# color of stool relative to my diet?



## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I've become increasingly concerned about the color of my stool recently. Its always loose, watery, or very soft and not formed. And its been a light brownish to gold to yellow color. I've been worried it could be gallbladder issues but I have no other symptoms otherwise. I worry though because that's one of the only things I've never had a test for. My gi didn't feel at the time that it was necessary. But could these stool colors may be because during my flares I eat bland things and exclude meat and veggies? If I were to try to fix my diet what would be the best for me to maybe both bulk up my stools and change them from these light colors to a more normal color?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Stool enters the colon loose/watery and yellow/gold or green in color.

Every time. No matter what you do or do not eat.

The yellow/gold or green color comes from the bile acids so your gall bladder is releasing enough. Now it can release too much, so if the watery diarrhea tends to feel burny as it exits, that can be an over-enthusiastic gall bladder that kind of works too well. If you eat very low fat does the diarrhea go away? The more fat you eat the more bile the gall bladder will release.

Eating more meat or veggies probably won't make the color be different when it enters the colon.

How stool becomes brown. Over time, as the bacteria in the colon work on the stool they turn that yellow/gold or green color to dark brown. One of the reasons babies have baby poop gold stools (or sometimes green, some people's bile is green rather than yellow) is they don't have enough bacteria in the colon, yet, to change the color.

Usually if the gall bladder stops working you lose all the color from the stool, not it comes out of the end the color it went into the colon. So an off-white is more of a gall bladder is blocked up than yellow/gold.

Anything that slows down the diarrhea should help. Do you do well on a low carb diet or a low FODMAP diet, or do you do better on the lots of bland starchy foods?

If you want to go more the supplement route check out the Calcium threads in the diarrhea forum. If you don't mind medications usually starting with Imodium is the way to go.


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I thought the bland starchy foods were helping but I'm beginning to think that they aren't. I may have to try the fodmap diet. It seems like each flare up reacts differently to different foods. Its getting confusing. I eat a pretty low fat diet. No fried foods, fast food, greasy food etc. So..its confusing for sure.


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

i should also mention that i'm insanely stressed. im starting a new job. my boyfriend lost his job too. we cant pay our bills. his dad paid our rent last month. my mom just gave me money for groceries and im at a total low in my life. im assuming this is a big contributing factor to these worsening symptoms. along with the strange colors im experiencing my stools seem to be really thin and even though they're soft and thin i have to push to get them out. my diet hasn't changed much other than i'm barely eating due to stress and constantly having no appetite or being nauseous and anxious. hopefully things will even out once im over this stressful time


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## Brownish72 (Aug 26, 2012)

Loose, water, unformed stool can be indications of fast transit, which could lead to other issues, but there are dietary ways of working on motility issues. The low fodmap diet is a great option as you have mentioned above, and so are many low-carb diets like Paleo, SCD, GAPS. However, if this is the case: fast transit also results in lighter color, yelllow to green stools. Simply for the reasons that Kathleen mentioned in her first post. Stool starts out those colors, and doesn't change color until further down in the large intestine, and when stool is moving through too quickly, it simply doesn't change color.

If its temporary, I wouldn't stress about it. Immodium may be able to help you out, or simply Pepto. Calcium Carbonate works wonders for many people on these forums as well. A good bet is to go ask a pharmacist what they think. If it continues, than dietary changes would most likely be needed. However, as you described, your very stressed at this moment, and it could be temporary.

As with my experience, starchy foods are what I avoid, because of the complexity of the carbohyrdate, it takes some complex breaking down before digestion. Because of this, when I had fast transit issues, food was cruising through undigested, it was yellow, and I wasn't getting the nutrients from the food. If you cook: I suggest a good homemade vegetable broth, and after several hours of cooking, blend the veggies with a mixer to make a purée. It will taste awesome, and be easy on your stomach to take in the nutrients. Also, sticky rice, like that used in sushi, can help with diarrhea. That is a little counter-intuitive to what I talked about avoiding starchy foods, because rice contains starch, but: plain white rice that is really well cooked seems to help a lot of people as well with diarrhea / fast transit. Some suggest boiling it for 45 min, making sure there is extra water, and drinking the water than is left over as well as the rice. Its easy to do, and it may help out!

Stress is quite a big player in IBS with my experience. Taking time to breath and calm down is quite important. Many times it is easy said than done! However, a cup of mint tea and 2 minutes to yourself can make the difference for the day.

Best of luck


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I think that's why my gi didn't check my gallbladder. I have no pain or pale/gray stools. I started on my attempt at a better diet today. I had an orange and some fiber cereal for breakfast. So..hopefully healthier foods on a better schedule will help ease these symptoms. I've never had motility issues in the past that I'm aware of but I do know that stress causes me a ton of gastrointestinal distress. If it doesn't clear up soon ill check back with my doctor.


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