Why Is Your Poop Green? Should You be Worried Or Is It Completely Normal?

Poop turning green is completely normal and happens to many people. If the only change you notice is the color, there’s usually nothing to worry about. But why does poop turn green? 

One of the biggest reasons is the food you eat. If you eat a lot of green vegetables like spinach or broccoli, their natural green pigment called chlorophyll can pass through your digestive system and change the color of your poop. It’s not just vegetables—other foods can also make your poop green, such as blueberries, green apples, basil, coriander, green tea powder (matcha), and even pistachios. If food is the reason, your poop will go back to normal in a day or two.

Another common reason is food dye. If you eat foods with green coloring, like green cakes, candies, or drinks, the artificial color can pass through your system and affect your poop color. Sometimes, even blue or purple food dye can mix with digestive juices and make poop look green. But don’t worry—once the dye leaves your body, everything returns to normal.

Certain medicines can also change poop color, especially antibiotics. These medicines affect the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut, which can sometimes make poop turn green. If you have diarrhea, bile juice might not get fully broken down, making your poop look green as well.

Infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites can also be a reason. Some common ones include Salmonella, E. Coli, Norovirus, and Giardia. If you have green poop along with stomach pain, vomiting, or weakness, it might be due to an infection, and you should see a doctor.

Some digestive diseases can also cause green poop. Conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn’s Disease can affect digestion and sometimes lead to green-colored poop. If you’ve had gallbladder surgery, you might also experience this change.

But when should you see a doctor? If your poop stays green for a long time and you also have symptoms like severe stomach pain, weight loss, blood in poop, very light-colored poop, high fever, or continuous vomiting, it’s best to get checked by a doctor.

So, the next time you see green poop, think about what you ate recently.

Source:-1. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/green-poop 

2. https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-do-different-poop-colors-mean 

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25681196/ 

4. https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Bristol-stool-chart-for-carer-web-version.pdf 

5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8629020/