The saying goes that “we are what we eat”, but those words overlook something important: it’s also a good habit to monitor what comes out the other end. The color, shape, and consistency of your stool can offer several clues about your health, and the portal StoolAnalyzer helps you interpret them. Of course, the final word always belongs to a qualified professional, but before the formal visit, it’s not a bad idea to have some extra information.
I’ve covered a wide range of topics here on NeoTeo, but if there’s one I know perfectly well, it’s stool. I come from a family that wasn’t lucky in the DNA roulette when it comes to the digestive system, especially the men. From mouth to anus, I’ve been the equivalent of the Greek Parthenon, and it all started with acute gastroenteritis before I finished elementary school, which under other circumstances would have sent me straight to “game over.”
A few decades later, it’s exactly as Snake Plissken said: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Although I learned to live with my gastrointestinal storms, another thing I understood was the importance of observing what we let go before flushing. Consider your last moment of “universal meditation” on the throne.
What Is Your Stool Telling You?
To find out, a visit to the portal StoolAnalyzer is enough. Essentially, the portal asks five questions about shape, color, size, frequency of bathroom visits, and “behavior,” that is, whether it floats or sinks quickly. The portal publishes a phrase from Dr. Amy Foxx-Orenstein of the American College of Gastroenterology: “The perfect stool is like a torpedo: big, soft, and easy to pass.” As for color, a very light brown can indicate excess fat in the diet, and if it sinks too quickly, it might be lacking fiber. Personally, I don’t remember the last time I ate a fruit, so that explains (in part) how disastrous I am.
It goes without saying that if the signs that something is wrong accumulate, we recommend visiting the gastroenterologist, and if that professional also suggests it, requesting an appointment with the proctologist. Now, StoolAnalyzer is nothing more than a reference. Portals like WebMD are capable of creating thousands of hypochondriacs per second, and there are hundreds of reasons why your stool can change shape and color.
Another personal example (I promise it’s the last one): Once I noticed my discharge was black as coal, and that worried me, but I overlooked the Oreo cookie binge I’d had the day before (three packages, a monstrosity). Same as peeing pink after eating beets...
