How to Prevent Green Poop

Green poop is usually not a cause for concern, but many of us want it to return its illustrious, natural brown shade. As scary as it sounds, it's actually not that hard to do. Instead of posting on too many health boards about the virile, foresty color of yesterday's lunch, follow these tips instead to prevent green poop.

Prevent Green Poop: Cut the Iron
If your diet is rich in iron, or you have recently increased the amount of iron you consume, your poop will inevitably turn green. To prevent green poop, simply reduce your iron intake.

Taking iron supplements? Lower the dose or stop cold turkey (with doctor's approval, of course). Watch the green fade away.

Are you eating too many iron rich foods? Lower your intake. Bad news for bodybuilders: iron rich foods include most meats, seafood, green leafy vegetables, dried beans, most nuts, and dried fruits. Egg yolks also contain a substantial amount of iron. If you can't sacrifice a lean core, learn to live with the familiar aroma of iron-colored stools.

Prevent Green Poop: Dye Out Food Coloring
Foods with a rich green, blue, or even black color also cause green stools. Most of the time, if you have not altered your diet, food coloring is the culprit. Kool-Aid is well known for dying food all colors of the rainbow, along with licorice, most processed junk food, and cereal. If you want to prevent green poop, put away the Lucky Charms and stop chugging the Kool-Aid. It's not healthy, either.

Prevent Green Poop: Check Your Vitamins
Strangely enough, what might be good for you could factor in on its color. Some vitamins, including vitamins with iron, can stain poop green (even bright green in some instances). You won't die from pinching too many Irish loaves, but the best way to lose its interesting color is to change vitamins. Look for vitamins that are not iron-fortified, as it will brighten the color of your poop.

Prevent Green Poop: Be Kind to Yourself
Like with most bowel issues, eating right and drinking plenty of water goes a long way. In this case, all the way to your stools. If you haven't already, make sure to drink eight full glasses of water per day. Don't forget to get those veggies (the non-iron kind) in and get plenty of exercise to normalize your stools. The health of your body? Utterly important. Prevent green poop by altering your diet and treating yourself right -- you'll be "blown" away by the results.

Sources:
"Facts About Poop", SmellyPoop.com