Ask A Healer Colon Health Series

Are your stools normal - what to look for in healthy bowel movements
by N J Howell

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What does normal stool look like?
Normal stool does vary from person to person, to some small degree yet there are common characteristics that a healthy bowel movement and the resulting stool will have.

In evaluating normal stool, I notice color, smell, consistency, difficulty in evacuation and the degree of hardness.

Normal stool is honey-colored. Dark stool is not normal unless you have eaten something that will temporarily discolor stool, such as beets or chlorophyll.

Normal stool evacuates easily and in one loosely shaped and long piece, without crimped areas of pinched off areas.

Normal stool is soft, not hard and slips out easily without excess straining.

Normal stool does not include a lot of gas during evacuation and has no overly offensive odor.

Normal stool is LARGE. If you are eating right and drinking sufficient water every day, a typical stool may be as long as two feet in length.

What causes abnormal stool? Diet makes a big difference in how we eliminate. So does stress. A lot of stress can cause constipation and abnormally hard stool. So can eating a lot of heavy meats like beef and pork. Examples of abnormal stool

Good rule of thumb: If you have to take a puzzle book into the bathroom and work several puzzles before you go, you are constipated and whatever comes out will not be a normal stool.

When I eat vegetarian, my stool is quite large, softened, almost no smell, and honey-colored, the color I associate with a healthy stool. The stool is one, long smooth evacuation if the colon is not spastic, impacted, constipated or dehydrated.

When I say "vegetarian" however, I do not just mean that I eat vegetables. I mean that a good portion of those veggies are raw or steamed, not cooked or nuked.

Fully cooked veggies are not the same as raw or slightly steamed because cooking kills the digestive enzymes in foods. A diet high in cooked vegetables would probably not contribute a lot toward healthy bowel movements although it's certainly better than eating mostly cooked meats.

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Colon Health Care Disclaimer: The information contained in this article on eliminatory health does not replace medical advice from your doctor. Any action taken based on this colon health care information is at your own risk. if you have colon problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, IBS, Krohn's Disease, please consult with your chosen healthcare professional before adding anything new to health care regimen, and in particular, If you have been diagnosed with colon problems, do not undertake a colon cleanse without clearing it with your doctor.