Not dissimilar to the reason antibiotics do a number on your poop, bacteria invading the GI tract could cause a green tinge to your stool. Diarrhea itself always increases the odds of green stool, too. Food moving through the body too quickly may not have the necessary time for bile to break it down, which could cause your stool to remain a greenish color instead of brown.
Heidi Moretti, RD , a dietitian focusing on functional nutrition, says it's not uncommon to see green stool if you have other GI issues, especially ones that cause diarrhea. The liver, gallbladder and the GI system are "intimately involved with each other," says Donese Worden, NMD , a board-certified naturopathic physician and adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University.
Bile that is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder can be yellow or green, and so [green stool] might be a sign of gallbladder or liver problem. The food you eat may also cause your food, of the natural or artificial variety, may also cause your poop to turn green, Emily Haller, RDN , a registered dietician at Michigan Medicine's Taubman GI Clinic, tells Health.
Haller says it's "completely normal and healthy" to have green poop as the result of eating your veggies—so definitely keep doing it. Specifically, the chlorophyll in the plants produces the green color.
Alternatively, children might have green stool after eating artificially colored frosting at a birthday party. However, people who do not eat a lot of greens or food coloring should be wary, as green poop can have a more serious cause. People who think their green stool is not the result of a diet rich in vegetables or green food coloring should discuss it with a doctor. Stool is usually light to dark brown. A substance from red blood cells called bilirubin gets processed and ends up in the intestines.
Bacteria then break it down further, and it turns stool brown. So, what does it mean when the color of poop suddenly changes, and what are some possible causes? Changes in diet can produce varying stool colors. Eating beets, high chlorophyll green vegetables, or licorice can significantly change stool color.
Drinking Guinness or drinks that contain heavy dye, such as Kool-Aid, can have a similar effect. In infants, foods may cause color changes, such as:. However, some causes of non-brown stool are more serious, and it is important to deal with these issues immediately. It is difficult to consistently relate a precise color to each condition.
However, here are some possible connections between colors and conditions:. If any discoloration persists, it is important that a person see a doctor instead of trying to work it out on their own. In addition to any traces of blood in the stool or bleeding from the anus, pay attention to any other symptoms that occur with stool discoloration. Dark green, leafy vegetables are rich in chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their color.
Virtually any chlorophyll-rich plant food can cause green-tinged stool if you eat enough of it. Nuts like pistachios, seeds like hemp seeds, and herbs like parsley, basil, and cilantro are also rich in chlorophyll.
Matcha, a type of powdered green tea, can also make stools a bright green hue. Some foods contain green or blue and yellow food coloring that may turn your poop green. These dyes are sometimes used in canned green peas, green beer, breakfast cereal, candy, jarred pickles, salad dressing, beverages, cake and cookie icing, and desserts.
You'll also see these dyes in food around St. This video has been medically reviewed by Chris Vincent, MD. Besides the obvious green foods, deep blue or purple foods can sometimes lead to green poop.
Blueberries, grapes, and red wine, for instance, can result in a dark green-blue stool. Purple or red and blue food coloring in drink mixes, grape Kool-Aid and soda, frozen ice pops, cake icing, blue Gatorade, packaged fruit snacks, licorice, and grape-flavored Pedialyte can also cause dark or bright green poop.
These food dye colors are often used during holidays such as Easter, Independence Day, and Halloween. As bile makes its way through the small intestine to the large intestine via the bile ducts, it progressively changes color from green to yellow to brown. This is due to the action of bacteria in the large intestine acting on bile salts. In some cases, consuming lots of coffee, jalapenos, chili pepper, and alcohol can have a laxative effect, causing foods to pass through the intestines faster than normal called decreased transit time and before stool change color from green to brown.
Taking iron supplements can change the color of your poop to dark green or black. Juicing or going on a juice cleanse will also up your intake of chlorophyll and, in turn, increase the likelihood of green-tinged stools. If you experience green stools during a colon cleanse, it may be due to food rushing through your intestines too quickly to allow bacteria to give your stool its characteristic brown color. A high-fat diet, like the keto diet , may give your poop a bright green hue.
With a high-fat intake, your body produces more bile to digest these fats and excess green-colored bile may find its way into the toilet bowl. Green stool can occur during pregnancy. Some women get it in the earliest weeks of their pregnancy, sometimes even before the BFP "big fat positive" on the pregnancy test. Other women get it because they take prenatal vitamins which contain a higher dose of iron than the typical multivitamin or iron supplements.
Green stool can also happen during the third trimester. Some women get loose green stools during late pregnancy as food moves rapidly through the intestines. An infant's first bowel movements are typically green-black in color. Dark green or green black poop in babies may be caused by iron supplements and iron-enriched foods, such as baby formula. Green poop in breastfed babies particularly "EBF" or exclusively breastfed babies could also be a sign that the baby is getting too much low-calorie, low-fat foremilk the milk that comes first in a feeding and not enough hindmilk, which is higher in fat.
Request Appointment. Stool color: When to worry. Products and services. Yesterday, my stool color was bright green. Should I be concerned? Answer From Michael F. With Michael F. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Suneja M, et al.
The abdomen, perineum, anus, and rectosigmoid. In: DeGowin's Diagnostic Examination. McGraw Hill;
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