How To Read Your Poop (And Why You Should)
The ultimate defecation decoder: Learn how to read the information hidden in plain sight in your poop to gauge the state of your diet, stress levels, digestive functioning, and more.
Written by Emma Loewe: Writer, author, and editor of Cultured. Her writing explores the intersection of nature, climate, and human health. Emma is the author of “Return to Nature” and “The Spirit Almanac.”
Reviewed by Jennie O’Grady: Senior SciComms Specialist at Seed Health
By the time poop makes a touchdown in your toilet, it’s had to maneuver 20-30 feet of the intestinal tract, face liters of highly acidic juice in the stomach, and traverse up to 100 trillion bacterial cells in the gut.1,2,3 Its shape, color, size, consistency, and odor can tell you a lot about the status of all these biological touchpoints and then some.
Stool is a vital diagnostic tool that gets delivered right to us multiple times a week. But it’s up to us to interpret it before we flush.
Ready to decode your defecation? Here’s how to scan your poop’s shape, color, size, and more for clues about your digestive health.
Consistency and Shape
Your stool is around 75% water and 25% solid waste (primarily undigested plant fibers but also fats, proteins, mucus, bile, and microbial matter).4 So, its appearance on any given day can tell you quite a bit about whether you’re drinking enough water or consuming enough nutrient-dense foods.
Consulting the Bristol Stool chart can give you a quick read on the composition and consistency of your stool.5 Developed in 1997 and now used in clinical and research settings around the world, the chart classifies human poop into seven categories:
- TYPE 1: Separate hard lumps
- TYPE 2: Lumpy and sausage-like
- TYPE 3: Sausage shape with cracks
- TYPE 4: Smooth, soft sausage shape
- TYPE 5: Soft blobs with clear edges
- TYPE 6: Mushy consistency
- TYPE 7: Liquid consistency
Your stool type can change by the week and in some cases, by the day. Here’s how to interpret all seven:
Types 1 and 2: Lacking in liquid
If your stools appear lumpy, dry, and sausage-like, or small and hard like pebbles, it could be a sign that your GI system is clogged. During digestion, the intestines remove excess water and nutrients from your stool before it makes its way out. If your stool is sitting in the colon for a long time, it may lose too much water and become dry and difficult to pass.
Here are a few ways you can loosen up those harder BMs:
- Drink more water
- Up your fiber intake
- Exercise and walk after meals
Types 3, 4, and 5: The superstars of stool
Sausage or snake-like in shape, stool types 3, 4, and 5 are not watery or dry, and they’re expelled easily without strain. If you spot one of these in the bowl, keep doing what you’re doing!
Types 6 and 7: Need time to tighten up
If your stools have a mushy or liquid texture, it’s a sign that your colon is not extracting enough water from your food. (This likely means you’re not absorbing proper nutrients from your food, either).4,6 Loose stools can happen when digested food material doesn’t spend enough time in the GI tract.
They can also occur if something you eat draws water into the colon. Gluten and lactose are common culprits, particularly in people with food intolerances.4
Here are a few ways to slow things down and bulk things up if you’ve just passed a 6 or 7:
- Drink more water
- Up your fiber intake
- If loose stools are recurring, get tested for food intolerances
Probiotics for all
Research suggests that if you tend to fall on either end of the Bristol Stool chart, taking a probiotic may help you return to middle ground.
Having a diverse, microbe-rich gut environment has been strongly associated with firmer stools. Translation: Those with types 6 or 7 may benefit from a daily probiotic.7
Conversely, if your stools are firm and difficult to pass (types 1 or 2), taking a probiotic can deliver the specific types of bacteria you need to get things moving. Certain probiotic strains produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that support mucus production and strengthen the gut lining, and other responses that help stool move through the body more quickly and efficiently.8
Case in point: In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial on DS-01® Daily Synbiotic, the formula increased bowel movement frequency and improved measures of occasional constipation in individuals experiencing digestive challenges.*9
Every probiotic contains a different array of bacteria, so you’ll want to look for one that’s tailored to your specific needs (and bowels). Check out our guide to choosing a probiotic to learn more.
Buoyancy
Got a floater? If your stool is buoyant once it hits the bowl, it’s not a cause for concern. In fact, it’s likely a good sign!
