The Shocking Reason Why You Have Dark Green Poop

Before you get nervous because you see dark green poop inside your toilet, you should at least find out exactly what your poop is made out of. Simply, it is about seventy five percent water and about twenty five percent waste. That 25% contains food, bacteria, and a lot of other substances that combine to make your body's primary way of getting rid of the substances that are toxic to it. That being said, it is the 25% that turns funny colors, and you'll be surprised when you find out why.

There are quite a few reasons why a stool may turn a shade of green. Before we go any further, you should know that a good portion of the time, a green movement is not really a cause for alarm. There is really only one case in which you should visit a doctor, and we'll cover that in a minute.

So what are some of the more harmless reasons for a dark green poop? They almost all have something to do with what you ate. Most people don't know that if you have a cold and you've been inadvertently swallowing postnasal drip, this may cause your waste to turn a greenish color. Along the same lines, if you've recently changed your diet to include a large amount of green leafy foods, you may see a discoloration because of this. Not necessarily if you've been eating them all along, as research has shown that it is the change in the diet, not the diet itself, that shocks the system into turning it colors.

You may also see the green color due to food poisoning, excessive laxative intake, or simply getting diarrhea from getting sick. None of these, although they may be very unpleasant, are cause for alarm. Your body should naturally clear itself of whatever is making your poop turn that shade of green and flush your system naturally. If it persists for any more than four days, you should go see your doctor, as it could be a sign of another, separate, underlying problem.

There are, however, a few cases in which the green stool can be cause for alarm. The first of which is that it could be a sign that you have Crohn's disease... something that should not go untreated. It may also be a sign that you have what is called bacterial overgrowth, which means that you have too much bacteria in your system. Our systems rely on a certain amount of bacteria to assist in certain processes, like break down waste, and if that bacteria gets out of hand, sometimes that may be an indication that you have a bacterial problem. It may be a good idea to visit your health care professional if this is the case.