What Your Poop Is Telling You and The Missing Piece In Your Health Puzzle
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 12
Rupali is a holistic health practitioner who knows there are no magic pills or 'one-size-fits-all' solutions in healthcare. A registered New Zealand pharmacist, she runs her virtual clinic, Pause.Breathe.Live, focusing on Functional Nutritional Therapy. Specializing in gut health, she offers functional testing to guide clients toward true healing.
I often tell my clients: “What’s coming out is just as important as what’s going in”. Your daily bowel movements offer critical insights, from how well you’re digesting and absorbing nutrients to signs of inflammation, detoxification capacity and even hormonal shifts. Yet many people overlook or feel uncomfortable discussing it, despite the fact that stool can reveal more about your health than almost any other daily metric.
In functional nutrition, we pay close attention to what your body is eliminating, because it’s often the first clue that something isn’t right.
In a previous article for Brainz Magazine, I explored the gut-brain connection and how digestion and mood are deeply intertwined. Now, let’s take that conversation further. Let’s talk about what’s coming out of that system. Because if we don’t understand what we’re absorbing, what we’re eliminating, or how the body is trying to communicate with us, we’re flying blind.
Poop is a window into digestion and absorption
Digestion isn't just about breaking down food. It's about absorbing nutrients to power every system in your body, from your skin to your hormones, from brain chemicals to blood sugar regulation. And if your poop is consistently loose, undigested or floating, you may not be absorbing your food well at all.
Chronic diarrhoea, for example, can indicate malabsorption and inflammation, often linked to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or food intolerances. On the other hand, hard, infrequent stools could suggest poor motility, sluggish bile flow, or dehydration, all of which affect your ability to detoxify and maintain hormone balance.
Your gut’s messaging system
Did you know your gut is lined with over 100 million neurons? It’s why the gut is sometimes called the “second brain”. But your poop is one of the most direct ways your gut talks back. A sudden change in consistency, urgency, frequency, or smell isn't just a fluke- it’s a signal.
If you experience a sudden and persistent change in bowel habits, it’s important to speak with a medical professional. This could indicate an underlying condition that requires conventional diagnosis and treatment, and should never be brushed off.
That said, many people go through the standard medical workup, receive no clear diagnosis or are told it’s “just IBS”. That’s where functional nutrition can provide deeper insight. We look at patterns, triggers, microbial imbalances and lifestyle factors that may be contributing to symptoms- not to diagnose or treat disease, but to support the body’s natural function and resilience.
Clients are often surprised when we connect their symptoms- fatigue, bloating, PMS, anxiety back to what’s happening in their stool patterns. But the gut doesn’t lie. If you’re not going daily, or you're needing to rush after every meal, your nervous system, hormones or gut bacteria may be out of balance.
The microbiome and metabolic messages
Your poop contains billions of microorganisms, and this microbiome plays a vital role in inflammation, immunity and metabolism. An imbalance in gut bacteria (dysbiosis) can contribute to conditions ranging from eczema to autoimmune issues and even weight gain.
Specific stool testing can even look at beta-glucuronidase, an enzyme produced by some gut microbes that can interfere with detoxifying estrogen. If this enzyme is elevated, it can recirculate estrogen in the body, contributing to estrogen dominance and symptoms like mood swings, heavy periods and weight gain. This is especially relevant in perimenopausal women and I will discuss this in a future article, “Why women around menopause struggle to lose weight” so keep an eye out if you’re interested!
Normalising the conversation
Let’s be honest: poop is taboo. But normalising the conversation can lift the stigma around symptoms that many people silently deal with. In my practice, I’ve seen how empowering it is when clients realise that what they’ve been putting up with, like going only every 3-4 days or constant bloating, isn’t actually “normal”, even if it’s been common for them.
Understanding this opens the door to change. Just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s normal.
Foundations first
In functional nutrition, we always come back to the foundations. Before supplements or advanced protocols, we focus on:
Blood sugar balance to reduce gut inflammation and support healthy digestive rhythms
Nutrient-dense, fibre-rich foods that support healthy elimination
Hydration and stomach acid for optimal digestion
Nervous system support (including breathwork) to calm the gut-brain axis
Personalised testing when symptoms persist and deeper insights are needed
Takeaway
Your poop is a daily report card from your body. It reflects how well you're digesting, detoxing, and balancing your internal world. If you’ve been ignoring it or brushing off symptoms as “just how you are”, this is your nudge to take a closer look.
Curious about what your poop might be telling you? I’d love to help you explore the missing pieces in your health puzzle through a functional lens that respects both your biology and your lived experience.
Read more from Rupali Lal
Rupali Lal, Functional Nutritionist Specialising in Gut Health
Rupali is a holistic health practitioner dedicated to empowering individuals on their journey to optimal well-being. Her health journey began in pharmacy school with digestive dysfunction. Despite using fiber supplements and probiotics, lasting relief eluded her. A decade later, studying Functional Nutritional Therapy, she realized she had 'normalized her symptoms' and learned 'just because it is common, doesn’t mean it is normal.' Respecting both conventional pharmacy and functional nutrition, Rupali works holistically with clients facing similar challenges. Specializing in functional gut and hormone testing, she meets clients where they are, creating personalized plans to address their unique needs.