Stools float when they have a higher concentration of gases (mostly methane), which are byproducts of bacterial fermentation.10
The bacteria in your colon play the vital role of breaking down stubborn food particles that have withstood the earlier phases of digestion. Simple sugars and most starches are digested in the upper GI tract more easily than high-fiber foods (vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains), which tend to require microbial intervention.
Once these fibers reach your colon, your bacterial entourage breaks them down for energy, producing byproducts like gut-strengthening SCFAs in the process. Gas is also a common metabolite of this feeding frenzy (hence why upping your vegetable intake might make you need to toot more).11 If some of this gas gets taken in by your stool, it will float instead of sink.
Since fiber is an essential component of a strong, diverse gut microbiome and floating stools can be a signal of adequate fiber intake, they’re usually something to celebrate.
EXPLORE FURTHER: What Is the “Best” Diet for Your Gut?
However, in select cases, floaters can signal a fat malabsorption issue. If yours are also consistently pale, foul-smelling, or oily, it’s worth flagging them to a doctor.12
Color
Stool is (usually! hopefully!) brown due to bile—a digestive fluid that’s produced in the liver. In the process of breaking down food and eliminating waste, bile transports bilirubin (made from old red blood cells) into the intestines, where it is converted into byproducts (urobilinogen and stercobilin) that give poop its brown hue.13
Medical conditions that affect bile production can cause poop to change color. However, so can certain foods. If your stool takes on one of these hues, here are some potential edible culprits:
- Red or pink: Seeing any shade of red in the toilet bowl is alarming, but consider what you’ve eaten recently before freaking out. Beets, for example, can impart stool with a pink-red hue since they contain natural pigments that are not fully metabolized and absorbed in the digestive system.14 Some artificially dyed foods—looking at you, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos—can also lead to bright red stools.15
- Dark or black: Dark-color foods like licorice or blueberries can lead to stool that appears black. Certain supplements, like iron, may also darken stool.16
- Green: Spinach, kale, and other leafy greens can cause poop to take on an emerald hue.17
- Spotted: Small clumps of colorful food may also decorate your BMs. This is more common with plants that are high in cellulose—a component of plant cell walls that has strong molecular bonds that are difficult for the body to break down.18 So, no need to fret if you spot corn, peas, or carrots in your bowl—you may just want to eat slower and chew your food a bit more.
If your stool color changes are temporary and you can trace them back to something you ate, there’s no need to worry. However, if color shifts are drastic, longer lasting, and/or accompanied by other changes, flag them to a doctor.
Odor
Your sh*t doesn’t stink—it just smells like microbial decay. As your gut bacteria break down different food particles, they emit volatile organic compounds such as indole. Indole and its derivatives, like skatole, are largely what gives your poop its signature scent.19
In small amounts, scents like skatole are actually very pleasant (fun fact: they’re responsible for the aroma of flowers such as jasmine and orange blossoms). However, things start to get a little, shall we say, pungent, when they’re present in higher concentrations.20
Certain foods, such as red meat and cruciferous vegetables, tend to lead to more VOCs during the digestion process, so your poop may smell more strongly after you eat them.21,22
Occasional changes in bathroom odor are no big deal. But if your stool smells are especially foul or are accompanied by changes in frequency, color, etc., flag it to a doctor. It could be a first whiff of food allergies, infections, or underlying conditions.
Frequency
For some people, going a day without pooping is no big deal. For others, it’s a bona-fide bathroom emergency.
It turns out that poop frequency varies with diet, body composition, and even hormones—so there’s a wide range of what’s considered “normal.” As long as you’re having a BM between three times a week and three times a day, you’re in the Goldilocks zone.23,24
If you’re going no. 2 less than three times a week, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Am I ignoring the urge to poop? When you hold it in, your stool stays in the colon for longer than it needs to. This could lead to excess water absorption, making stools less frequent and harder to pass.
- Am I eating enough fiber? Remember: Fibrous foods give stool bulk and help it move through the intestines. Load your plate with plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
- Am I drinking enough water? Staying hydrated can help keep your stool moist and easier to pass.
- What medications am I on?: Infrequent poops can be a side effect of medications such as anticholinergics (used to treat COPD and incontinence) and narcotic agents.4
- Am I moving around enough? Exercise—even gentle movement like walking after meals—can help stimulate digestion.25 Here’s an overview of the best workouts for your gut health.
