Your poop is a built-in health update you get every day. Here’s what healthy stool should look like, what colour or smell changes mean, and when those signs matter.
It’s not the most glamorous topic, but your poop is one of the most reliable health updates your body gives you every single day. No tests, no apps, no trackers, just a built-in system quietly reporting how well your gut, diet, and digestion are functioning. According to Dr Murugesh Manjunatha, Consultant – Medical Gastroenterology, Manipal Hospital Yeshwanthpur, these daily clues are far more meaningful than most of us realise.
So next time you are worried about your health, you can get a quick test at home. Your poop has all the answers about your health. Let’s get into it.
What healthy stool should look like
If everything is running smoothly, your stool will usually be medium to dark brown, shaped like a smooth sausage, and easy to pass without straining. A little push is normal, but anything that feels like you’re at the gym is not.
When this is your usual pattern, it’s a sign your gut is balanced, your hydration is decent, and your fibre intake is probably on point. The real concern starts when this pattern suddenly shifts.
Why stool becomes too loose or too hard
Diarrhoea isn’t always a crisis; sometimes it’s simply your gut reacting to:
- Infection
- Stress or anxiety
- Caffeine overload
- A food intolerance
Occasional loose stool happens to everyone. But if it continues for days and comes with weakness or dehydration, that’s when a check-in with a doctor becomes important.
On the flip side, hard, pebble-like stools usually point to constipation, often due to low fibre, poor hydration, irregular meals, or high stress levels. Your gut has a rhythm, and when it slows down, you feel it.
Stool colour changes and what they indicate
Colour is one of the easiest ways to understand what’s happening inside:
- Very pale or greyish stool: Can signal liver or bile duct issues
- Black, tar-like stool: Possible bleeding in the upper digestive tract
- Bright red streaks: Often haemorrhoids, but repeated episodes need evaluation
- Green stool: Usually harmless, linked to leafy veg or supplements
- Maroon stool: May indicate bleeding from the small intestine
You don’t need to panic over one odd colour, but repeating patterns deserve attention.
What a sudden change in smell can mean
Poop is never going to smell like roses, but an unusually foul or strong odour can hint at problems with digestion or absorption. It may also follow a gut infection or antibiotic use. In short, smell changes aren’t random; they’re feedback.
How often should you poop?
Believe it or not, anything between three times a day and three times a week can be completely normal. What matters is your personal pattern. If you usually go every morning and suddenly don’t go for five days, your body is telling you something. And ignoring that message rarely ends well.
Your stool is one of the most honest indicators of gut health, reflecting everything from hydration and fibre intake to stress and infections. If something about it changes and stays that way, don’t brush it off. Sometimes, your body whispers long before it screams. The trick is simply to pay attention.
Also read: Why cancer patients often develop constipation, and what helps relieve it