floating feces???

If I recall, stool that floats is high in fat ~ known as steatorrhea.

Really? One of my classmates is a healthfood and herbal remedy nut and insists that if your stool doesn't float you aren't healthy and that if your stool sinks you are very unhealthy!

I know with steatorrhea the stool may float, but the main characteristics are bulkiness and foul smelling. I ran across research that stated you know you have enough fiber in your diet if it floats, but I am just unable to actually come up with real documentation.

Only in a nursing forum...:chuckle

"A floating stool and easy passage indicates that your diet has enough fiber"

interesting....got the above from the following article:

http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_15_2_5.htm

That's right, if your stool floats, you are eating a sufficient amount of fiber in your diet.

Steatorrhea means that there is a lot of fat, sometimes you can see the oil floating on the surface of the water in the toilet and it stinks really bad.:imbar

I never would have guessed it - a floating stool indicated healthiness or enough fibre consumed in ones diet. Actually the only thing I knew about floating stools and recall reading some time ago - there is a connection between floating stools and CF. I know there is more to it.

My boyfriend got a laughing charge out of this thread "I can honestly say this is not a subject that anyone in my career has discussed".

(He's a engineer for a medical wiring manufacturer)

But i would assume that if feces are floating, maybe gas is trapped inside?

Originally posted by maire

Only in a nursing forum...:chuckle

Amen to that!!

:roll :roll :chuckle :roll :roll

Hey thanks for the comments everyone. That article was just what I needed. Sorry for the unpolitically correct topic!! Hope your feces are floating!!! :roll

Generally someone who is very healthy with a high fiber diet and less the preservatives does have floating stool and not so smelly stuff sans flatus....Health stores have books on it and many high fiber related books give you bibliographies on where they compiled their material (no pun intended)....

Originally posted by RN~in~CT

"A floating stool and easy passage indicates that your diet has enough fiber"

interesting....got the above from the following article:

http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_15_2_5.htm

Hmmm....just read that article, and I must not be eating enough fiber because my stool plunks to the bottom of the commode every time. :chair: Shhhhhh...keep that tidbit to yourself. :rotfl:

Guess I better pay a visit to the grocery store tomorrow and stock up on more fiber. I've been on a high protein low fat diet, and have avoided a lot of fiber with the exception of fruit...guess not enough though.

I'm glad this thread was posted. Good article above, too. I saved it in my favorites. :)