- Am I particularly stressed? Acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) stress can throw off the enteric nervous system, also known as the second brain.26
EXPLORE FURTHER: 5 Things to Try Next Time You’re Backed Up
And if you’re stuck on the throne upwards of three times a day, here’s what to consider:
- Am I eating triggering foods? Diets high in fat, protein, or spice may lead to looser, more frequent stools in some cases.27,28
- Am I drinking too much coffee? Coffee (even decaf) is known to stimulate bowel movements by activating the muscles in the stomach and colon.29,30
- Is it time to check in with a doctor? If your poop schedule is interfering with your life, you should reach out to a healthcare professional. In some cases, frequent BMs are a sign of inflammation or infection somewhere in the GI tract, so medication may be necessary.4 Your doctor can also test you for underlying allergies or intolerances.
Ease of Expulsion
Ideally, once you feel the urge to poop, it’s easy for you to do so quickly and without strain. As a society, we’ve normalized reading on the toilet, but in reality, you should only have time to get through a page or so.
If the process is taking a while or becoming painful, trying out a new toilet position could help.
Poop position is more important than we give it credit for. The reason why comes down to your anorectal angle—the angle between your rectum (where poop is stored before evacuation) and anus (where it eventually leaves the body). A muscle called the puborectalis, which pulls on the rectum to prevent any premature exits, also plays a role in evacuation ease and speed.
When you sit straight up, the puborectalis stays tight and your anorectal angle sits at a sharp 100 degrees. When you squat, however, the puborectalis muscle relaxes and the anorectal angle begins to open to ~126 degrees, allowing stool to pass more freely.31,32
Error: No feed found.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.
Error: No feed found.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.
Error: No feed found.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.
Keeping a Defecation Posture Modification Device (DPMD)—in other words, a stool for your stool—next to your toilet can help you open up to smoother, easier exits. No reading material required.
The Future of Fecal Analysis
Clearly, the visible markers of stool can teach us a whole lot about our health. But poop’s unseen information may be even more enlightening—and we’re learning more about it by the day. Here are a few types of fecal research with potentially far-reaching implications:
-
-
-
- Microbiota transplantation: From 2011 to 2021, fecal microbiome transplantation (transferring microbial material from a healthy donor into the gut of a patient for therapeutic purposes) was explored as a novel treatment for 85 diseases globally.33 There are currently 51 studies in the U.S. testing FMT for everything from cancer to colitis to alcoholic hepatitis.
- Microbiota rejuvenation: You know we’ve reached peak fecal frenzy when people start exploring microbial rejuvenation: “Banking” your stool when you’re young and healthy so you can transplant it into your gut once you get older. Talk about a gift to your future self.34
- Advanced diagnostics: New types of fecal testing, such as stool-based liquid biopsies, are now being developed to detect colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer earlier than ever.35, 36 These next-gen tests look for specific DNA markers or proteins in stool that indicate the presence of cancer cells—and they may be useful for diagnosing and assessing issues like Crohn’s disease and celiac disease too.37,38
- Energy creation: In the future, poop may literally power the world. Methane from human waste can be harnessed for biogas production, and some propose that it could play a valuable role in the clean energy transition.39
-
-
The Key Insight
Your poop’s shape, size, consistency, color, and even odor can provide valuable clues about the state of your digestive system. The key is to get to know what’s normal for your stool, so you can recognize when something looks, smells, or feels off.
Brushing up on the journey food takes before it reaches your toilet bowl can help make you an even more discerning defecation decoder. Here’s our complete guide to digestion—from eating to excreting.
