Hey there, viewers! We’re getting into the dirty subject matter here!
Have you ever wondered why your poop is green? It’s unusual, but you’re not alone.
Let’s talk about this nasty problem. In today’s video, we’ll be discussing the reasons behind
your stool turning green! Is it because you ate something last night? Does it have to do with
your bile pigment? Could this mean your gut is facing health woes? What about infections?
We’ll be talking about all of these AND more...
1. It’s probably something you ate
Before your mind jumps to the extreme, stop and think, “What did I eat recently?”
The most likely reason is the food you’ve eaten. If you ate lots of green vegetables,
like kale, spinach and broccoli, they may end up changing the color of your stool.
When you eat green vegetables, or take green powder supplements,
you’re also ingesting the chlorophyll that comes with them. It’s the same chemical
plants use for photosynthesis. They absorb energy from sunlight.
It’s also possible the foods you’re eating have artificial coloring.
Your body may not be able to process these chemicals properly. In this case,
you will end up seeing a different color to your stool then the brown you’re used to.
The food coloring itself doesn’t need to be green for your elimination to turn that shade.
A famous example of this is the infamous Burger King fiasco of 2015. They served special
“Halloween Whoppers” with black buns instead of the traditional ones. Many of the people who
ate these burgers later said their poop turned green afterwards! Now that’s a Halloween scare!
Do you eat green veggies? What’s your favorite way to eat them? Boiled, steamed,
or juiced? Share your preferences with the Bestie community in the comments below.
2. Bile pigment
Bile plays an important role in the digestion process. It’s produced by your liver and stored
in the gallbladder. Bile mixes with the food you’ve eaten to help the pancreatic enzyme perform
efficiently. This makes sure your body can break down all the fat from the foods you’ve eaten.
Your body also needs to break down the bile along with the food. But sometimes,
your body isn’t working fast enough to do this. This can happen when
you’re suffering from diarrhea, stomach cramps, or other gastrointestinal issues.
So when your stool is green in color, it could be because your digestive system
hasn’t worked on the bile. The green color comes from the bile salts in your body.
3. Antibiotics and other medication
If you’ve recently started taking meds, it could be one of the reasons your stool has
turned green. This is especially true in the case of antibiotics.
If you’re taking strong antibiotics for a major infection, they can destroy the healthy bacteria
in your gut. This results in your lower intestine not having enough brown-staining bacteria.
The best way to address the issue is by taking probiotics.
Wondering which probiotic food you should opt for? How about you start with yogurt and kombucha!
These probiotics can help rejuvenate the healthy bacteria in your gut so you can restore balance.
There are also other medications and supplements that cause issues. Certain
anti-inflammatory drugs can cause a pigment breakdown. This will turn your stool green.
Some contraceptive medicines will also have a similar effect.
If you’re taking iron supplements, there is a huge chance your number 2 will also turn green.
4. Medical procedures
It’s not just medicine that causes your stool to change color. It can
also happen while you’re undergoing a key medical procedure. For example,
you could have a bone marrow transplant where your body might reject the graft.
If that happens, you would end up with graft versus host disease. This occurs because the graft
sees your body as a foreign object and starts attacking the new host. One of the side effects of
this disease is a gastrointestinal problem, which causes diarrhea and green colored bowel movements.
Before we move ahead, here’s another video you might like. Are you having
trouble going to the bathroom? Watch and learn more about the foods that help you poop better.
5. Gastrointestinal conditions
If you’re suffering from gastrointestinal problems, it could lead to green stool.
As we told you earlier, graft versus host disease can cause these issues.
But that’s not the only case. There are plenty of other diseases which result in green feces.
Crohn’s disease is one of them. It causes inflammation in your digestive tract. The
result of this inflammation is your bile moving through your intestines at a faster
pace than normal. Since your digestive system didn’t have enough time to break down the bile,
it will show up in your green-colored waste.
Another illness that can cause gastrointestinal problems is
celiac disease. This disease is caused by your body’s incapability to digest gluten.
Celiac disease results in a number of issues pertaining to the gut, such as gas, bloating,
diarrhea and stomach pain. Along with these, you would also end up with green poop.
If you tend to overuse laxatives, that too can cause green stool. Irritable bowel syndrome
and ulcerative colitis are among other diseases that can give you a bright green bowel movement.
6. Parasites, viruses, and bacteria
Another reason for green colour is infection. Your body can be invaded by parasites,
viruses and bacteria. See, your body already has a lot of bacteria,
but that’s the healthy kind. The problem starts when harmful bacteria enter your body.
Salmonella is one of the bacteria that can give you green stool.
It’s behind most of the food poisoning cases you see around. Parasites will make your guts
flush out faster than normal. This, as we already know by now, results in green stool.
One of the not-so-common conditions is what’s referred to as traveler’s diarrhea. This usually
happens when you travel to a completely different location for your vacation.
While this is usually an issue that resolves on its own, it does result in gross, green stool.
7. Anal fissures
When you pass hard stool, you might feel some pain in your bottom end. It usually goes
away. But sometimes this hard stool can cause small tears in the tissue lining of your anus.
These tears are known as anal fissures. While they probably won’t cause serious problems,
they could end up turning into things like diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease.
If you do get diarrhea from these anal fissures,
it’s more than likely your stool will be green in color. Sometimes these fissures
can also turn your stool bright red. This is usually because of the blood from the tears.
Is green poop a sign of cancer?
Just to get this out of the way… Probably not!
Our first reaction to seeing something unusual is to panic. Don’t do that. If you happen to
experience green feces, never imagine the worst. Yes, it’s true that weirdly-colored
stools are one of the first signs of cancer, but not always. If cancer is the case,
it probably won’t be green. With cancer, stools are often black or tarry in color.
So what does black or tarry color indicate? It proves there’s bleeding somewhere in your upper
GI tract. The blood has been digested, which explains the black and tarry look.
If you experience bright red stool, it indicates bleeding in the lower GI tract.
This blood is fresh and undigested, which will explain the bright red.
You shouldn’t worry too much if your stool is green once in a while. In most cases,
they aren’t usually a cause for concern, or a sign of cancer. But if you’re bowel
movements are consistently green while experiencing other symptoms,
don’t brush this off. Visit a doctor and get a thorough examination.
If you experience green stool without the presence of other symptoms,
the answer is probably leafy green vegetables or food coloring.
If you do have other symptoms, like vomiting or recurring diarrhea,
this indicates a medical condition like Crohn’s or irritable bowel syndrome, so talk to your doctor.
When should you see a doctor?
Green stool once in a while isn’t a cause for worry. But if you’ve had
diarrhea for more than three days, it’s time to seek medical care.
Consistent, long-term diarrhea can lead to nutritional deficiencies and dehydration.
Don’t ignore the bloating, cramping, and stomach pain that comes with your green stool.
Nausea and blood are a reason to visit the doctor.
Green poop could be a sign your digestive system isn’t in the best condition. But there
are other signs as well. Like diarrhea and bloating. What should you do then?
How to find relief when you’re suffering from diarrhea? What
exactly causes bloating? Here are some videos you should watch....
Check out 9 FOODS That Bring You Back To Life When You Have Diarrhea.
Or how about 9 Things That Are Causing Your Bloated Stomach?
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both, and make those trips to the bathroom a little less
terrifying. Have you ever experienced a green number 2? Let us know in the comments below!