What does your poop say about the health of your tummy?

If you can spend long minutes looking at your dish before devouring it (not forgetting to chew well and take your time, of course), it’s rare to lean over the toilet with such attention. Nevertheless, expulsion of faeces is the last step in the biological process of digestion and is as essential as chewing ! Poop (or “poo” to the more cocky among us), and especially its texture, is a good indicator of gut health. But how do you know if everything is fine? Here are some ways to reassure you or help you spot problems.

Consistency of poop, indicator of belly health

The Bristol Scale, developed in England and first published in 1997 in Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterologyis a visual scale that describes seven different types of stool by color, shape and consistency, allowing healthcare professionals to quickly interpret the results.

DIJO, the food supplement brand specializing in the belly and its annoyances, offers a fun interpretation of the Bristol scale, soberly named “Le dico du popo”, which includes the seven types of saddles that are frequently encountered.

• Type 1: Small, hard, loose droppings

This type of stool reveals a proven state of constipation. To overcome it, drink water regularly (between 1.5 and 2 L per day), consume fiber to speed up the transit and practice physical activity to stimulate the intestinal muscles. A probiotic-based cure can also do the greatest good by rebalancing the intestinal flora.

• Type 2: Hard, lumpy sausage

This type of stool indicates the onset of constipation. Drink more often during the day, avoid saturated fats and include whole grains, spinach, broccoli, chickpeas or almonds in your diet.

• Type 3: Broken Sausage

This type of feces testifies to a normal transit. Feel free to increase your water intake to get a real “poo.” Perfect “.

• Type 4: smooth sausage

This type of stool is a sign of normal digestion. Well done, keep it up!

• Type 5: soft poop

This type of stool reveals a tendency to diarrhea, it is a sign that the intestine is not functioning optimally due to an infection (viral or bacterial), food intolerance, inflammation of the intestine stomach or antibiotic treatment. Certain foods can also speed up transit, including alcohol, caffeine and spicy or fatty foods, but if your transit doesn’t return to normal after returning to a proper diet, seek advice from your GP.

• Type 6: pasty diarrhea

This type of stool indicates the onset of diarrhea. Drink plenty of water and choose foods rich in soluble fibers such as legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc.), oats, potatoes, carrots, bananas or even apples. If diarrhea persists, see a doctor as it could reveal an underlying problem such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

• Type 7: watery diarrhea

It’s diarrhea! Make up for water loss by drinking plenty of water and opting for a low-fiber diet for a few days. If the transit does not return to normal, make an appointment with a doctor because it could be chronic diarrhea related to an underlying condition.

And the smell in all of this?

It’s a fact: poop stinks. And we can thank the intestinal flora bacteria for this little olfactory pleasure! In fact, they reject a large number of foul-smelling substances when they decompose food, which are spread at the time of expulsion of feces.

But if your poop smells worse than usual, it could indicate a variety of problems, from constipation to infection to food intolerance. It could also be due to a recent change in your diet.

If you have any doubts, as usual, go to the doctor’s office!