Citations
- Hounnou, G., Destrieux, C., Desmé, J., Bertrand, P., Velut, S.(2002). Anatomical study of the length of the human intestine. Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 24(5), 290–294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-002-0057-y
- Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). (2024, August 5). In brief: How does the stomach work? InformedHealth.org – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279304/
- Ursell, L. K., Metcalf, J. L., Parfrey, L. W., & Knight, R. (2012). Defining the human microbiome. Nutrition Reviews, 70, S38–S44. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00493.x
- Mawer, S., & Alhawaj, A. F. (2023, November 13). Physiology, defecation. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539732/
- Blake, M. R., Raker, J. M., & Whelan, K. (2016). Validity and reliability of the Bristol Stool Form Scale in healthy adults and patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 44(7), 693–703. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13746
- Mohr, F., & Steffen, R. (2010). Physiology of gastrointestinal motility. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 39-49.e2). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-1-4377-0774-8.10005-3
- Vandeputte, D., Falony, G., Vieira-Silva, S., Tito, R. Y., Joossens, M., & Raes, J. (2015). Stool consistency is strongly associated with gut microbiota richness and composition, enterotypes and bacterial growth rates. Gut, 65(1), 57–62. https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2015-309618
- Dimidi, E., Christodoulides, S., Scott, S. M., & Whelan, K. (2017). Mechanisms of action of probiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota on gut motility and constipation. Advances in Nutrition, 8(3), 484–494. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.116.014407
- Napier, B. A., Van Den Elzen, C., Al-Ghalith, G. A., Avena, C. V., Gevers, D., Dhir, R., Nee, J., Lembo, A., & Simmons, S. L. (2024). MO1894 A MULTI-SPECIES SYNBIOTIC (DS-01) ALLEVIATES CONSTIPATION AND ABDOMINAL PAIN IN IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME SUBTYPE MIXED (IBS-M) SUBJECTS WHILE BOOSTING SYNBIOTIC SPECIES ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION AND NET FORMATION. Gastroenterology, 166(5), S-1164. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0016-5085(24)03133-0
- Levitt, M. D., & Duane, W. C. (1972). Floating stools — Flatus versus fat. New England Journal of Medicine, 286(18), 973–975. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm197205042861804
- Mutuyemungu, E., Singh, M., Liu, S., & Rose, D. J. (2022). Intestinal gas production by the gut microbiota: A review. Journal of Functional Foods, 100, 105367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2022.105367
- Azer, S. A., & Sankararaman, S. (2023, May 16). Steatorrhea. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541055/
- Hundt, M., Basit, H., & John, S. (2022, September 26). Physiology, bile secretion. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470209/
- Sadowska-Bartosz, I., & Bartosz, G. (2021). Biological properties and applications of betalains. Molecules, 26(9), 2520. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092520
- Lee, K. F., Magee, J., & McCarthy, J. (2022). Hemato-CHEESE-ia: A case of red stools caused by a spicy cheesy snack. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.28584
- Tolkien, Z., Stecher, L., Mander, A. P., Pereira, D. I. A., & Powell, J. J. (2015). Ferrous sulfate supplementation causes significant gastrointestinal side-effects in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 10(2), e0117383. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0117383
- Tan, C. K., Chao, C. M., & Lai, C. C. (2012). Green feces. QJM, 106(3), 287. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcr271
- Somerville, C., Bauer, S., Brininstool, G., Facette, M., Hamann, T., Milne, J., Osborne, E., Paredez, A., Persson, S., Raab, T., Vorwerk, S., & Youngs, H. (2004). Toward a systems approach to understanding plant cell walls. Science, 306(5705), 2206–2211. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1102765
- Berstad, A., Raa, J., & Valeur, J. (2015). Indole – the scent of a healthy ‘inner soil.’ Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, 26(0). https://doi.org/10.3402/mehd.v26.27997
- Skatole – American Chemical Society. (n.d.). American Chemical Society. https://www.acs.org/molecule-of-the-week/archive/s/skatole.html
- Tennoune, N., Andriamihaja, M., & Blachier, F. (2022). Production of indole and indole-related compounds by the intestinal microbiota and consequences for the host: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Microorganisms, 10(5), 930. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10050930
- Liu, Y., Zhang, H., Umashankar, S., Liang, X., Lee, H. W., Swarup, S., & Ong, C. N. (2018). Characterization of plant volatiles reveals distinct metabolic profiles and pathways among 12 Brassicaceae vegetables. Metabolites, 8(4), 94. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo8040094
- Yang, X., Guo, Y., He, J., Zhang, F., Sun, X., Yang, S., & Dong, H. (2017). Estrogen and estrogen receptors in the modulation of gastrointestinal epithelial secretion. Oncotarget, 8(57), 97683–97692. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.18313
- Dickson, I. (2017). What are normal bowel movement patterns? Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 14(10), 566. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2017.124
- Franke, A., Harder, H., Orth, A. K., Zitzmann, S., & Singer, M. V. (2008). Postprandial walking but not consumption of alcoholic digestifs or espresso accelerates gastric emptying in healthy volunteers. Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, 17(1), 27–31.
