Repost from OPT. Type 4 is a good place to be in. How is your poo?
One of the most important aspect of health is GI elimination; for athletes, lots of calories go IN, and as a result of digestion, training, and metabolism, lots of stuff must come OUT. How it comes out can be highly diagnostic of what’s going on (or not going on!) inside the GI tract. Everyone is pretty much aware of what goes on in their own body—but we generally don’t compare with out neighbors. Chances are, you may not know if you have “healthy” poop or not.
One of the first authors to successfully bridge this taboo topic was Paul Chek, with his book entitled How To Eat, Move, and be Healthy. He has the “Poopie Police Lineup”, which consists of:
Sinker n’ Stinker – He is like a smelly piece of black coal that sinks to the bottom of the bowl after an arduous attempt to squeeze him out with tremendous force. His appearance is due to an over exposure to toxins such as processed foods, environmental toxins and medical drugs.
The Swimmer – This guy is light in color and floats. He doesn’t like to be flushed. His appearance is due to a high content of undigested fat. Note: called steatorrhea, can can be pathological or non-pathological (aka eating too much fat at once)
Bodybuilder – He is typically big and round. He makes you strain to get him out of ya. If you pop a blood vessel in your eye ball when you poop, you’ve probably met this guy. His appearance is due to eating too many protein bars and shakes. Note: while too much low quality fiber can be a bad thing, too little is worse. What we get from real, unprocessed food serves us well, as well as digestion-optimizing Max Fiber
Pellet Man – Looks like deer poop. His appearance is due to dehydration.
Diarrhea – A poor choice diet that your body is attempting to have a quick evacuation due to harmful bacteria or rancid fats. Note: Fairly common w/ international travel; the disruption of our own unique mix of homeostatic GI flora can result in diarrhea, as well as the new occurrence of parasites.
The Flasher – Undigested food particles making an appearance in your bowl is a sure sign of food intolerance and an inflamed gut wall. Note: Some items, specifically cellulose, will NOT be digested, and will re-appear when passed. This is NOT a sign of GI dysfunction (think corn)
The Poopie Policeman – This guy is what our poopies strive to look like. He is Well Shaped (with a consistent contour), Passes Easily, Light Brown In Color, Smells Earthy – not foul, yet he floats.
You’ll note the Bristol Stool chart lines up similarly with Paul’s descriptions, ranging in density.
Eat well, move well, s*!t well!
Life Out of the Box 