429: Is Your Poop Normal? 20+ Questions You’re Too Polite to Ask

Poop. Did you know that what lands in your toilet every day is the most honest report card your body will ever hand you? 

In this episode, I’ll answer all the poop, constipation, and gut health questions you’ve always wanted to ask, and we’re going to do it rapid-fire because you sent in so many.

Here’s what most people never realize: a large proportion of your poop is living and dead bacteria, not the food you ate. That means its size, shape, color, and smell are telling you how well you’re feeding your gut buddies. Give them what they want to eat, and you’ll see a giant coiled snake looking back up at you. Don’t, and you get little hard pellets, or worse.

I’ll explain how often you should really be going, when blood in your stool means it’s time to see a doctor, and why floating, greasy, or clay-colored stools deserve your attention. 

We’ll also get into coffee, undigested food, fecal transplants, and whether there’s a right way to sit on the toilet. Because the road to health is paved with good intestines.

Some of the questions I’ll answer in this episode:

  • (03:04) What is your poop actually made of? It’s not what you think, and it could explain why yours is getting smaller.
  • (09:17) Is “just eat more fiber” the answer? This Stanford study will surprise you.
  • (15:24) Why does your poop float and look greasy? 
  • (17:19) Why does your dog never need toilet paper? And what does it say if you do?
  • (19:00) Why this mineral is the only laxative you need
  • (21:08) Why a once-popular “cleanse” should be banned.
    (It was a misguided theory in the 1800s, but people are still paying for it.)
  • (24:59) Do your bowels really slow down as you age? 
  • (25:21) What happens when you get a fecal transplant from a modern hunter-gatherer tribe?

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If you liked this episode, you may enjoy:

428: 7 Little-Known Spices That Work Like Medicine
422: Are Nightshade Vegetables Bad for Me? (What You Need to Know)
417: 5 Ways to Get Rid of Bad Breath (And What’s Really Causing It)
361: Why Dr. Gundry Updates His Teachings Constantly (plus nut butters and coffee talk)

 

EP 429 Transcript

Watch on YouTube:

Pooping “Marbles”? Why The Carnivore Diet Might Be Ruining Your Gut
The FOODS That Help With Constipation & Diarrhea
Improve Colon Health Naturally: The Power of Butyrate
If Your Poop Looks Like This, Do THIS Now! Dr. Gundry

Dr. Gundry Headshot

Dr. Steven Gundry

Dr. Steven Gundry is a renowned heart surgeon, restorative medicine practitioner, microbiome expert, and four-time New York Times bestselling author of “The Plant Paradox” and more.

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