How to Achieve the Perfect Poop: Gut Health Secrets For Better Digestion

Your poop is an excellent clue about what’s going on with your gut health, which is an excellent clue about what’s going on with your overall health. 

That’s why I’ve gotten very used to talking about poop in my functional medicine telehealth practice. Frequency, consistency, shape, size, colour– each of these things, combined with symptoms and how you feel throughout the day, all provide their own insights. 

And more often than you might think, people ask me about how to poop better. 

I’ve also seen a lot of people asking online about things like how to poop “instantly”. But rather than turning to quick fixes (I’m looking at you, 7 second poop method), the best way to achieve the perfect poop is by focusing on healing your gut. Then, better poop will come naturally. 

With that in mind, here are my gut health secrets to improve your digestion… and your poop. 

Step One: Defining the Perfect Poop

Let’s start by defining what success looks like. What is the perfect poop? 

While in many areas of health there’s a lot of room for bio individuality, there are actually some pretty clear and universal standards for healthy bowel movements. 

Here’s what we’re looking for. 

Frequency: At Least Once Per Day

In order to properly detox and eliminate hormones, chemicals, and toxins, it’s important to have at least one bowel movement per day. Ideally, you’re having a bowel movement 2-3 times per day (after each meal). 

Many conventional doctors will say that pooping less than once a day– even as infrequently as 3 times a week– is “normal”. (1) This might be common, but it’s not healthy. If you’re not currently going every day, don’t worry– we’re here to improve this! 

Shape: Aim For the Snake 

The ideal shape according to the Bristol Stool Scale is a curled-up shape that looks like a snake. It should be soft (and long) enough to curl into the snake shape, but solid enough to stay in one piece. 

If your poop doesn’t curl up but comes out easily as a solid log with a few little cracks in it, this is also a healthy poop. 

Anything harder or lumpier than the log falls on the side of constipation, and anything more separate or softer than the snake gets into diarrhea territory. Of course, on the farther ends of the Bristol Stool Scale, you’ll find more severe or obvious constipation or diarrhea. 

Now, I know we’re talking about “perfect” here, but I wouldn’t worry if every once in a while your poop strays a little from the snake shape. I’m talking about what you want to look for most of the time. 

Color: Go For Brown 

This is a pretty simple one, but most of the time, your poop should be brown. Sometimes a medication, supplement, or certain kind of meal can temporarily change the color of your stool, and this is usually nothing to worry about. But more consistent discoloration can be an indication of a problem. 

Experience: Pooping Should Feel Good

Okay, we don’t talk about this one enough. The perfect poop should come easily– you don’t want to be straining or in pain– but not too easily (you don’t want to be running to the toilet). When evaluating your poop, consider how you actually feel about and during your bowel movements! 

Step Two: Follow a Gut-Friendly Elimination Diet 

Unsurprisingly, what you eat has a massive impact on your digestion and your bowel habits. There are certain kinds of foods that contribute to better stools for most people (for example, insoluble fiber, which we’ll get to in a minute). There are also certain foods that are likely to trigger or worsen imbalances in the gut microbiome, which I’ll also cover. 

But bio individuality is also important. Too often, I see people making across the board dietary recommendations for digestion that don’t factor in the fact that we all have different digestive systems and triggers. 

That’s why I recommend following a short-term elimination diet– to both strip away known gut disruptors like sugar and alcohol, and identify any personal hidden sensitivities. Especially if you’re already following a pretty healthy diet, an unknown food intolerance could be at the root of poor digestion. 

How to Follow an Elimination Diet 

An elimination diet consists of three distinct phases. You can choose to do a general elimination diet, or follow a more specific framework like low FODMAP or low histamine if you suspect you may have specific intolerances there. 

I recommend keeping a journal throughout the whole process. Write down what you eat, how you feel, and you can even keep track of corresponding changes to your bowel movements! 

Phase One: Elimination 

During this phase, you’ll eliminate several foods and food groups, which may include the following: 

Sugar

Processed foods

Refined carbohydrates

Alcohol 

Gluten-containing and non-gluten grains

Dairy products

Nightshades (optional)

Eggs (optional) 

Beans, lentils, and other legumes (optional) 

Follow your diet strictly for at least 4 weeks, or longer if you’ve been experiencing symptoms of poor digestion for a long time. 

