Types of Bowel Movements and Why They Matter
As a registered dietitian, I am here to let you know that your bowel movements matter! Yup, you heard that right. Paying attention to your bowel movements can give you a deeper look into what is going on inside your body.
How often you have a bowel movement and what it looks like are both indicators of your health and can warn you to look further into your gut, lifestyle, and overall health if you are having issues.
Let’s take a look at why bowel movements matter, how to tell the state of your health based on the type, and what impacts your bowel movements.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out my blog post on hormone basics!
Why do bowel movements matter?
Bowel movements are able to show you what is going on inside of your gut! They can tell you a lot about your internal health, how you are absorbing food, how long your stool has been stored, and more.
Your digestion and gut health can directly impact the rest of your body systems including hormone balance, brain health, sleep routines, etc. According to the Bristol Stool Chart, when your stool is a type 3-4 that means your health is optimal.
What impacts bowel movements?
There are several things that can impact your bowel movements. Your daily lifestyle habits, whether you are sick or not, medical conditions or any other internal issues you have going on can impact your bowel movements.
Below are some specific examples of how your bowel movements can be impacted.
Lifestyle
Not eating enough
Eating too quickly
How you cook your food (specifically undercooking)
Going too long without eating
Illness
Common cold
Food poisoning
Medical Conditions
IBS
IBD
Thyroid conditions
Internal Factors
Bacteria
Viruses
Parasites
Check out my blog post on gut health testing with GI Map for more information!
Meet the Bristol Scale
The Bristol Stool Scale is a clinically validated tool that provides a visual for different types of stools and what they mean for your health.
As I mentioned before, ideally you want your stool to look like the type 3 or type 4 on the Bristol Scale. This means that your stool is well formed, easy to pass, smooth, or with some cracks, and moving regularly.
What if your bowel movements aren’t type 3 or 4?
If your bowel movements don’t fit into the type 3 or 4 categories on the Bristol Scale, then you may want to work with a registered dietitian (like me!) to assess your…
Fiber intake
Hydration status
Meal timing
Eating habits
After you have worked with a registered dietitian and haven’t regulated your bowel movements based on changes to the above, it may be time to look into the following:
Medications
Medical conditions
Underlying infections
There are plenty of different things that can affect your gut and therefore your stool. It is important to get down to the root cause of the issue in order to heal from the inside, out!
The Takeaway
If you need help with your gut health and keeping your bowel movements regular, let’s work together! I am a registered dietitian that specializes in gut health. Schedule an appointment with me if you are ready to take control of your bowel movements and your gut health!
There is no better time to invest in your health. Head over to my services page to learn more!