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. It could mean that the baby isn't feeding long enough on each breast or draining the breast effectively or that there is an oversupply of breast milk. A lactation consultant may be able to help identify the issue.
Kids often eat foods that contain food dyes, including green, purple, blue and yellow, or red and blue coloring. Chewing on green or purple crayons can also change the color of stools. Diarrhea decreases bowel transit time, so any condition that causes diarrhea can result in a green stool, including:. A rare but serious cause of green stool in kids and adults is poisoning by chemicals such as the pesticide paraquat. Green stools accompanied by visible mucus may signal irritation or inflammation in the lining of the intestines.
If it happens regularly, it could be a sign of a condition that may require treatment especially if it's accompanied by diarrhea, constipation, pain in the abdomen, or nausea or vomiting.
Like green poop, floating green stool is often normal and related to what you ate. In some cases particularly if it's an ongoing concern , floating stool could mean that your intestines aren't absorbing fat properly. Green stools can fall within the normal color range for bowel movements.
While ongoing stool discoloration or the presence of other symptoms may signal something that requires medical treatment, in most cases, having the occasional greenish poop is nothing to worry about. If your green poop was caused by something you ate, your stools should return to their normal color within a day or two. Green poop can be indicative of your diet. Eating broccoli, spinach, kale, and avocado can contribute to green stool.
It can also be caused by a bacterial infection e. Anal fissures are small tears in the tissue lining your anus, and are often the result of passing a hard stool. But these tears can also develop if you have chronic diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease.
So if you have an anal fissure related to diarrhea, you may notice green stools. But with cancer, stools are often a black or tarry color. This typically indicates bleeding from somewhere in the upper GI tract. Additionally, sometimes bright red blood occurs in lower GI tract cancers. Talk to your doctor ASAP.
Long-term, untreated diarrhea can lead to dehydration and poor nutritional status. While the nature of the visit may be awkward to discuss, a doctor can review your medication list, diet, and other medical conditions as a means to determine potential causes of chronically green stool. However, seeing other colors in your stool may indicate an issue. Bright red signifies potential bleeding in the lower intestines. A black or dark tarry brown could indicate bleeding in your upper GI tract.
But remember, it could also be the blueberries or black licorice you had at lunch. For example, avoid foods like gluten that trigger diarrhea if you have celiac disease.
In most cases, occasional green stools are nothing to worry about. Salmonella food poisoning is one of the most common types of food poisoning. The Salmonella bacteria live in the intestines of humans and animals. From groceries to medications, the things you consume can sometimes have bizarre — but ultimately harmless — side effects. Learn about some of them…. Stool cultures are important tools for understanding and treating intestinal illness.
There are many reasons why you may be experiencing uncomfortable…. Get the facts on inflammatory bowel disease IBD. Learn about types such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's , causes, risk factors, diagnosis, and…. The jejunum is one of three sections that make up the small intestine.
Learn about its function and anatomy, as well as the conditions that can affect…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Why Is My Poop Green? The chlorophyll that gives those vegetables their green color can do the same to your poop. A less organic force — green food dye — also could be behind the Hulk-like hue on a 2.
Consider this the consequence of eating a St. In any food-related case, the funky tint should disappear within a day or two once the source is flushed out of your system, says Dr. Antibiotics can lead to small — and potentially colorful — changes to the way your body digests food. The reason? The medication can alter the bacteria flora in your gut, which can add a greenish tint to what comes out. Some medications may upset your stomach, too, resulting in bile-filled diarrhea that looks a bit green.
The same can be said of your poop, too, notes Dr.
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