Food poisoning or a gut infection like food poisoning/gastroenteritis might be the cause. The green colour of poo, if someone has a gut infection, is usually caused by the bacteria salmonella, a parasite called giardia, or a virus called norovirus.
Most stomach bugs are always followed by pale stools or diarrhoea. If you're experiencing either of these symptoms, you must seek medical attention as soon as possible. Why do people get stomach bugs? Stomach bugs, also known as gastroenteritis, are caused by a variety of viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
Bile is what gives your poop its brown color. If your liver or gallbladder are having trouble making bile or if the bile is blocked from getting out, your stool may have a pale or yellowish color and your poop may be diarrhea at times.
If your stool is green, it usually means that you have changed your diet slightly or your food is traveling through the large intestines faster than normal so it doesn't have enough time to break down and change color. Green stool may be caused by: Diarrhea, since food is moving through your intestines faster.
Watery, usually nonbloody diarrhea — bloody diarrhea usually means you have a different, more severe infection. Nausea, vomiting or both.
If the pancreas is inflamed, it may not produce enough bile, which can lead to white or pale-colored stool. In most cases, white stool after a stomach bug will go away. However, if it persists for more than a week, it is important to see a doctor.
As a general rule, you should speak to your doctor if your stools are clay-colored, yellow, orange, green, bright red, dark red, or black. These may be a sign of a serious medical condition that requires attention. If you have IBS, the appearance of stools can vary based on whether you have IBS-D, IBS-C, or IBS-M.
Yellow/Pale Brown/Grey: Bright yellow diarrhea can signify a condition known as Giardiasis (see sidebar). Stool that is yellow or pale can also result from reduced production of bile salts, since a normal, brown-coloured stool acquires its hue from breaking down bile.
Yellow stool by itself does not lead to complications, but the underlying cause of it might. Yellow stool may indicate a malabsorption disorder caused by a parasite, illness, or disease. Malabsorption of fat can lead to an increased fat content in stools, which can be pale, large, foul-smelling, and loose.
Green stool can also be a sign of food poisoning. It may also mean that food is moving too quickly through your large intestine and is common in people with conditions like colitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Yellowish bowel movements can be caused by a variety of processes in the abdominal organs. Most people experience abdominal or stomach pain from time to time, but when abdominal pain is accompanied by yellow bowel movements, this can indicate a bile drainage disorder.
Nausea. Diarrhea (watery or bloody in dysentery) Vomiting. Abdominal pain.
Acute gastroenteritis—diarrhoea or vomiting (or both) of more than seven days duration—may be accompanied by fever, abdominal pain, and anorexia. Diarrhoea is the passage of excessively liquid or frequent stools with increased water content.
Gastroenteritis symptoms usually last for 1 to 2 days, but occasionally they may persist for as long as 10 days. CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the diarrhoea and vomiting Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.
COVID-19-related diarrhea and nausea
Diarrhea caused by COVID-19 tends to be more watery, yellow or green in color. It may be accompanied by cramping and bloating. If you have COVID-19, you will likely develop other symptoms within a day or two, such as fever, cough, congestion and/or loss of taste and smell.
Watery diarrhea can result from infections and various chronic conditions. Ways of managing it include drinking plenty of water, avoiding foods that make it worse, and taking medications to treat diarrhea or an underlying condition.
Bloody stool may look coated in red, or you may notice spots of red in it. If you can't explain the red color by your food choices, get in touch with a primary care doctor. Yellow poop: If your poop is yellow, greasy and stinky, it probably means that you've been eating too much fat.
With gastroenteritis, the main symptoms you probably have are watery diarrhea and vomiting. You might also have stomach pain, cramping, fever, nausea, and a headache. Because of diarrhea and vomiting, you also can become dehydrated.
Your doctor will likely diagnose viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) based on symptoms, a physical exam and sometimes on the presence of similar cases in your community. A rapid stool test can detect rotavirus or norovirus, but there are no quick tests for other viruses that cause gastroenteritis.
Gastroenteritis caused by the Rotavirus
Stools will often have a milky muddy water color which can be lemon yellow to milky white with a strong smell. The infection may be accompanied with a high-grade fever.