what you see in the toilet bowl

Checking your stools and urine everyday can provide insights into your health status as what you see in the toilet bowl is basically the result of your diet, fluids, medications, and lifestyle.

Evaluating stools and urine involves observing their color, consistency, and other characteristics for potential health indicators. Stools should be soft, well-formed, and typically brown.  Urine should be light yellow and clear. If you notice significant changes, especially if they persist, consult a doctor. Knowing the fecal and urine can help us know whether the body has absorbed nutrition properly and see the immediate effects of previous day's lifestyle to make small and important adjustments.

This article introduces The Bristol Chart, developed in 1997 as a clinical assessment tool. There are seven types of stools (faeces) according to the Bristol Stool Chart. The Bristol Stool Chart shows seven categories of stool.  Every person will have different bowel habits, but the important thing is that your stools are soft and easy to pass – like types 3 and 4 below.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF A HEALTHY BOWEL?

Being ‘regular’ is a way of describing good bowel habits or normal bowel function. We often talk about our bowels being regular but this is often misunderstood as meaning that you go to the toilet to pass faeces every day. It’s common for people to empty their bowel once a day, although it’s still normal to be more or less often. Being regular really means that soft yet well-formed bowel motions are easily passed and that this happens anywhere from 1–3 times a day to 3 times a week. 

The bowel usually wants to empty about 30 minutes after a meal (commonly breakfast), but bowel movements can vary from person to person.

GOOD BOWEL FUNCTION FOR ADULTS

There’s more to good bowel function than just being regular. For example, you should be able to:

• hold on for a short time after you feel the first urge to go to the toilet
• pass a bowel motion within about a minute of sitting down on the toilet
• pass a bowel motion easily and without pain – you shouldn’t be straining on the toilet or struggling to pass a bowel motion that is hard and dry
• completely empty your bowel when you pass a motion – you don’t have to return to the toilet soon after to pass more.

HEALTHY HABIT OF SITTING ON THE TOILET

Reference:

https://www.continence.org.au/bristol-stool-chart#:~:text=hold%20on%20for%20a%20short,soon%20after%20to%20pass%20more.

Prevention | Continence Health Australia (formerly the Continence Foundation of Australia)

In many cases, incontinence can be prevented with a healthy diet and lifestyle habits. Here are some simple steps that can help you prevent urinary and faecal incontinence.

Continence Foundation of Australiacontinence