- Karl, J. P., Hatch, A. M., Arcidiacono, S. M., Pearce, S. C., Pantoja-Feliciano, I. G., Doherty, L. A., & Soares, J. W. (2018). Effects of psychological, environmental and physical stressors on the gut microbiota. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02013
- Zhou, K., Peng, M., Tan, Z., & Xiao, N. (2023). Diarrhea caused by high-fat and high-protein diet was associated with intestinal lactase-producing bacteria. The Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology, 34(7), 691–699. https://doi.org/10.5152/tjg.2023.22451
- Xiang, Q., Tang, X., Cui, S., Zhang, Q., Liu, X., Zhao, J., Zhang, H., Mao, B., & Chen, W. (2022). Capsaicin, the spicy ingredient of chili peppers: Effects on gastrointestinal tract and composition of gut microbiota at various dosages. Foods, 11(5), 686. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11050686
- Iriondo-DeHond, A., Uranga, J. A., Del Castillo, M. D., & Abalo, R. (2020). Effects of coffee and its components on the gastrointestinal tract and the brain–gut axis. Nutrients, 13(1), 88. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010088
- Rao, S. S., Welcher, K., Zimmerman, B., & Stumbo, P. (1998). Is coffee a colonie stimulant? European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 10(2), 113–118. https://doi.org/10.1097/00042737-199802000-00003
- Sakakibara, R., Tsunoyama, K., Hosoi, H., Takahashi, O., Sugiyama, M., Kishi, M., Ogawa, E., Terada, H., Uchiyama, T., & Yamanishi, T. (2010). Influence of body position on defecation in humans. LUTS Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, 2(1), 16–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-5672.2009.00057.x
- Modi, R. M., Hinton, A., Pinkhas, D., Groce, R., Meyer, M. M., Balasubramanian, G., Levine, E., & Stanich, P. P. (2018). Implementation of a defecation posture modification device. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 53(3), 216–219. https://doi.org/10.1097/mcg.0000000000001143
- Wang, Y., Zhang, S., Borody, T. J., & Zhang, F. (2022). Encyclopedia of fecal microbiota transplantation: A review of effectiveness in the treatment of 85 diseases. Chinese Medical Journal, 135(16), 1927–1939. https://doi.org/10.1097/cm9.0000000000002339
- Ke, S., Weiss, S. T., & Liu, Y. (2022). Rejuvenating the human gut microbiome. Trends in Molecular Medicine, 28(8), 619–630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2022.05.005
- Imperiale, T. F., Ransohoff, D. F., Itzkowitz, S. H., Levin, T. R., Lavin, P., Lidgard, G. P., Ahlquist, D. A., & Berger, B. M. (2014). Multitarget stool DNA testing for colorectal-cancer screening. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(14), 1287–1297. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1311194
- Kisiel, J. B., Yab, T. C., Taylor, W. R., Chari, S. T., Petersen, G. M., Mahoney, D. W., & Ahlquist, D. A. (2011). Stool DNA testing for the detection of pancreatic cancer. Cancer, 118(10), 2623–2631. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.26558
- Pascal, V., Pozuelo, M., Borruel, N., Casellas, F., Campos, D., Santiago, A., Martinez, X., Varela, E., Sarrabayrouse, G., Machiels, K., Vermeire, S., Sokol, H., Guarner, F., & Manichanh, C. (2017). A microbial signature for Crohn’s disease. Gut, 66(5), 813–822. https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313235
- Schiepatti, A., Cappellini, A., Maimaris, S., Minerba, P., Retrosi, M., Mantica, G., Scarcella, C., Delogu, C., Arpa, G., Bianchi, P. I., Di Sabatino, A., & Biagi, F. (2024). Fecal calprotectin measurement as a biomarker of severe disease phenotype in celiac disease and non-celiac enteropathies. Digestive and Liver Disease. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dld.2024.09.010
- Emetere, M. E., Chikwendu, L., & Afolalu, S. A. (2022). Improved biogas production from human excreta using chicken feather powder: A sustainable option to eradicating poverty. Global Challenges, 6(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.202100117