01The Bristol Stool Chart
What comes out can tell you a lot about what’s going on inside
Your poo is one of the easiest ways to check in on your gut. Its shape, consistency and how easily it passes give you a pretty good indication of what’s happening internally.
The Bristol Stool Chart sorts stool into seven types, with Types 3 & 4 generally considered the ideal: formed, easy to pass and usually far less wiping.
One weird poo doesn’t mean much. But if you’re consistently sitting outside Types 3 & 4, that pattern can be a sign your gut isn’t quite as balanced as it could be.
- Type 1 · Separate hard lumps Too hard
- Type 2 · Lumpy & sausage-shaped Too hard
- Type 3 · Sausage with surface cracks Ideal
- Type 4 · Smooth, soft sausage Ideal
- Type 5 · Soft blobs, clear edges Too loose
- Type 6 · Mushy, ragged edges Too loose
- Type 7 · Watery, no solid pieces Too loose
Adapted from the Bristol Stool Form Scale. Not a diagnostic tool.
