What Does Green Stool Mean? Stool Color Chart

What does green stool mean?

Green stool may be due to eating certain foods or taking iron supplements.

The normal color of the stool is brown, although green or greenish stool is also considered normal. The most common causes of green stool include

• Eating green veggies such as spinach and kale
• Ingesting green food coloring
• Taking iron supplements

Sometimes during diarrhea when the food moves through the intestine rapidly, there isn’t enough time for the bile to break down the food completely. This may also cause green stools.

Which foods can change the color of stools?

Foods can play a major role in changing the color of stools, which include

• Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale (green)
• Green food coloring used in drinks or ice pops (green)
• Iron supplements (green or black)
• Gluten-rich foods such as wheat, barley or rye (yellow)
• Bread, pasta and cookies (yellow)
• Barium (black)
• Black licorice (black)
• Blueberries (black)
• Beets (red)
• Tomato soup (red)
• Gelatin dessert (red or orange)
• Red drinks (red)
• Carrots (orange)
• Winter squash (orange)
• Pumpkin (orange)
• Sweet potatoes (orange)
• Sodas (orange)
• Candy (orange)

What causes a color change in the stools?

Some common causes of color change in the stools include

What are the symptoms associated with stool color changes?

Symptoms associated with the stool color may be due to an underlying condition. In many cases, there may be no symptoms at all. Accompanying symptoms include the following

When should I seek medical care for stool color changes?

If the stool color changes are due to changes in the diet, it will resolve on its own. If there’s a persistent change in the color of the stool, you should seek immediate medical attention. 

Additionally, contact a physician if you observe the following symptoms