How Does Healthy Stool Really Look Like?
It’s not exactly dinner-table conversation — but your stool can tell you a surprising amount about your health. Its shape, colour, and consistency reveal how well your gut and mikrobióm are working together.
At beie., we believe that gut health starts with awareness. So let’s talk about this natural part of life — openly, without taboos.
When your digestion is off, everything feels off. Constipation, bloating, or diarrhoea aren’t just inconvenient — they’re signals that your body (and microbiome) need a little care.
How often should you go?
In healthy digestion, you should ideally have one to three bowel movements a day. Some people naturally go every other day — and that can still be perfectly fine.
What matters most is consistency. If your usual rhythm changes, your body is telling you something.
Your gut has its own daily routine — shaped by your diet, hydration, stress levels, and microbiome.
What Shape Should Healthy Stool Have?
If you’ve ever looked before flushing, you know stool doesn’t always look the same. Its shape and texture are influenced by your diet, hydration, and microbiome balance.
Doctors use the Bristol Stool Chart, which describes seven stool types based on consistency.
Types 3 and 4 are considered ideal:
- Type 1: Hard lumps → constipation
- Type 2: Lumpy sausage → low fibre, dehydration
- Type 3: Sausage with cracks → healthy
- Type 4: Smooth, soft snake shape → perfectly healthy
- Type 5: Soft, clear-edged pieces → slightly low fibre
- Type 6: Mushy, uneven → early diarrhoea
- Type 7: Watery → acute diarrhoea
👉 Constipation (types 1–2) means food moves too slowly — often due to low fibre, dehydration, or microbiome imbalance (dysbiosis).
👉 Diarrhoea (types 6–7) means food moves too quickly, limiting nutrient absorption.
By keeping an eye on shape and consistency, you can catch imbalances early — before discomfort sets in.
What About Colour?
Healthy stool is typically medium to dark brown.
Slight variations are normal — green after spinach, red after beetroot, or black after taking iron supplements.
Persistent unusual colours, however, may signal a digestive issue. If it lasts more than a few days, it’s worth consulting your doctor.
Does Eating Less Mean Less Stool?
Not always. The amount of stool depends more on what you eat than how much.
Fibre-rich foods — vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains — bind water and add bulk.
Low-fibre diets lead to smaller, harder stools and slower digestion.
Did you know?
👉 The average European produces about 200 g of stool per day, while people with higher-fibre diets (like in parts of Asia or Africa) produce almost twice as much.
And if you’ve ever felt lighter after using the toilet — sorry, the difference on the scale is minimal.
How to Support Healthy Digestion
Healthy digestion is built on a few simple but powerful foundations:
- Eat more fibre — from vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.
- Stay hydrated — water helps fibre do its job.
- Move regularly — exercise supports gut motility.
- Care for your microbiome — through balanced eating and quality probiotics.
When these elements work together, your gut — and your stool — will show it.
If your digestion feels sluggish, you can gently rebalance your microbiome with probiotics or prebiotics.
💛 Try b.harmony
— our all-in-one probiotic designed to support balanced digestion and a thriving microbiome.
💚 Or explore b.align
— formulated for those moments when your gut needs a little extra support.
Listen to Your Gut
Healthy stool is one of the simplest, most reliable indicators of gut health.
So next time you look down before flushing — take it as feedback from your microbiome.
A balanced gut doesn’t just mean better digestion — it means better energy, mood, and overall wellbeing.
beie. — because harmony starts within.
