Your Poop is Trying to Tell You Something. Are You Listening?

From the moment we’re born, most of us are conditioned to think of poop as something gross. Our parents wrinkle their noses, say “pee-yew,” and make faces as they change our diapers. It’s no surprise that culturally, we grow up viewing poop as something disgusting that we’d rather avoid talking about.

But today, I want to help you shift this perspective. Your poop is an incredible window into your internal health. It provides important clues about how your gut is functioning, whether you're absorbing nutrients properly, and if there might be imbalances that need attention. 

The color, shape, smell, consistency and frequency - all matter.

This episode is for anyone who has experienced diarrhea, constipation, or irregular bowel movements. Maybe you’re curious about what a healthy poop should look like or you want to better understand how your own or your child’s daily bathroom habits reflect your overall health. Because yes, your poop is trying to tell you something!

Links from the episode:
The Bristol Stool Chart that I have framed in our family's main bathroom
Explore The Children's Gut Rebalance Kit
Explore The Women's Gut Rebalance Kit
Maintain Your Gut Balance

Thanks for listening! I would love to connect with you ♡

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Sending love and wellness from my family yours,
xx - Juniper Bennett
Founder of ōNLē ORGANICS

Transcript

From the moment we’re born, most of us are conditioned to think of poop as something gross. Our parents wrinkle their noses, say “pee-yew,” and make faces as they change our diapers. It’s no surprise that culturally, we grow up viewing poop as something disgusting that we’d rather avoid talking about.

But today, I want to help you shift that perspective. Your poop is actually an incredible window into your internal health. It provides important clues about how your gut is functioning, whether you're absorbing nutrients properly, and if there might be imbalances that need attention. 

Your bowel movements are a direct reflection of how well your gut is working, and they provide valuable insight into the balance of bacteria in your microbiome. The color, shape, consistency, and frequency- all matter.

This episode is for anyone who has experienced diarrhea, constipation, or irregular bowel movements. Maybe you’re curious about what a healthy poop should look like or you want to better understand how your own or your child’s daily bathroom habits reflect your overall health. Because yes, your poop is trying to tell you something!

Let’s start by breaking down what a healthy poop should look like for everyone - from infants to adults. Whether you’re monitoring your own digestion or keeping an eye on your baby’s diaper, your poops are such a great way to guage what is happening on the inside. There are four main factors that determine the health of your poop: the color, the consistency, the smell and the frequency.

Color
For adults and children, a healthy stool is usually medium to dark brown, thanks to bile produced by the liver. If your stool is green, yellow, black, or pale, it could signal an issue with digestion or liver function.

For babies, who are exclusively breastfed or formula-fed, poop looks quite different but is equally important to monitor. For breastfed babies, poop is often yellow, mustard-like, and seedy, which is a normal sign of digestion. Formula-fed babies tend to have more yellow-brown or tan stools, which are firmer than those of breastfed babies. However, if your baby’s stool is red, black, or white, it is an indication that something isn’t right. 

Consistency
In adults and children, your poop should be solid but not hard. Ideally, it should be well-formed and sausage-shaped, which shows that your digestive system is functioning smoothly. If your stool is too hard or too loose, this is a sign of a gut imbalance or dehydration.

For infants who are not yet consuming solids, poop tends to be softer or even runny, especially for breastfed babies. Formula-fed babies typically have thicker, pastier stools. If the stool is excessively watery or too runny, it may indicate a gut imbalance. On the other hand, hard, pellet-like stools in infants could be a sign of dehydration or constipation.

Smell

A healthy poop should have a mild, earthy odor. If your stool smells sour, acidic, or overly foul, this can indicate an overgrowth of yeast or bad bacteria in the gut. 

Frequency
In adults and children, it’s normal to go anywhere from one to three times a day. If you're going less often or need to go more frequently, this is an invitation to look at your diet, hydration, and overall gut health.

In infants, especially newborns, the frequency of bowel movements can vary. Breastfed babies might poop several times a day or even after each feeding, while formula-fed babies tend to poop less frequently but more consistently. As babies grow and their digestive systems mature, it’s common for them to go less often. 

For adults, children, and infants, changes in poop are direct signals from the gut that something might be off. Diarrhea, constipation, mucus, or blood in the stool are all indications of an imbalance. Gut imbalances can cause inflammation and interfere with digestion, nutrient absorption, and overall well-being. 

So, what should you do if you notice that your poop, or your baby’s, isn’t quite right?

There are two parts to healing: emotional and physical. The emotional aspect involves self-love and acceptance. For example, if you or your child is constipated, normalize the conversation about poop in your household. If it is preceived as gross and bad then the body is in a battle. 

Physical healing involves restoring the gut microbiome. This is where the Women’s and Children’s Gut Rebalance Kits shine. These kits are designed specifically to target the root causes of gut imbalances that include harmful bacteria or yeast overgrowth, mold, and parasites, while at the same time replenishing the good bacteria that support a healthy gut.

Both kits come with free access to my gut health course, which guides and supports you through your specific situation - whether you're addressing chronic constipation, frequent diarrhea, or digestive issues. It’s not just about treating symptoms, but about understanding and healing from the root of the problem.

Our gut bacteria is changing all the time. Imbalances will come up when we are exposed to pathogens or toxins, experience high levels of stress or need medications like antibiotics. So even if your poops seem healthy right now, save this episode for when things change. One thing that is important to know is that not everyone experiences imbalance with unhealthy stools. Many people experience skin or mental symptoms so don’t rule your gut out just because your poops are healthy. Just because you have perfect stools doesn’t mean that you wound’t benefit from rebalancing. Go give the last episode a listen to learn more about the gut-brain axis and episode 102 to learn more about how your gut can effect your skin health. 

I’ve attached an image of a stool chart and included a link to it if you want one. I am not affiliated by any means, it’t just a great a tool I keep framed in our main bathroom as a way to normalize poop and conversations about our health. Make it a routine conversation in your family - ask questions about smell, shape, and consistency in a casual, nonjudgmental way. Teaching your children to evaluate their health daily like this will encourage lifelong awareness and care.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope this episode encourages you to see your poop as more than just waste but as an insightful tool for monitoring your health. If you want to take things further and rebalance your gut health, I invite you to check out the Women’s and Children’s Gut Rebalance Kits. These kits will help you and your family heal from the inside out, and I’m here to support you through every step of your journey.

Take care, and I’ll see you next time!