Do you have to poop every day to be healthy? Gut doctor explains what counts and what doesn’t
How often should you poop? Gastroenterologist Dr Joseph Salhab explains why daily bowel movements aren’t the only healthy pattern and highlights key signs that reflect good gut health.
It’s one of those questions people joke about, but quietly want a real answer to. How often are you actually supposed to poop? Every day? Every other day? Only a few times a week? Somewhere along the way, “once daily” became the gold standard, and anything less started to feel like a problem.
According to Dr Joseph Salhab, a Florida-based gastroenterologist and health content creator who specialises in digestion, liver, pancreas and nutrition, that assumption doesn’t really hold up. In an Instagram video shared on February 11, he broke down what healthy bowel habits actually look like, and why frequency alone doesn’t tell the full story.
How often should you poop? Understanding the normal bowel movement range
Dr Salhab says that while one bowel movement a day is a reasonable target, it’s far from the only healthy pattern. Clinical guidelines place the normal range anywhere between three times a day and three times a week.
He explains, “Do you need to poop every single day to be healthy? Actually, here's what you really need to look at to judge whether you have a healthy poop or not. Some people go three times a week and others go three times a day, but both can be normal. Some people will poop multiple times a day and it looks like pellets. That can actually be constipation. Other people can poop every few days, but it's normal in calibre and consistency. Your own long-standing pattern matters more than any single number. For example, someone who has comfortably gone every other day for years with well-formed stools is considered normal, not constipated.”
In other words, what’s “normal” is often what’s normal for you.
Healthy stool signs explained: What matters more than frequency
Instead of fixating on how often you go, Dr Salhab suggests paying attention to three more telling markers. Consistency comes first. Occasional variation is fine, but sudden or persistent changes in volume or pattern deserve attention. As he puts it, “Are you going the same amount all the time without a persistent change in your bowel habits?”
Form is another clue. Ideally, stool should resemble a sausage with light cracks, or appear smooth and snake-like. Both are considered healthy shapes. Colour also matters. “The color should be brown with occasional color changes depending on what you eat, but it shouldn't be persistently yellow, bloody, or excessively dark,” he notes.
When bowel habits signal a problem: Constipation and warning signs
Dr Salhab encourages people to take a moment to look before flushing. It may feel awkward, but it offers useful insight into gut health over time. Subtle shifts are easier to catch when you actually observe them. One major red flag is going more than three days without a bowel movement on a regular basis. That may indicate constipation territory.
He explains, “Regularly going longer than three days without a bowel movement may be pushing into constipation territory and is worth discussing with your doctor. Also seek medical advice if you develop a new decrease in frequency lasting more than a couple of weeks, hard pellet-like stools, significant straining, pain, a feeling of incomplete emptying, or red-flag symptoms such as blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, vomiting, inability to pass gas, unexplained weight loss, or unusual fatigue.”
Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice.
ALSO READ: Bloating and constipation issues? Doctor shares 7 common fruits that can help you get relief