What does the color of your poop mean?

Our stool is basically undigested food, protein, bacteria and salts, that is produced and released by our intestines. What color our stool is can be important to know. It could mean that you are healthy or you could have a hidden medical condition.

What is normal poop?

Normal poop is usually brown, with a strong smell.  A healthy bowel movement should be painless and require minimal strain . It should take only one minute for a person to pass out and push stool, but some people might take longer,so as a general rule, no more than 10 to 15 minutes. As per texture it should be anywhere between  firm and soft.

What does a person’s poop color mean?

While brown poop is considered the normal color of poop, some greenish-brown poop might also be normal and acceptable.

Stool can also be:

Red

Red color of the stool could be because of bleeding, either due to hemorrhoids or a sign of rectal bleeding.

Eating beets, cranberries, red gelatin, or tomato juice can also turn poop red. Once these foods have passed through the intestine, poop should be brown again.

Pale or white

If your stool comes out white, pale or chalky it means that your bile ducts are blocked. Bile is a digestive fluid which is made in the liver, stored in gallbladder, and is released into the small intestine to help digest food. 

Pale stool can also be due to the side effect of some certain medication that you might be taking, like anti diarrhea medicine. If your poop continues to be pale, it's best to consult with your health provider.

Green

Mostly green stool is normal. The most common reason why your poop might be green is because of what you ate, like spinach, kale or other green foods. However , a green stool can also mean that food passed quickly through your large intestine (diarrhea) , so the bile didn't have time to break it down completely .

Black 

A stool that is almost black, dark or tar like , could indicate that there is bleeding in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract.

Poop can also appear black from certain foods, supplements and medications, such as:

Iron supplements, activated charcoal supplements , blueberries, blackberries, grape juice..etc.

 Yellow 

If your stool is yellow or greasy looking, it means that your poop contains too much fat. This could be a sign that your body isn't digesting food properly.

Yellow poop can also be because of celiac disease. Which means that your body can not handle a protein called gluten. Gluten is in wheat, rye and barley. If you have the condition and you consume food that contains gluten, and your stool is yellow, it means that your  intestines aren't working as they should.

To conclude , most people will experience variation of poop color at some point. Usually it is due to their diet or some other minor causes. However , if the change of stool color lasts 2 or more weeks , or has red and black poop, you need to consult with your healthcare provider.