Her Poop Turned Green

[Minette]

I haven't been monitoring Sarah's poop since she went gluten-free (6 days ago), but I happened to be in the bathroom while she was going yesterday, and it was green! I know poop can turn lots of colors for lots of reasons, but did any of your kids have this?

She is also still really constipated, just like always. Not too surprising, since, except for replacing regular mac & cheese with gluten-free, her diet hasn't changed (yet).

[kareng]

Might be something she ate. My hub ate some " black" colored corn chips and got scared when his poop turned green. Lots of other things can cause it. If its from a food, it should go back to normal color in a day or two.

[GFreeMO]

My friends non-celiac kids had this happen from colored cereal and those gummy fruit snacks. I wouldn't worry.

[Kelleybean]

I haven't been monitoring Sarah's poop since she went gluten-free (6 days ago), but I happened to be in the bathroom while she was going yesterday, and it was green! I know poop can turn lots of colors for lots of reasons, but did any of your kids have this?

She is also still really constipated, just like always. Not too surprising, since, except for replacing regular mac & cheese with gluten-free, her diet hasn't changed (yet).

Did she have blueberries by any chance? That always happens when my son has them.

[Minette]

She doesn't eat blueberries, but she does eat a ton of gummi-fruit things (fruit by the foot, etc.). That was probably it.

I wasn't really worried, just curious whether it was possibly related to giving up gluten or just random.

[Sesara]

Have you noticed lactose issues with her ever? Dairy can sometimes cause green stools, and Celiac children are notorious for having lactose tolerance issues until they heal, and then it varies.

[Minette]

That's a good point. She stopped drinking milk about 2 years ago (her choice) because she said it made her stomach hurt. But she continued to eat ice cream and mac & cheese (and is still eating them after going gluten-free) and never seemed to have a problem with them.

On the other hand, she ate mac & cheese literally ever day, so if she did have a problem with it, we wouldn't have been able to distinguish that from the celiac symptoms.

I've been really reluctant to cut out lactose (even temporarily) because her diet is so limited already, and she hasn't actually been complaining of stomach aches. But I'll keep an eye on it.

[Sesara]

That's a good point. She stopped drinking milk about 2 years ago (her choice) because she said it made her stomach hurt. But she continued to eat ice cream and mac & cheese (and is still eating them after going gluten-free) and never seemed to have a problem with them.

On the other hand, she ate mac & cheese literally ever day, so if she did have a problem with it, we wouldn't have been able to distinguish that from the celiac symptoms.

I've been really reluctant to cut out lactose (even temporarily) because her diet is so limited already, and she hasn't actually been complaining of stomach aches. But I'll keep an eye on it.

My son never had any problems with lactose or dairy until the chronic diarrhea started around 18 months. Then, we could tell immediately because his stools would become pale or green depending on what and how much he had been eating. Since we went gluten free, we are trying to do at least 6-8 weeks of strict adherence to a gut healing protocol, depending on our results, and have totally cut out dairy as part of that. Unfortunately, I don't know of any truly acceptable substitutes for cheese, though I will say that coconut milk-based substitutes for milk and ice cream have both been big hits around here, as well as unrefined coconut oil for butter. I look forward to re-introducing it to him, but it's also a good opportunity to get him trying new, simple healthy foods. Look at paleo as well as gluten free blogs for simple ideas if you do decide.

[Mom2J112903]

If she is eating more colored foods, that can be the culprit.

My son's BM's are almost always green but he is on an elemental formula and those are known to change the color of stool.

[melaniesilvers]

My 4 yr old's poop was green too. When we eliminated lactose, that got better within a week. I was anxious about reducing his diet again (since going gluten free). SOME (not all) GIs will allow you to give your child a lactaid tablet before feeding your child lactose. We have switched to lactose free regular milk and lactose free yoplait yogurt. Both are very good and my son will tolerate them. However, cheese was disgusting. We choose to eliminate cheese for the meantime. It is also important to remember different food have lesser amounts of lactose - hard cheeses and yogurt are easier for those that have an issue digesting lactose. One big side effect of difficulty digesting lactose is green poop.

[Sesara]

My 4 yr old's poop was green too. When we eliminated lactose, that got better within a week. I was anxious about reducing his diet again (since going gluten free). SOME (not all) GIs will allow you to give your child a lactaid tablet before feeding your child lactose. We have switched to lactose free regular milk and lactose free yoplait yogurt. Both are very good and my son will tolerate them. However, cheese was disgusting. We choose to eliminate cheese for the meantime. It is also important to remember different food have lesser amounts of lactose - hard cheeses and yogurt are easier for those that have an issue digesting lactose. One big side effect of difficulty digesting lactose is green poop.

Naturally lactose free cheese is great. My son would eat a ton of aged gouda if I would just let him. We've been completely dairy free for the last 6 weeks, but I'm thinking about trying out a few bites of lactose free cheese on him just to see if it has any effect, since he misses cheese so much.