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You've probably become pretty well accustomed to how your stool looks. However, if you're experiencing colored poop, you might wonder, "Why is my poop green?" Reasons for green poop fall under a few main categories: food, medication, supplements, or illness.
Read on to learn more about why your poop might have a greenish color and what to do about it.
1) Antibiotics
If you've recently been ill and taken an antibiotic, your stools may turn green. One study found this to occur in some patients due to antibiotic-induced diarrhea.
2) Consuming Green Dyes
It's possible to have green stool after consuming highly pigmented mint ice cream or frosted cookies. Food dyes, in general, can change the color of your stool.
3) Eating a Ton of Green Veggies or Fruit
The food you eat may also cause your poop to turn green. Fruits and vegetables that are green in color, like kiwi or kale, contain chlorophyll, the chemical responsible for making plants green. Consuming anything with chlorophyll can turn both stool and urine green.
4) Infection, Especially Involving Diarrhea
Bacteria invading the GI tract could cause a green tinge to your stool, and diarrhea increases the odds of watery green stool. Food moving through the body too quickly may not leave enough time for bile to break it down, which could cause your stool to become greenish or even orange.
5) Iron Supplements
Iron supplements are notoriously difficult on the stomach. Possible side effects include high doses of diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and black or green stool.
Why Is Poop Normally Brown?
Bile, a liver-produced fluid, can have a greenish-brown color; typical bowel movements are brown because of bile salts released in your stool by the liver.
Bile salts are the result of cholesterol breakdown. Enzymes make bile acids out of cholesterol, and the acids turn into bile salts when in contact with sodium or potassium ions in the body.
When Is Colored Poop a Cause for Concern?
Other colored stools may or may not be concerning, depending on the color:
When To See a Healthcare Provider
Contact a healthcare provider if you have green poop with diarrhea that's not clearing up. Also, consult a healthcare provider if one of your medications seems to be causing a sour stomach and tinged stool.
You should see a healthcare provider if you have black, red, and pale stools to rule out serious conditions. With stools of any color, seek medical attention if they are accompanied by symptoms such as:
A Quick Review
Stools are normally brown, but you might experience green poop on occasion. Your poop can be green for a few different reasons, such as having a diet high in green veggies or taking antibiotics. In some cases, colored poop can raise concerns—especially if they are black, pale, or red. Seek medical care if you have these colored stools or if you're unsure what may be causing stool color changes.
There’s an expectation as to what you’ll see in the toilet after pooping. So when you look down into the water and spot something bright green… well, it’s safe to say a few questions might enter your mind.
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For answers, let’s turn to gastroenterologist Christine Lee, MD.
Let’s start with a basic fact: You’re not alone in finding an unexpectedly verdant dash of color in the toilet bowl following a splashdown. “The color and shade of a bowel movement can vary day by day,” says Dr. Lee. “It’s like life — always changing and never the same.”
So what causes it? Let’s look at some potential Technicolor triggers.
What you’re eating is the most likely explanation for green poop — especially if you tend to nibble on garden fares such as broccoli, kale and spinach. The chlorophyll that gives those vegetables their green color can do the same to your poop.
Other potential food and drink sources that could make you go green include:
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. Patrick’s Day cupcake with unnaturally bright green frosting.)
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. Lee.
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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.
“Turning green” has long been a phrase used to describe someone showing signs of an illness. The same can be said of your poop, too, notes Dr. Lee.
Greenish stool could indicate that you have a bacterial infection (salmonella or E. coli, for example), viral infection (norovirus) or a parasite (Giardia) causing a rapid transit “gush” of unabsorbed bile.
Green poop also could be a symptom of:
One word of caution, though, before you start fretting at the drop of a doo-doo: “All of these health issues are possible, but they’re not the norm,” says Dr. Lee. “If you feel perfectly fine and don’t have diarrhea, a different color bowel movement is most likely linked to something you ate.”
Any number of colors from the crayon box can pop up in your poop, says Dr. Lee. Fruits and food dyes offer a rainbow of options and are typically the most common cause of non-brown stool.
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However, there are medical issues sometimes associated with certain colors:
As mentioned, colorful poop isn’t all that unique and is usually connected to something you ate. Think back on what passed through your lips and you’ll probably come up with a simple (and perhaps even regrettable) reason for the burst of color.
That being said, oddly colored poop might indicate something that needs attention — particularly if it lingers or comes with symptoms such as abdominal pain, weight loss, bleeding, fever and vomiting. Pale poop or blood-tinged stool is of particular concern, too.
Call your doctor if symptoms fail to improve or resolve completely, says Dr. Lee.
“Pay attention to your bowel movements, but don’t worry too much if you see something unusual for a day,” says Dr. Lee. “There’s usually a very clear explanation that involves something you ate.”
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