Most people are used to their poop being brown in appearance. When it suddenly changes to green, it can cause some concern. You may ask yourself, “What does green poop mean?” Luckily, you can rest easy. Green poop is usually nothing to worry about, but there are times when you should feel concerned when you see dark green poop in the toilet bowl.
In Most Cases, It Is Nothing To Worry About
The color of your feces is typically indicative of your diet. In the event you have consumed foods with a lot of chlorophyll, which is an antioxidant and pigment that makes plants green, then your poop will naturally be green in appearance, too. Therefore, if you eat a lot of leafy greens, which is a good thing, then you should not worry if your poop turns green. Additionally, if you consume any food with green food coloring, which may be the case for St. Patrick’s Day, then your feces will turn green.
Additionally, green feces may indicate that bile is present in your stool. This means food moved too quickly through your system. As long as it is only one instance of green feces, you have nothing to fret. If your stool turns back to normal the next day, then you can simply ignore changes to coloring.
There Are Cases When You Do Need To Worry
Bile plays an integral part in the digestive process, and as it goes through your system, it changes color from green to brown. If you have dark green poop on a regular basis, then it could indicate several health problems. It could indicate your body is not properly absorbing and digesting essential nutrients. It could also mean you have a bacterial infection in your digestive tract, such as the Norwalk virus or E. coli. You know you have this condition if green feces comes accompanied by vomiting and cramping.
Finally, in rare cases, green stool indicates the presence of parasites. This can occur if you consume undercooked meat or drink contaminated water.
There Is a Solution
If you are concerned about green poop, then you should consider substituting coconut oil
for any unhealthy fats. You can also consume fewer fats that could be placing too much exertion on your liver. Healthy poop should be brown and in one solid piece. Additionally, you should have between one and three bowel movements a day. At the end of the day, anyone worried about their stool appearance can see a doctor for further advice.
