Tell me what your stool type is and I'll tell you how healthy you are

What do your stool type, color, texture, shape and smell say about your health?

Feces are the waste that your body eliminates at the end of the digestive process. They are made up of the remains of food that were not absorbed by your body because they are not necessary.

Although it may seem unpleasant and even disgusting, observing the characteristics of your stool can give you a lot of valuable information.

There are many factors that can modify the way you defecate, such as stress, time changes, your health condition, your diet and even your psychological state.

In any case, the color, shape and consistency of the feces are determined by the type of food ingested and the transit time through your digestive system.

Consistency and shapes of stool

There is a table to easily classify the consistency and shape of feces.

It is known as the Bristol Scale (Heaton and Lewis, University of Bristol) and can guide you as to whether you have any alterations that you should control or consult a doctor.

Type 1: separate, hard and small . Indicator that you suffer from constipation. Separate, poorly hydrated pieces indicate that you drink little water and follow a low-fiber diet. It is recommended to drink more water and add fruits, vegetables and vegetables to your diet.

Type 2: elongated and lumpy in shape . This type of heses can indicate that you do not drink enough water and, if not corrected, end up becoming type 1. Increase your water consumption.

Type 3: elongated with cracks on the surface . Indicates normal. Everything is going well, but you can still choose to get a better type of stool, enriching your diet and increasing water.

Type 4: elongated, smooth and soft. They are the perfect poops, easy, elongated and soft stools. There is a perfect balance between diet and water intake.

Type 5: soft and with separate pieces or with defined edges . This type of stool, somewhat softer, separated, but with defined edges, may indicate that the food has not been digested correctly.

Type 6: loose stools with separate pieces and stuck edges. Pieces of watery feces with a pasty consistency indicate that we suffer from diarrhea. We must remain alert and if it persists, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

Type 7: watery, shapeless, and continuous stools . It's diarrhea. You must control it because, if it persists, it can lead to dehydration. It indicates that nutrients are not being absorbed effectively. It is advisable to consult the doctor.

It is established in 7 groups, according to the consistency and shape of the feces:

The color of the feces

In addition to the type of stool, the coloration can indicate how healthy or unhealthy you are:

• Brown: it is the ideal color of feces; everything is going well.
• Green: food has passed through the digestive tract very quickly.
• Yellow: it is related to problems in the elimination of bile, being celiac or suffering from hepatitis.
• Red: it is produced by bleeding in the large intestine or hemorrhoids.
• Black: it can be caused by iron intake, but also by the presence of blood from the small intestine or digestive tract.
• White: lack of bile or malabsorption of fats.

When to go to the doctor for the type of stool

To keep track of your health, you should monitor your bowel movements and their frequency. If you notice any of the following changes, see your doctor:

• Increased number of stools or diarrhea, with or without blood in the stool.
• Persistent constipation that did not exist before or you must exert more effort to defecate; especially if there is weight loss.
• If your stools are black like tar and sticky; continuously pasty or white.
• If there is red blood, it can be a sign of something mild, but also of serious pathologies.

With a clinical analysis of feces, various conditions can be ruled out or diagnosed, such as food allergies, infection caused by bacteria or viruses, the presence of parasites, digestive problems and blood loss inside the digestive tract.