National Poop Day takes place annually on the day after Super Bowl Sunday, and is on February 10 this year. It’s a fun day to celebrate and educate ourselves about the importance of our body’s natural functions, especially our excretory and digestive systems.
History of National Poop Day
National Poop Day was created in 2016 during a Polling Place election at the Madison Children’s Museum. The children passed a referendum to allow for the celebration of National Poop Day. The day is meant to celebrate and explore one of the most vital functions of the human body.
The word ‘poop’ is said to be derived from the Indo-European word ‘pu’, which is linked to the words, ‘putrid’ and ‘putrefy’. Poop has been given a number of names over the years, ranging from feces to excreta, to droppings.
For a process that’s so unappealing, excretion begins with one of man’s favorite things; food. The process of digestion begins with the intake of food through the mouth. Food is chewed by the teeth and broken up by saliva enzymes. The food then goes through the esophagus before depositing itself into the stomach. After churning in our bellies, the food mixes with gastric juices and passes on to the small intestine.
Following this process, the food mixes with digestive enzymes once more before moving to the pancreas, which secretes an enzyme called insulin. This enzyme helps to regulate blood sugar. As soon as all the nutrients have been absorbed, what is left is waste, which is transported to the large intestine. Water is removed and the leftovers get stored in the rectum. This is the point at which food becomes feces. The final process is excretion.
National Poop Day is a great day to educate ourselves on this important function of our bodies, instead of shying away from it. Every aspect of our health matters, even if it smells nothing like roses!
National Poop Day timeline
The word ‘poop’ is first used.
Archeologists discover 14,000-year old feces in Oregon’s Paisley Caves.
Researchers discover the world’s oldest feces, about 50,000 years old, in Alicante, Spain.
National Poop Day is created by the Madison Children’s Museum.
National Poop Day FAQs
What color is healthy excrement?
The color of a person’s stool often depends on their diet and the colors may range from brown to green.
How often should one excrete?
One may visit the loo as many as three times a day to three times a week. There’s no generally acceptable number.
How long does food take to digest?
After a meal, it takes about four to six hours for the stomach to be emptied of food. However, it takes an average of 36 hours for food to pass through the colon.
National Poop Day Activities
Learn and relearn
Take some time to conduct a little research. Learn about the digestive system and the journey that food takes before being expelled from the body.
Share information
Share whatever knowledge you gain with others who might be interested. Learning more about our bodies is key to a healthier life.
Use the hashtag
Be brave and head over to your social media platforms. Create posts and use the hashtag #nationalpoopday to let others know about this weird holiday.
5 Weird Facts About Poop
It’s mostly bacteria
Excreta mainly consists of bacteria and is not only made up of food and water.
Men versus women
Men excrete more often than women and it also takes longer for food to go through women’s digestive systems.
Indigestibles
If you eat corn, you might find a piece of it in your stool because the outer kernel is made of cellulose, an indigestible plant fiber.
Developing countries and denser stools
People in developing countries have denser poop as a result of the high fiber content in their food.
Moon poop
If you thought the other facts were weird, what do you think about the fact that there are four bags of excreta still on the moon, left after the Apollo mission?
Why We Love National Poop Day
It’s an opportunity to learn
National Poop Day provides more opportunities to learn the important ways in which our bodies work. It’s the ideal day to learn more about this important bodily function.
It promotes health consciousness
The more we know, the better. The learning opportunity provided helps us to be more health-conscious and cognizant of what we put into our bodies.
It tears down the taboo
National Poop Day gives us a chance to tear down the walls and taboo surrounding the topic of poop. As a vital part of our systems, productive discussions should be encouraged.
National Poop Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | February 14 | Monday |
| 2023 | February 13 | Monday |
| 2024 | February 12 | Monday |
| 2025 | February 10 | Monday |
| 2026 | February 9 | Monday |
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