What is a healthy bowel movement?

What is a healthy bowel movement? Do you ever look back in the toilet after using it? Your stool can provide valuable information about your health. Talking about stool is not particularly popular, but it is incredibly important.

If your stool isn’t healthy, it could indicate digestive problems, food sensitivities, or an imbalance in your gut flora. So, what constitutes a healthy bowel movement?

Healthy stool

• Regular (daily)
• No strong odor
• Shaped like a sausage
• Requires little to no toilet paper
• Brown in color
• Contains no large food particles

The Bristol Stool Chart

The Bristol Stool Chart is a tool to understand your stool pattern.
Different types of stool are categorized in the chart below. Types 3 and 4 are considered normal stool. Types 1 and 2 indicate constipation, while types 5 to 7 suggest diarrhea.

Color

What does the color of your stool indicate?
Your stool should be brown. If it’s green or red and you’ve eaten foods like beets, red cabbage, green vegetables, or black rice, there’s nothing to worry about.
Yellow/white stool could indicate liver or gallbladder issues.
Seeing blood in your stool or black stool could be due to hemorrhoids or may indicate inflammation or a polyp. Contact your doctor if you notice these colors.

Structure

Sticky and floating stool may indicate problems with fat digestion, while large food particles suggest incomplete digestion.

Odor

If your stool or flatulence smells like rotten eggs, it could indicate poor digestion of sulfur-containing amino acids. Switching to a more plant-based diet may help. If your stool smells acidic, it could be due to yeasts, molds, or insufficient pancreatic juice.

Where to start?

Opt for natural unprocessed foods, consume at least 500 grams of vegetables, 2 pieces of fruit, and 2 liters of water per day. Additionally, vary your diet with different nuts, seeds, and legumes. Reduce consumption of wheat, pasteurized cow’s milk, and sugar. Ensure you get enough exercise.

Merle Mentink
Orthomolecular Therapist
Flowsenz
www.flowsenz.nl