Poop is not something most people want to read about, never mind ­analyze, but a simple peek at your poop can reveal a lot.

We know that constipation is a sign that something's not right, and diarrhea is a sign we can't ignore, but what about all the clues in between these two extremes? Specifically, what you eliminate indicates the health of your digestive system, which affects and reflects overall health.

Transit time
Many people gasp at the idea of eliminating three times a day. It makes sense, though; each time you eat, the end result, so to speak, should be ­elimination.

The time it takes from mouth to elimination, which is termed "transit time," varies depending on the food ­eaten and health of digestion. In general, transit time should be around 18 hours. If elimination is too quick, which is often the case in diarrhea, the small intestine doesn't have enough time to absorb nutrients and the large intestine doesn't have enough time to absorb water and B-vitamins, thus drying out the remaining fibre and toxins to form feces.

If transit time is too long, this may indicate sluggish digestion and result in what's called "autointoxication." Some of the toxins, dead bacteria, hormones or other substances ready to exit the colon, if left sitting there, may be reabsorbed into the body, affecting our health and overworking the detoxification organs and systems.

One safe (and some say fun) way to check your transit time is to eat some raw beets. Note the time and watch the next day to see when poop the colour of beets shows up.

Colour counts
Unless you've eaten beets in the last 18 or so hours, red poop is not a good sign. See your doctor right away. Any colour other than medium brown (like the colour of cardboard) means something is amiss. Dark or black stools usually accompany constipation. Clay coloured or pale poop may suggest the liver, gallbladder or pancreas-important organs contributing to the digestive process-may need some attention.

Size matters
The ideal size of a healthy deposit is a controversial topic among those who care. That said, most agree that long, and an inch or two in diameter, is better than many small pieces. Size also corresponds to ease of elimination, which should be almost effortless.

Pencil-thin stools, according to the tradition Chinese medicine philosophy, can be caused by a deficiency of qi (chi or energy). Stress and fried or greasy foods may result in such stools. In general, lack of exercise and stress will affect stool size and shape, usually making it small, hard or pellet-like.

Stinky or sinky?
Ideally, poop should be almost odourless. As you've no doubt noticed the day after indulging in not-so-healthy food, diet determines smell. If your family members avoid the washroom after you've made a significant visit, you may want to consider cleaning up your diet, strengthening your digestive system and finding out about possible food allergies. The smell actually comes from the bacteria in the colon munching on your leftovers. The poorer your food choices and the poorer your digestion, the more smell you can expect.

When it comes to fluffy floaters, fat is the culprit. Too much fat makes poop lighter than water and, by the way, floaters are usually really stinky, too, and may not flush very easily as they stick to the sides of the bowl. Heavy sinkers are not ideal either as it may suggest a lack of fibre in the diet.

In short, poop that reflects healthy digestion is timely (three times a day with a transit time of 18 or so hours), eliminated easily, up to 12-ish inches long and up to 2 inches in diameter, soft, but formed, medium brown, and somewhere between floating on top of the water and sinking like a rock to the bottom.

Once you realize the wealth of information your poop has to offer, you will very quickly and easily see how your food and lifestyle choices affect your health from day to day. Go ahead, take a peek.

Want to search for other articles that may interest you?

Readers of this article also enjoyed...