What happens if your doodoo is green

Besides making your poop brown, bacteria perform vitally important functions, like helping you to absorb nutrients from your meals. This can happen if you have diarrhea. In that case, the contents of your intestines rush through the process too quickly to allow healthy bacteria to give your poo its characteristic hue. The most common reason for green stool is a dietary habit or change.

Food that can cause green stools include:. Dark green vegetables and green powder supplements contain chlorophyll , the chemical that allows plants to make energy from the sun. Keep eating those greens! This can also leave a colorful residue in your stool. So if you wake up after a St.

Purple, blue, and black dyes may also lead to green poop. For example, in , fast food chain Burger King went viral with posts from individuals who had purchased their Halloween Whopper which had a black bun. Many people who partook in the Halloween Whopper reported that it turned their poop green after eating it.

Bile is a fluid made in your liver and stored in your gallbladder. This fluid naturally has a green-yellow color. When bile combines with foods you eat, the bile helps your body break down more fat from the diet. This allows more fat to be absorbed into your body in the small intestine. However, your body must break down bile so it can be excreted as waste. Normally, this is accomplished by traveling a pathway through your intestine.

The result can be poop that appears green in tint because of the natural green color of bile salts in your body. This decreases the population of the brown-staining bacteria in your lower intestine. Probiotics , such as yogurt or kombucha , can help restore balance to your intestinal flora. Several other medications and supplements can also cause a breakdown in pigments that turns your stool green.

One example is iron supplements. Parasitic, viral, and bacterial invaders can also be causing your green stool. Yes, your body already contains billions of bacteria that serve a vital purpose. Outsiders, however, can wreak all sorts of havoc on your intestinal output. Bacteria like Salmonella the common culprit behind most food poisoning , the water parasite giardia , and norovirus can cause your guts to flush quicker than normal, which can lead to green-tinged stools.

Poop can turn green for many reasons. Some examples include a diet rich in high chlorophyll plants, such as spinach or kale, a course of antibiotics, or a bacterial infection. Although it is rarely a cause for concern, a change in poop color is worth investigating. Poop is generally brown, but, at times, it can turn green, red, black, yellow, or any color in between. Many of these color changes do not signal a medical condition, but some can be signs of something more serious. What makes poop green?

Green stool is usually the result of eating a large quantity of leafy, green vegetables. 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:.

There are plenty of foods that can make your poop Hulk out. A big culprit: Green foods like kale, spinach, wheatgrass, and broccoli can make your poop change color because they contain chlorophyll 4 , a bright plant pigment that gives green vegetables their vivid hue, Dr. Shen says. Eating foods that have a lot of green dye in them think cupcakes with green frosting can also do the trick, Rudolph Bedford , M.

Eating plants that are blue or purple, like blueberries, can do the job too. During the digestive process, enzymes chemically change your bile from its usual yellow-green to brown, according to the Mayo Clinic. This can happen if you have an infection from bacteria like salmonella and E. Just like a bacterial infection, a viral stomach infection—like norovirus, which is often contracted through contaminated food or water or touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your mouth—is notorious for causing intense diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC.

When that happens, you can wind up with a rare case of green diarrhea for the same reason you would with a bacterial infection, along with possible vomiting, stomach pain , and overwhelming nausea. Parasites like giardia —which tend to be picked up when you interact with contaminated soil, food, or water—can also lead to some pretty intense diarrhea about one to two weeks after infection. Because it moves so fast through your body, your poop can then appear green, Dr.

Bedford says. It could be a sign of a stomach bug that your doctor may be able to speed along with the appropriate treatment. Today in random things you never thought could affect your poop: Certain medicines like the prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin often used to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis , and the birth control shot Depo-Provera , can cause green poop, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Several antibiotics can also interfere with your gut flora i. Now that you know that, if you do need to take iron supplements, keep in mind that they can cause green or black poop, Dr. If your poop is black, it actually may be a sign that your body is absorbing the iron properly, according to the U.

National Library of Medicine. Bedford explains, in which case you should talk to a doctor to see whether you need to adjust your formulation or dosage. No matter your kind of IBS, you may also experience abdominal cramping, gas, and mucus in your stool. If you have IBS-D or IBS-M, you might get diarrhea and have other symptoms during flare-ups, which can be triggered by stress , foods including wheat, dairy , and citrus, or hormonal changes like being on your period.

As with many of the other issues on this list, if IBS is forcing your stool to rush through your body too quickly, you can wind up with green diarrhea.