Your poop gives you vital hints about your gut health.
For that reason it’s important to learn to read the signals it sends you.
You can do that by using the Bristol stool scale.
What is the Bristol stool scale?
The Bristol stool scale is an easy visual tool to help you keep track of your poo.
The scale describes seven types of poop: from constipation (Type 1) to diarrhoea (Type 7).
Constipation
Type 1 is pebble poop and it looks like chocolate covered raisins. Usually it’s hard to pass.
Type 2 looks like a lumpy log or sausage. When you look at it, you can see that it’s quite hard and dry.
Constipation can also mean that you’re unable to completely empty your bowels in one go or you’re not passing stools regularly.
Usual/normal
Type 3 looks like a soft sausage but with cracks on the surface. The cracks show that your poop is a bit dry and you should drink more water.
Type 4 resembles toothpaste or a smooth, soft sausage. This is the true poo perfection!
Diarrhoea
Type 5 poop (soft blobs) is considered normal by some specialists, but others say it implies diarrhoea. Thus, its somewhere between normal and diarrhoea.
Types 6 and 7 definitely mean diarrhoea and you feel urgency to pass your stools.
Type 6 has a mushy consistency, like a thick smoothie.
Type 7 is entirely liquid, like chocolate milk. If this lasts more than three days, see your doctor.