Phase Two: Reintroduction 

Hopefully, your elimination diet has helped to improve your digestion and some of the symptoms you’ve been experiencing. The next step is to reintroduce foods you’ve eliminated, one at a time, continuing to keep track of how you feel.

I would recommend not reintroducing sugar, processed foods, refined carbohydrates, or alcohol. But you can gradually add back in any whole foods that you’ve eliminated, leaving 2 or 3 days in between each new introduction so that you have a chance to observe any changes. 

Keeping track of how your poop changes throughout this process is actually quite a helpful metric. Remember, your stool is a reflection of your gut health, and in many ways it’s easier to track than things like energy levels. 

Phase Three: Personalization

During your reintroduction phase, you may have learned that, for example, cheese makes you more constipated, or bread changes the consistency of your stools. You may also have noticed that these foods trigger other symptoms, like bloating or brain fog. 

Now, you can use this information to design your own ideal diet that limits triggers and supports a healthy gut. 

Eating To Support Your Poop 

Here are a few kinds of foods that can help to support healthy digestion and bowel movements– but again, don’t forget about your unique triggers. Especially if you’re dealing with an underlying imbalance like SIBO, you may find that your body reacts negatively to prebiotic or high-fiber foods (which are healing for others). 

With that in mind, here are some generally gut-supportive foods to include as much as possible: 

Insoluble fiber. Fiber that doesn’t dissolve in water helps to keep stool moving through the digestive tract and bulk it up. Insoluble fiber-rich foods include almonds, chia seeds, avocados, and artichokes. 

Prebiotic foods. Prebiotic fiber, or resistant starch, helps to feed your beneficial gut bacteria, supporting healthy gastrointestinal function. Unripe bananas, plantains, and beans and legumes are a few good options. 

Hydrating foods and drinks. Dehydration is one simple and common cause of constipation. Make sure to drink plenty of water and take in hydrating foods like watermelon and cucumbers. 

Step Three: Investigate Your Gut Health

In some cases, following the elimination diet process to identify triggers, and then eating to support digestive health, is enough to get you to perfect poop territory. 

But if you’re drinking enough water, your fiber intake is strong, you’ve followed the elimination diet, and you’re still experiencing digestive struggles, the next step is to look deeper into what might be going on in your gut. 

There are several different kinds of functional medicine testing that I use in my telehealth practice to help get to the root of gut health issues. Depending on your symptoms and health profile, I might recommend: 

Comprehensive stool testing for a detailed look at your gut microbiome 

SIBO breath testing

Zonulin testing for leaky gut 

Testing for toxins like mycotoxins (from mold) 

Testing for hormonal imbalances

Food sensitivity testing 

It’s also important to look into possible root causes of any suspected or confirmed imbalances. Factors that can contribute to gut imbalances (dysbiosis) and digestive dysfunction include: 

Chronic stress (2) 

Hormonal imbalances (3)

Candida overgrowth

Use of certain medications including laxatives (4)  

Food intolerances

SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)

Not getting enough physical activity

Past trauma (5)  

Toxin exposure (6)  

Underlying medical conditions

The more we understand about what's going on behind the scenes, the more effectively we can work to resolve it. 

Step Four: Embrace Ritual and Routine

First of all, you can make your regular bowel movements themselves into a ritual. Poop might not be glamorous, but it allows you to detox, so really you can think of it as a form of self-care! As silly as this might sound or feel, if you take the time to breathe, relax, and consider your position on the toilet, your stool may pass more easily. 

Beyond your pooping ritual, make sure to incorporate gut-healing tools into your regular routine. These should include: 

Regular exercise

Meditation, mindfulness practices, or breathwork to support the mind-gut connection 

Vagus nerve support (try humming, singing, or gargling) 

An effective sleep routine 

You may also want to add a few supportive supplements into your routine. As a starting point for better digestion, I would recommend a high quality probiotic and magnesium. 

READ NEXT: How To Naturally Heal Your Gut 

A Functional Medicine Approach to Gut Healing

Gut health is foundational for mental, emotional, metabolic, hormonal, and overall wellness. If you’re experiencing chronic constipation, diarrhea, or other symptoms, or you’re looking for more support along your journey, we’d be happy to help. Reach out to our functional medicine telehealth clinic to learn more. 

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe.