding, he or she might have diarrhea. If you are concerned, contact your pediatrician.

Mucusy or frothy poop: Mucusy or frothy poops might be caused by your baby swallowing drool from teething. If your baby isn’t teething and has mucus in their poop, or if it is frothy, contact your pediatrician.

Blood: Blood in your baby’s poop might be caused by straining during constipation. It also might mean there is an infection. Contact your pediatrician if you see blood in your baby’s poop.

Food pieces: Food pieces might be visible in your baby’s poop once they start eating solids. This can be normal, some foods aren’t digestible and get passed into poop. It also might mean your child isn’t chewing thoroughly enough. If you are concerned, contact your pediatrician.

Frequency

A newborn might have few poops early on, so if your baby doesn’t poop every day this might be normal.

Breastfed babies might poop infrequently until they are about 3-6 weeks old. Formula fed babies should poop at least once daily. Less frequent poops could mean constipation.

Once your baby starts solids, he or she should be pooping at least once daily. If not, this may point to constipation.

Infant and child constipation

Signs of constipation in infants and children may include:

  • Being fussy and spitting up often

  • Difficulty passing stools or seeming uncomfortable 

  • Hard, dry stools 

  • Pain when having a bowel movement 

  • Stomach pain and bloating 

  • Large, wide stools 

  • Blood in the stool or on toilet paper 

  • Traces of liquid or stool in a child's underwear (could mean fecal impaction)

Constipation in children may be caused by:

  • Holding it in

  • Not eating enough fiber

  • Not drinking enough fluids

  • Switching to solid foods or from breast milk to formula

  • Dairy

  • Travel, starting school, or stress

  • Medical conditions

  • Medications

  • Gut infections and imbalances

Lifestyle changes can help!

Infants:

  • Give baby extra water or juice during the day between feedings.

  • Over 2 months old: Try 2 to 4 ounces (59  to 118 mL) of fruit juice (grape, pear, apple, cherry, or prune) twice a day.

  • If baby is eating solids, try baby foods with a high-fiber content (peas, beans, apricots, prunes, peaches, pears, plums, and spinach) twice a day.

Children:

  • Drink plenty of fluids each day. One glass of water per year of age.

  • Eat more fresh, whole fruits and vegetables and foods high in fiber, like starchy vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, and other root vegetables) and whole grains like buckwheat, brown rice, and quinoa.

  • Avoid dairy, fast food, and processed junk foods.

  • Stop toilet training if your child is constipated. Resolve the issue and start again.

  • Teach older children to use the toilet right after eating a meal.

If diet and lifestyle interventions don’t solve the problem, take a deeper look at gut health.

A combination of interventions may be needed to resolve the problem.

 
 

References

My work with a client who struggled with constipation for more than 40 years is featured in the scientific, peer-reviewed journal Alternative and Complementary Therapies. To read the abstract, click here.

The information provided in this article is not a suggestion to start taking any of the noted supplements or to implement second or third-line interventions on your own. It is important to work with a qualified health professional in order to safely and effectively address your health issues.