Yeah, we get it. Who wants to talk about poop? Five-year-old boys aside, most of us would like to take a pass on the awkward doo-doo discussion. But talking about your bowel movements isn’t a complete waste of time. Quite the contrary. It can actually help you take a load off when it comes to your health.
Here’s the thing: Poop says a lot about how your body is functioning and can provide valuable insight into your current digestive or overall health.
Familiarizing yourself with your own unique way of “going” can help you keep track of any changes that could signal a problem or a dietary change that may need to be made. Understand that you should expect to see daily changes in the size, color and consistency of your “number two” but that consistent changes could provide clues as to what’s going on inside of you.
Temporary changes in your diet can be the culprit when you see something odd in the porcelain bowl. Cleanses, certain medications or a week-long celebration of someone’s wedding can certainly wreak havoc on the mysterious inner workings of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
You can expect to see short-lived changes in your stool when something unusual is happening in your diet or your life. But longer, more unexplained inconsistencies can be signs of health conditions that might warrant medical attention.
If you have any concerns about the way you’re going, consult your doctor and have the somewhat uncomfortable but entirely necessary discussion that could put you on the road to better health and maybe even save your life.
Consider these Five Things Your Number Two Says about You
Now things are going to get a little gross...but understanding these five clues can help determine if your stool is indeed telling you something important about your health.