A Hard, pebbly or lumpy stool can point out constipation (Image: GETTY)

Opening our bowels is one thing all of us do, but till lately it has been a little bit of a taboo topic.

Luckily that appears to be altering, not least due to rising consciousness concerning the significance of the intestine and its influence on our total well being.

Elizabeth Cooper, Nutritionist at Bio-Kult, mentioned: "The gut contains trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms (known as the gut microbiota), which play a key role in our health, including supporting the immune system, skin, lungs, urinary tract, and even the brain.

"The intestine microbiota can also be chargeable for many points of digestion, together with encouraging wholesome bowel actions."

While it's considered normal to open our bowels anywhere from three times a day to three times a week, going to the toilet at least once a day can be beneficial to our health, said Cooper, as it is a key detoxification method, enabling us to expel debris and waste products such as undigested fibre, toxins, dead cells, and bacteria.

READ MORE: Expert shares four food swaps to help lower cholesterol

Floaty stools can be a sign of malabsorption of fat (Image: GETTY)

She continued: "In addition to frequency there are different components that may decide whether or not a bowel motion is wholesome, and it will possibly rely on issues like our eating regimen, digestive capability, liver perform, and bowel transit time."

Cooper outlined five things to look out for in your poo:

Hard, pebbly or lumpy stool, or difficulty in passing a stool

This can indicate constipation, said Cooper, which could result from a number of things including inactivity or lack of movement; ignoring the urge to go to the toilet; medication side effects; hormone imbalance; stress; as a secondary issue to other conditions; dysbiosis (imbalance in gut bacteria); or impaired breakdown of food.

Commonly though, it may be because of:

Dehydration - water is essential for life and is involved in virtually all functions of the human body. One of its benefits is improved digestion and absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract. Water is also necessary to keep stools soft, bulky and easy to pass.

Insufficient fibre - fibre intake is an important determinant for many aspects of health, not least its role in keeping us regular by bulking the stool, which stimulates peristalsis. Increasing our fruit and vegetable intake, switching to wholegrain varieties of grains, and increasing our intake of prebiotic fibres from foods such as onions, garlic, leeks, slightly under-ripe bananas, Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus can make a significant difference, as these help to feed our beneficial bacteria. Some people may also find taking a high fibre supplement beneficial, such as Lepicol. It is a three in one combination of gentle psyllium husk fibre, which helps to maintain normal bowel transit, five live bacteria strains to help rebalance gut microflora and inulin, a prebiotic food source for beneficial gut bacteria.

Live bacteria supplements can be beneficial during both acute and chronic diarrhoea (Image: GETTY)

Floaty stools

If your stool floats, there could be a number of reasons, said Cooper.

Excessive gas - prebiotic fibres in our diet aren’t processed in the small intestine, and become a fuel source for bacteria further down in the large intestine. Our beneficial bacteria that reside here can feed on these fermentable fibres and as by-products produce extra vitamins and short-chain fatty acids that our bodies can then absorb. However, if we have a large number of potentially harmful bacteria in the large intestine instead of producing beneficial metabolites, they may produce extra gases and toxins.

Malabsorption of fat - Floaty stools can also be a sign that fat is not being digested, which is a sign that insufficient bile is reaching the intestines. It may just mean supplementing with bile acids but could be due to an underlying issue such as a blocked bile duct, so you should seek the advice of a healthcare practitioner.

Unusually coloured stools

Stools are usually a shade of brown, due to a pigment made in and released by the liver called bilirubin.

But Cooper said: "Sometimes our stool could be a totally different color from the norm. This could also be all the way down to one thing we’ve eaten equivalent to a considerable amount of inexperienced leafy greens, beetroot or meals colouring; supplementing with iron; malabsorption; or it might be one thing that requires additional investigation, significantly if the stool is white/clay-coloured, black or pink for various days."

Loose or runny stools

Diarrhoea can have a variety of different causes, which may determine the most appropriate remedy, said Cooper.

She added: "For instance, it may be brought on by acute pathogenic infections (i.e., micro organism, parasites, or viruses), or by extra persistent situations equivalent to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or lactose intolerance. It will also be a side-effect of antibiotic or different medicine use or associated to life-style components equivalent to alcohol or caffeine consumption.

"Live bacteria supplements can be beneficial during both acute and chronic diarrhoea. In addition to competing with pathogens in the gut and secreting anti-microbial substances, beneficial bacteria can support the immune system to help fight gut infections. Bio-Kult Everyday (RRP £10.48 available to buy from www.bio-kult.co.uk) is a 14-strain live bacteria supplement, used in the largest-ever double-blind randomised controlled trial of live bacteria supplements in IBS-diarrhoea type patients. The study found that Bio-Kult significantly improved overall symptom severity, including reducing bowel movements by 58 percent, with 34 percent of participants being completely symptom free at the end of the four month trial."

Undigested meals in stool

It could be regular to see sure meals within the stool, equivalent to sweetcorn and tomato pores and skin, however others much less so.

Cooper defined: "To digest and absorb nutrients effectively, our body produces digestive enzymes to degrade fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Whilst it is important to ensure an individual is eating a nutritious diet, it’s vital that we produce enough digestive enzymes so we can access the nutrients in food. If your food is not digested properly and nutrients absorbed, this can lead to malnourishment. In addition, undigested food travels through the digestive tract and can provide food for pathogenic bacteria, leading to dysbiosis. Whilst digestive enzyme supplementation can help, eating mindfully, including chewing your food thoroughly is vital."

While many adjustments in bowel actions could also be nothing to fret about, Cooper's parting recommendation is that if signs final various days or you could have any considerations about them, we advocate you seek the advice of with a healthcare skilled.