Potentash
  • Relationships
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Dating
    • Sex
    • Parenting
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Food + Beverage
    • Fashion
    • Interviews
  • Stories
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
  • Skin + Beauty
    • Skin
      • Skincare
    • Hair
      • Haircare
  • Wellness
    • Physical Health
    • Emotional Wellness
    • Mental Wellness
    • Social Wellness
    • Spiritual Wellness
  • Business
    • Business Finance
    • Personal Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Investments
    • Personal Investments
  • Entertainment
    • Internet
    • Events
    • Music
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Potentash
  • Relationships
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Dating
    • Sex
    • Parenting
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Food + Beverage
    • Fashion
    • Interviews
  • Stories
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
  • Skin + Beauty
    • Skin
      • Skincare
    • Hair
      • Haircare
  • Wellness
    • Physical Health
    • Emotional Wellness
    • Mental Wellness
    • Social Wellness
    • Spiritual Wellness
  • Business
    • Business Finance
    • Personal Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Investments
    • Personal Investments
  • Entertainment
    • Internet
    • Events
    • Music
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Potentash
No Result
View All Result
What Your Poop Says About Your Health

Image from https://cutt.ly/RJDTHs4

What Your Poop Says About Your Health

Nereah Obimbo by Nereah Obimbo
12 June 2022
in Wellness
Reading Time: 4 mins read
6 0
0
9
SHARES
42
VIEWS
FacebookTwitterWhatsApp

Pooping is a normal bodily function that we normally do not talk about to our detriment. Your poop is one of the best indicators of what’s going on in you. This is why it’s important to be able to analyse it. Here’s what your poop says about your health from colour to consistency and more.

Frequency

Your poop is normal if the frequency is anywhere between three times a day to three times a week. Three times a day is for people with a fast metabolism while more than three times a day could be a sign of diarrhoea. Infrequent stool could indicate a low water intake and lack of fibre.

Colour

It’s normal for poop to vary in colour with most shades of brown and green being okay. Colour can be affected by a variety of factors including food, medication, and other underlying health concerns. Here’s what the colour means.

Brown

Normal poop ranges from light brown to dark brown because of the natural breakdown of bile in the gastrointestinal tract. Bile is produced by the liver and helps in the breakdown of fat.

Green

The most likely reason why poop maybe green is because you recently ate green vegetables. Sometimes it’s green because the content moved through the digestive tract too fast and little, or no bile was involved, like in the case of diarrhoea. The green colour may also be a sign of an infection. If it’s consistently green, you should consider consulting a physician.

Yellow

Yellow poop is often because you recently ate lots of carrots or drank yellow-coloured fluids. It may be an indication of poor fat absorption in the bile ducts or a sign of cystic fibrosis, celiac disease or pancreatitis.

Black

Black poop may be caused by certain medications and supplements. It may also signal possible bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, which to be on the safe side, you should speak to a physician if it recurs.

Red or maroon

One of the most common reasons for red-coloured poop is consuming red-coloured food such as beets, tomatoes, or other red food. If your poop has bright red blood spots, this may indicate bleeding in the anal canal or in the lower rectum. Other causes may be internal haemorrhoids, anal fissures, rectal polyps or rectal cancers. Maroon-coloured stool may indicate bleeding from the end of the small bowel or the colon. You should consult a doctor.

Pale or clay coloured

Pale poop may indicate a potential blockage in the bile duct obstructing the flow of bile. This obstruction prevents the bile from mixing with the stool leaving it looking pale and colourless. Certain medications can also cause pale or whitish stool.

Consistency

Rocks and pebbles

Normal stool should be at least a few inches long and cylindrical, not small pellets. Poop that is hard and shaped like tiny rocks or pebbles may be a sign of constipation. If the muscle contractions in the large intestines are not working well, some stool gets left behind, and it hardens over time. In general, hard stool is a sign of constipation, inadequate water intake or excessive water loss from the body.

Oily or greasy

Poop that appears oily or greasy and is difficult to flush could signal your body is not properly digesting fat.

Mucus in the stool

Poop with mucus is usually because of inflammation of the intestines. If the mucus is accompanied by blood or abdominal pain, you should consider seeing a doctor.

Pencil-thin

Occasionally thin poop is fine, however, if your poop is suddenly, consistently thin, it may indicate a blockage in the colon which is something you should consider speaking to your doctor about.

Watery

If your poop is suddenly watery or with a diarrhoea consistency and this recurs, it could signify irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, or other infection.

You should speak to your doctor if you alternate between constipation and diarrhoea. Three easy ways to improve your poop are eating a healthy high-fibre diet, exercising regularly, and staying hydrated.

Check out

Health and Fitness: Natural Remedies for Constipation

Health: Home Remedies For Diarrhoea

What Your Tongue Says About Your Health

Health: Early Signs And Symptoms Of Liver Disease Or Problems

7 Foods To Avoid For Constipation Relief

Share3Tweet2SendShare1Pin2
Previous Post

Relationships: Signs Your Relationship Lacks Emotional Support

Next Post

Common Myths and Misconceptions About Gut Health

Nereah Obimbo

Nereah Obimbo

Writer. Youtuber. Filmmaker. Abolitionist. Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.

Next Post
White woman's torso with gastrointestinal tract drawn on it - gut health

Common Myths and Misconceptions About Gut Health

Please login to join discussion

Recommended

7 Ways To Nurture Your Child’s Talent

7 Ways To Nurture Your Child’s Talent

11 December 2023
23
Virgin heart By E. Alubaka Asher

Virgin heart By E. Alubaka Asher

11 March 2015
278

Popular Stories

  • Black man holding umbrella over him and woman

    Enemies To Lovers: A Storm Made Her Seek Shelter At The Neighbour’s House She Hated

    290 shares
    Share 116 Tweet 72
  • They Had A Bad Breakup. When They Met 3 Years Later, She Was In A Jail Cell

    267 shares
    Share 106 Tweet 67
  • The Singlehood Series: I Messed Up By Cheating On The Love Of My Life, And 2 Years Later I Am Still Regretting That Decision 

    300 shares
    Share 120 Tweet 75
  • Kenyan Musician J. S. Ondara Nominated For A Grammy Award For His Album Tales Of America

    23 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 6
  • The Singlehood Series: I’ve Been Secretly Seeing My Ex For Years

    121 shares
    Share 48 Tweet 30

Potentash Blog

Potentash is an award-winning lifestyle blog. We publish lifestyle content that intersects with health, women, beauty, travel, business, relationships, finances and entertainment.

Explore

  • The Singlehood Series
  • From Stairs To Ramps
  • Man Around Nairobi
  • Pearls And Heels
  • Personal Finance
  • Food + Beverage
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Reviews

Get the Potentash Newsletter

  • Newsletter Archive
  • Subscribe
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2023. Potentash, In Partnership with Decima

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Linked In
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
  • Relationships
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Dating
    • Sex
    • Parenting
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Food + Beverage
    • Fashion
    • Interviews
  • Stories
    • The Singlehood Series
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
  • Skin + Beauty
    • Skin
      • Skincare
    • Hair
      • Haircare
  • Wellness
    • Physical Health
    • Emotional Wellness
    • Mental Wellness
    • Social Wellness
    • Spiritual Wellness
  • Business
    • Business Finance
    • Personal Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Investments
    • Personal Investments
  • Entertainment
    • Internet
    • Events
    • Music
    • Books

Copyright © 2023. Potentash, In Partnership with Decima