The color of your stool: what does it say about your health?

We all do it, but we don't talk about it easily. However, our bowel movements tell us a lot about our health and lifestyle. By observing your bowel movements, you can pick up important signals about what is happening in your body. Indeed, it is important to break the taboo and make bowel movements a topic of discussion. Only then can you better understand what your body needs.

Stool consists mainly of water, food residues that our body has not used, and intestinal bacteria. Our body needs water to break down nutrients and absorb them through our intestinal wall. The indigestible food residues ensure smooth bowel movements, and the bacteria come from our intestinal flora.

But our bowel movements are not the same every day, and there are also significant individual differences in terms of volume, frequency, shape, consistency and colour. All these factors tell us something about our lifestyle and health. The message is: look back in the potty!

Green stool

Green-coloured stools are usually harmless. If you have eaten a lot of green vegetables, such as broccoli or kale, your stools may take on a greener colour due to the presence of chlorophyll.

Another possible cause is rapid passage through the digestive tract. When food passes through your intestines too quickly, bile has less time to be broken down and remains green. This can happen, for example, due to diarrhoea, with or without an infection.

In newborn babies who are breastfed, the stool is often yellow-green. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about.

Yellow, greasy stools that stick to the toilet bowl usually indicate malabsorption. Your body is not absorbing fats properly. This can occur, for example, when there are insufficient pancreatic enzymes to digest the fat in your food.

Stress can also be a major cause of yellowish stools. It is mainly our stress hormones that prepare our body for stressful situations and thereby accelerate intestinal transit. This means that your stools do not have time to develop their normal brown colour. This is often accompanied by softer stools or even diarrhoea.

An infection accompanied by diarrhoea can also cause stools to turn yellowish in colour. This is because there is more water in the stools due to rapid intestinal transit. Intestinal cells produce extra fluid and mucus in response to the infection.

Black stools, also known as melena, can be caused by something relatively harmless, such as excessive iron intake. Eating spinach or blueberries, for example, can also cause this. However, it can also indicate bleeding in the upper part of the digestive tract, such as the stomach or oesophagus. Think of a stomach ulcer or inflammation. The blood is broken down and oxidised by stomach acid and enzymes, causing the stool to become very dark.

Black stools caused by dark-coloured food should normally return to a normal brown colour after a few days. If you are unsure of the cause of the black colour and it persists, it is best to contact your doctor. It is important to raise the alarm if the stools are black, tarry and sticky.

Bright red stools can be alarming, but the cause is not always serious. It is often due to eating red-coloured foods such as beetroot or red cabbage.

Above, we describe how black stools can indicate bleeding in the upper part of the digestive tract. Red-coloured stools, on the other hand, can be the result of bleeding in the lower part of your digestive system, such as haemorrhoids or a tear in the anus. If you experience regular or heavy bleeding, it is best to see your doctor as soon as possible.

If your stool is orange, it is also advisable to check whether you have recently eaten foods containing carotenoids. This is a natural pigment found in sweet potatoes, carrots and apricots, among other foods.

Grey, white or clay-like stools are a sign that there is no bile present. After all, it is the bilirubin in your bile that gives stool its brown or sometimes yellow-green colour. Possible causes include gallstones or liver problems. Because bile is necessary for the digestion of fats and the normal colour of stool, it is important to contact your doctor if you have discoloured stool.