The causes of long poops include constipation, dehydration, slow bowel movements and even insufficient fiber intake.
Eating foods like dairy, gluten or processed foods in excess can result in long poops.
Eating large amounts of foods that are rich in fiber like legumes and vegetables can also result in long poops.
And certain medications like iron supplements, antihistamines and opioids can also cause long poops and constipation.
Some medical conditions like Thyroid disorders, Diverticulitis, Crohn's disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and even Ulcerative colitis can cause long poops.
Even aging, lack of physical activity and stress or anxiety can result in and contribute to long poops.
In most cases the long poops are nothing to worry about unless they happen frequently or you have other symptoms like fever, blood in the poop, abdominal pain, bloating or vomiting.
Frequent long poops can result in anal fissures and or hemorrhoids so you should seek medical attention if it continues.
Healthy poop should appear as and look like a sausage or log with a smooth surface and be relatively easy to pass and be brown in color.
However healthy poop can be either brown or even green in color and still be healthy.
A healthy poop, should reflect a mixture of all the colors of the food you eat and that bile.
Almost any shade of brown, or even green, is considered OK.
Normal poop color is brown.
This is due to the presence of bile in the stool.
Normal poop color can range from light yellow to brown to almost black.
However if your poop is red, maroon, black, clay-colored, pale, yellow, or green this may signify a problem.
Bile from the liver creates the typical brown hue of a healthy bowel movement.
When the poop is very pale, it often means that not enough bile is reaching the poop.
Problems with the gallbladder, pancreas, or liver are reasons why poop may not contain enough bile.
Normally poop should be brown, have a peanut-butter texture, and look like a sausage.
If you have abnormal colors, it may be due to something you ingested.
But it may also be due to serious illness.
If it's abnormal once, it's likely nothing to worry about.