If you knew me personally, you’d see that I’m not one to be afraid to talk about poop. Specifically, having healthy eliminations. Like urine, your poo says a lot about what you’ve been consuming; it’s pretty significant to know how things are processing.

The word “poop” comes from the Middle English word poupen or popen which originally meant “fart.” The word evolved into “poop” (with its current meaning) around 1900.

So, what is poop exactly? Water, dead bacteria, indigestible fiber, a mixture of fats, phosphates, live bacteria, dead cells and mucus (from the lining of the intestines), and protein. So, why does poop smell? Simply put, the smell of poo comes from what you eat. Those who eat meat enjoy a much stinkier poo, while those who do not have a less pungent smell. So as you can see, what you put in affects what you put out.

Everyone Does It, But Vegans Do It Better

Not surprisingly, vegans have the best poop in the land according to a recent study done by the University of Bristol. I’m going to let Dr. Greger from Nutrition Facts give you the scoop on poop though; he does it with more grace and composition than I’d ever have using the term, “smooth vegan snakes.”

Get Evidence-Based Nutrition Facts

If you’ve never heard of NutritionFacts.org, then you’re missing out. I love this site. Launched in August of this year, NutritionFacts.org is a labor of love featuring all the videos from Dr. Greger’s past Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVDs, split into hundreds of bite-sized topical segments that can be searched and shared. Dr. Greger’s videos are strictly science-based with citations, which makes them the perfect resource for discussing our vegan health.

Dr. Greger has committed to uploading a new video every day for an entire year, so there’s always something fresh for us to learn. Folks can, and should, subscribe to the daily video feed here NutritionFacts.org. And, come on, with videos like this one- why wouldn’t you subscribe?

Photo credit: Charleen Angle-Traegner