Can Food Change the Color of Your Poop?

Food that goes into your gut must come out — and it usually comes out in shades of brown. So it can be quite a surprise if your poop is suddenly red, green, orange or some other unexpected hue.

In some cases, crayon-colored stool is a clue that there’s a health issue that needs attention, says gastroenterologist Christine Lee, MD. Usually, though, that unusual tint comes down to diet.

“A lot of foods we eat can change the color of a bowel movement,” says Dr. Lee.

So let’s learn more about technicolor movements.

What foods can change the color of poop?

Stool gets its typical brownish color from bile, a greenish-brown fluid that aids digestion. That alone can lead to slight color changes day to day as bile levels in your gut naturally fluctuate, explains Dr. Lee.

But when you factor in the influence of foods you eat, you’re looking at a rainbow of possibilities.

Here are some common causes of colorful number twos.

Green vegetables

If you nibble on spinach, kale, broccoli and other vegetables like a rabbit in a garden, don’t be surprised to see bright green poop. That’s because the chlorophyll that gives veggies their green color can do the same to your stool.

Blueberries

Blueberries can paint your poo … well, blueish. (No surprise there, right? The color is in the fruit’s name, after all.) The tint can go so dark it looks almost black if you eat a lot of blueberries, too. Shades of green aren’t out of the question, either.

The tinting comes courtesy of pigments in anthocyanin, a compound in blueberries and other colorful fruits and flowers.

Beets

A red pigment called betanin gives beets their intense red color. Mix that into your digestive system and your stool can take on a blood-red color. “The results tend to scare some people,” notes Dr. Lee.

Eating beets also may turn your urine a bit reddish, a discoloration known as beeturia.

Pistachios

Ever wonder why pistachios are green? It’s a byproduct of chlorophyll (the same pigment that colors green vegetables) as well as other flavonoids and carotenoids packed into the heart-healthy nut.

Carrots

All that beta-carotene in carrots is good for you, but it can turn your waste orange. “You’d have to eat a lot of carrots, though,” Dr. Lee says. “We tend to see this more in people who guzzle carrot juice.”

Overindulging on carrots also can turn your skin an orange-like color, a condition known as carotenemia.

Eating nature’s rainbow

By now, you’ve probably caught on to the theme. If you eat a lot of green food, you might see a similar color pop out of your other end later. The list includes what was mentioned above plus avocados, various herbs, matcha (powdered green tea) … well, you get the picture.

The same holds true if you eat food that’s:

• Red (such as cherries or tomatoes)
• Purple (grapes or plums)
• Orange (sweet potatoes, squash or pumpkin)

Food dyes

Bright frosting on a cupcake can turn your poo into some interesting (and unnatural) shades. That’s the power of artificial food coloring, which continues tinting whatever it touches even after it's consumed.

If you scarf handfuls of rainbow-colored candy, the colors might even mix to turn your poo black. (As you might expect, black licorice can do the same thing.)

Supplements and medicines

Medicines can do weird things to the color of your bowel movements. Some antibiotics may tint poop yellow or green, for instance. That bubblegum-pink Pepto-Bismol® you swallow for an upset stomach can turn stool jet black.

And if you’re taking iron supplements, don’t be surprised to see your poop turn a dark green or even blackish, says Dr. Lee.

When to see a doctor about color concerns

Any food-related tint should disappear quickly once the source is flushed from your system, notes Dr. Lee. The process could take a few days.

But if the unusual colors linger, it could be a sign that something more is going on, cautions Dr. Lee. That’s especially true if you can’t connect the odd-looking hue to something that hit your belly.

Unexplained colors could be a sign of issues such as:

• Bacterial infection, viral infection or a parasite
• Internal bleeding or rectal bleeding (from hemorrhoids or anal fissures)
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Ulcers
• Liver, gallbladder or pancreas disorders

Touch base with your healthcare provider if your poop refuses to go back to boring brown, especially if the unusual shade is accompanied by other symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, pain, fatigue, fever or rectal bleeding.

“These are considered alarm features that deserve prompt medical attention,” says Dr. Lee.

The best rule of thumb? “Ask yourself ‘How are you feeling?’ to put everything in context,” advises Dr. Lee. “If you feel normal and don’t have diarrhea, the majority of the time colored stool stems from something you ate and will resolve without intervention.”