What's your poo telling you?
How often you go to the loo, the smell and the texture can tell you a lot about a person’s health.
We can quite happily talk about detox with diets but sometimes we don’t like to talk about one of the most important forms of detox, which is going to the loo. Weeing and pooing are not only great ways of finding out more about how your body’s doing but are key for eliminating toxins from your body.
If you’ve had to deal with kids and nappies or even pets, you’ll know what I mean. What comes out of the body can be very informative yet we can ignore the symptoms. If you go for wees maybe just once or twice a day and it looks like more like orange juice than weak orange cordial and it smells you’re probably dehydrated and need more water.
If you have bowel movements (poos) 3 or 4 times a week then you are constipated as this should be a daily events ranging from 2-3 bowel movements. If you’re not getting rid of the waste products then those toxic chemicals from the poo will recirculate through the body.
So what should your poo like like? Well, Ken Heaton, MD, from the University of Bristol, developed a chart in 1997 to show 7 different types of poo so it could be used to explain what your stool (poo) looked like when talking to a doctor without actually bringing in a stool sample.
Check out the chart here. Ideally you should be aiming for Type 3 or Type 4.
If you’re struggling with constipation here are some options you might trial but always consult your personal medical advisor first:
Drink more water
Exercise
Ensure you’re eating plenty of veggies and some fruits such as kiwi fruit.
Take a good quality magnesium supplement.
Probiotics can be useful or even better, fermented foods with live cultures such as sauerkraut.
For a light hearted view on how the mechanics of sitting and not squatting can be problematic check out this cheeky short clip.
And on a related subjected, if you own a dog you may be interested in reading about why dogs sometimes eat poo here.
Thanks for reading!
Rich
