Certain plant foods, such as corn and grape skins, are often recognizable in stool. That's because the human body lacks the enzymes needed to digest certain parts of plant cell walls. Eating more slowly and chewing each bite thoroughly can help. If you see undigested food in your stool regularly and you also have other changes in your bowel habits, like diarrhea or stomach cramps, it's a good idea to consult with your healthcare provider.
Bright red stool can be caused by beets, cranberries, tomato juice or soup, or products containing red food coloring, like Kool-Aid or red licorice. Red medicines, such as amoxicillin, may also turn stool red. If there is blood in your stool, the color depends on where the bleeding takes place in the digestive tract. Blood from the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, such as the stomach or esophagus, will look dark by the time it exits the body as a bowel movement.
Blood that is bright red is more likely to come from the lower gastrointestinal tract, such as the large intestine or rectum. This may be caused by hemorrhoids, anal fissures, ulcerative colitis , diverticulosis, or colon cancer , among other conditions. Blood in the stool doesn't always appear bright red.
Blood may be also present in stool but not visible—this is known as "occult" blood. The fecal occult blood test is a common test used to detect hidden blood in the stool. Certain foods, supplements, and medications can temporarily turn stool black, such as:. Stool can also appear darker with constipation. Dark green stool from bile that hasn't had time to break down may look black in certain lighting.
Stool that is almost black, dark, or tar-like with a thick consistency may mean there is bleeding in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. Medical conditions that can cause dark, tar-like stool include duodenal or gastric ulcers, esophageal varices , a Mallory-Weiss tear, and gastritis. If you experience black stool and it is not from food or supplements, you should see your healthcare provider as soon as possible. While it's normal for bowel movements to vary from day to day depending on what you eat and drink, stool should generally be some shade of brown.
Stools should leave the body with little straining or discomfort, have a toothpaste-like consistency, and look more like a banana than a pencil. You shouldn't see mucus or blood. Be sure to see your healthcare provider right away if your stool is bright red, black, or pale, or if you have additional symptoms like abdominal pain. You should also see your healthcare provider if it is consistently thin or pencil-like, loose or watery, or accompanied by mucus or pus.
Most day-to-day variations in the appearance of your stool have to do with what you eat or drink. While the biggest concerns are unusual poop colors or shapes that persist, consult your healthcare provider if you're concerned about your stool, or if you notice any changes in your bowel habits or additional symptoms. A number of factors could be causing a change in your stool's color, shape, or consistency.
Some factors are less concerning than others. For example, if you are constipated, if your stool is pebble-shaped, or if it sinks quickly, you may simply need to add more fiber to your diet. However, keep in mind that seemingly harmless changes, like stool that is pencil-thin, can actually be a sign of a life-threatening condition.
Since pencil-thin stool is also a sign of colon cancer, being able to recognize the change in shape may, in turn, help your healthcare provider make an early diagnosis. Steatorrhea is defined as an increase in the amount of fat in stool. Steatorrhea can cause stool to float and appear pale or light-colored.
Its causes can include diseases affecting the small intestine, a bile acid deficiency, or celiac disease. Visible mucus in stool can indicate the presence of an underlying health condition. Causes for it can include ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome IBS , Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, constipation, dehydration, or a bacterial infection.
Dark stool can be temporarily caused by certain foods, supplements, or medications. Examples include Pepto-Bismol, iron supplements, or eating dark foods like blueberries, blackberries, and Oreo cookies. Dark stool usually isn't cause for concern unless it stays dark for an extended amount of time or becomes black and tar-like, which could indicate bleeding in the digestive tract. Black stool can be a sign of bleeding in the upper digestive tract, including the stomach and small intestine.
It can be caused by inflammation of the intestinal lining, abnormal blood vessels, stomach ulcers, and other issues. If you notice this change in your stool, contact your healthcare provider right away. Occasionally checking the consistency and color of your poop can help you monitor your health. The poop's color can simply be a sign of what you recently ate, or it could be an indication of a health issue.
If your stool shows an unusual color or shape that persists over an extended amount of time, contact your healthcare provider so they can check it out. Gas pain? Stool issues?
Sign up for the best tips to take care of your stomach. Canadian Society of Intestinal Research. The scoop on poop. United European Gastroenterol j. Green feces. Food and Drug Administration. Interactive nutrition facts label. Sweetser S. Evaluating the patient with diarrhea: a case-based approach. Mayo Clin Proc. Andrews CN, Storr M. The pathophysiology of chronic constipation. Can J Gastroenterol. Harvard Health Publishing.
Is something in your diet causing diarrhea? Published December Oude munnink BB, Van der hoek L. Viruses causing gastroenteritis: The known, the new and those beyond. Hansson GC. Role of mucus layers in gut infection and inflammation. Curr Opin Microbiol. 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.
These may include nausea, vomiting blood, or a feeling of fullness. Common causes of rectal bleeding include :. It is worth having a quick look at stool before flushing it away. Stool is a very good indicator of whether the digestive system is working properly. It may provide a clue to illnesses such as those mentioned above. According to the Bristol Stool Chart , there are seven shapes and consistencies of human stool. As a general rule, type 3 or 4 is the ideal stool, as it is easy to pass but not too watery.
Type 1 or 2 means that a person is probably constipated. Type 5, 6, or 7 indicates that a person probably has diarrhea. This chart helps doctors identify problems and correlate the time food takes to pass through the digestive system.
The shape and form of stool may also help doctors make a correct diagnosis. Poop owes its normal, brown color to bile, a substance produced by our liver that helps us digest fats, says Dr.
Though bile is naturally green, its pigments change color to yellow and brown as they travel through your digestive system and are broken down by enzymes. If your excrement is brown and solid , you have no obvious reason for concern. It is usually attributed to something you ate, adds Nandi. Eating lots of green, leafy vegetables like spinach or kale — rich in the pigment chlorophyll — will easily give your feces an emerald hue.
Whitish, clay-colored poop is caused by a lack of bile, which can stem from a blockage of bile ducts. Gallstones are one possible culprit of such an obstruction, says Dr. But if you see white poop without any of the aforementioned symptoms, you can wait to see a doctor, Swaminath says. Yellow poop is another potential indicator of bile shortage, which, again, may be related to obstructed bile ducts.
It can also mean that the pancreas is not secreting enough enzymes needed for digestion. When people prep for a colonoscopy , their stool becomes diluted and can also turn yellow, says Nandi. Yellow poop can also arise from excess fat in stool , often due to an inability to break down foods, such as gluten for someone living with celiac disease.
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