Poop smells bad because it is our body’s way of telling us that it is waste and we shouldn’t touch it! When we eat food, our stomach and intestines take all the good energy and vitamins from it.

What is left over is poop. It is full of tiny bacteria that helped break down the food. These bacteria do their job in the intestines and produce gases at the same time.

• The gases contain things like sulfur, which smells a bit like rotten eggs.
• The bacteria and juices in our tummy give poop its familiar, not-so-nice smell.
• The smell is actually a built-in alarm: our nose is warning us that this stuff is not safe to eat or touch!

This teaches us how smart our body is. It works so hard to keep us healthy, and even a bad smell is part of its clever plan to protect us from germs.

The next time you have to hold your nose in the bathroom, you can just think: “Great job, bacteria, but please flush the toilet behind you!” 💩