2-Tips: Bristol Stool Chart [Free Download]
Learn how to use the Bristol Stool Chart to assess gut health and digestion. Discover what each stool type means, why it matters for nutrition coaching, and download a free printable Bristol Stool Chart for clients.
2-Tips
By Jennifer Broxterman, RD
Kind Nerd Note: Encourage nutrition clients to “add a little color and crunch” → a mix of fruits, veggies, beans, lentils, nuts/seeds, and whole grains. For every +5 grams of fiber, most people notice softer, easier-to-pass stools within a week or two.
Tip #1:
Bristol Stool Chart
When you’re a nutrition coach, the topic of someone’s bowel movements will eventually enter the chat.
Are they regular?
Bloated and gassy?
Constantly constipated?
Regretting their life decisions after that greasy takeout meal?
Don’t shy away from these conversations. How well someone is pooping says a lot about their overall health — from fiber and hydration to stress and even early warning signs of something more serious.
Because talking about poop can get… awkward… it helps to have a common language so your client can describe what’s happening, and you both know exactly what they mean.
Enter: The Bristol Stool Chart.
Created by two researchers at the University of Bristol in the late 1990s, this simple 7-type visual bowel movement scale classifies stool consistency and gut transit time.
Types 1 and 2 are on the “too slow” constipation side (hard and lumpy), Types 5, 6, and 7 are “too fast” (loose or watery diarrhea), and Types 3 and 4 are the sweet spot: soft, formed, and easy to pass.
If you want a quick visual to use with clients, here’s a free resource to download and keep:
👉 Download the Bristol Stool Chart (free resource)
If this is your first time seeing the Bristol Stool Chart, get ready. It’s one of those weirdly useful tools you’ll end up talking about more than you’d expect.
This chart is just one of the many tools our PRO$PER nutrition certification grads learn to use to translate digestive health into real-world coaching conversations that clients actually understand. Enjoy!
Tip #2:
Fiber Pop Quiz
How well do you know your fiber targets?
If your clients are seeing more Type 1s and 2s on the Bristol Stool Chart, it’s often a fiber issue. Most adults are only getting half of what they actually need, and it shows in their digestion, energy, and blood sugar control.
But before we fix it… let’s test your coaching knowledge!
Pop Quiz:
Do you remember how many grams of fiber adults should aim for each day (minimum targets)?
• Women (ages 19–50): _____ g
• Men (ages 19–50): _____ g
• Women (ages 51+): _____ g
• Men (ages 51+): _____ g
Tap below to check your answers and see if you’re coaching the right fiber goals.
Stay kind + nerdy,
❤️🐻🌈
Jen Broxterman
Registered Dietitian
Prosper Nutrition Coaching
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Jennifer Broxterman, MSc, RD
REGISTERED DIETITIAN & SPORTS NUTRITIONIST
• Award-winning Foods & Nutrition University Professor
• Successful entrepreneur of owner of NutritionRx
• 16 year CrossFit affiliate owner with my husband
• Founder of Prosper Nutrition Coaching & lead nutrition coach
