Yes talking about our waste is important, but you’ll be relieved (no pun intended) to know I am not turning into the notorious celebrity “health guru” of the mid-2000s who had a poo obsession! This article provides information about how our stools can reveal information about our health – you don’t need to closely inspect it but a quick check before you flush should be seriously considered.
1) Blood
If you have blood in your stools, please consult your GP (or other medical specialists you may be seeing) as soon as possible to ensure there are no underlying health concerns that require medical treatment. If a client highlights this symptom, I may halt the therapy package until they have consulted their medical team to ensure they get the correct diagnosis and appropriate interventions before we continue adjusting their diet.
Blood in the stool may result in black, sticky/tarry stools, or ones that are a red/maroon colour depending on where in the body the blood is from.
2) Colour
Poo isn’t always brown! Normal stools may vary from a yellowy-brown to dark brown. A very dark colour stool (black and not sticky) is common when people are taking iron supplements, for example.
However, a yellow stool may suggest the presence of undigested fat. This may be indicative of health concerns connected with the pancreas, Coeliac’s disease or may be due to a diet high in fat. Yellow stools may also the result of weight loss medications which reduce fat absorption (I do NOT endorse or recommend these products).
Pale or grey stools may indicate a problem with bile or the pancreas, or liver problems.
The colour of stools may be affected by food colouring, medications, common viruses or even parasites. If the colour of your stools may be indicative of a health concern, please consult your GP.
3) Constipation and Hard Stools
Going to the toilet less than once a day may not be medically diagnosed as constipation (the NHS website gives the definition as less than 3 times per week), but it does indicate slow digestion (potentially indicative of other health concerns), insufficient fluids, insufficient fibre (or too much!), or lack of physical activity. Some medications contribute to constipation.
Other symptoms of constipation include:
- hard, lumpy stools
- the need to strain to pass the stool
- stomach ache (possibly with ‘bloating’)
- intermittent soft, possibly runny, stools – this can be another stool making it’s way around hard stool blockages.
Sometimes we can drink enough fluids but the stool remaining in the colon for too long means that the body has chance to draw out more water making it hard.
You can easily check your own speed of digestion (gut transit time) by eating a spoonful of sweetcorn. Don’t have any for a couple of days, then eat a dessert spoon full making a note of the day and time, and then see when it ‘reappears’. You won’t need to do any close inspections, don’t worry!
4) Diarrhoea and Soft Stools
Diarrhoea is typically an indicator that food has passed through your system too quickly. This is likely to increase the risk that nutrients are not being properly absorbed by the body. Diarrhoea is often caused by viruses and other contributory health issues, or some medications used to treat those conditions.
Having soft stools is not always symptomatic of diarrhoea. There is something called a Bristol Stool Chart (see an example here) that I use with clients, and stools that fall within categories 5-7 are considered soft. Soft stools may indicate insufficient fibre to bind the stool together, a diet high in sugar (including fruit), a high-fat diet, digestive issues such as intolerances, or excess coffee. Loose stools may occur with magnesium supplements, and certain irritating foods such as spicy foods.
5) Microbiome Imbalances (the balance of our gut bacteria)
Our gut health and microbiome can both influence our general health, and be influenced by it. To identify the balance of our microbiome we can undertake lab testing that uses stool samples, but it can be helpful in helping us to understand what is going on in the body and the gut. Stool sample tests vary in their level of detail and cost.
I do not routinely recommend these tests for clients as information from their doctor combined with the details of their symptoms and lifestyle are often sufficient to understand how the body is functioning and what can be done to help support it. However, where clients needs are complicated and our dietary changes are not producing the results we would like, tests may be helpful. One of the key things I was taught about testing: only offer it to clients if it could change the direction of your approach. If a client could benefit from tests not available via their GP, I help to source the test packs and interpret the results for clients – I do not do any collecting or processing myself. Any test results that suggest a potential medical concern will be referred to the clients GP for consideration (I cannot make medical diagnoses).
