Adults and children occasionally produce green stools for a variety of reasons, from antibiotic medications and health conditions to the food you ate last night. Provided you ate artificially dyed food or naturally green vegetables, such as broccoli or arugula, green stool is no cause for alarm. According to Mayoclinic.com, producing a green-colored bowel movement is a healthy occurrence after eating a meal of leafy green arugula.
The Green Agent
The dark green coloring of arugula comes from the plant nutrient known as chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a naturally occurring green pigment that enables arugula and other leafy green vegetables to convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. Sulfur, magnesium, iron and nitrogen are among the bonded chemical elements that create this new chlorophyll molecule. Dark green vegetables such as spinach contain more chlorophyll than light green vegetables such as sugar peas.
Digestive Absorption of Chlorophyll
In the 8.2 milligrams of chlorophyll in a cup of raw arugula are trace amounts of micronutrients, such as copper and chromium, and antioxidants, such as vitamins A, B and C. Despite its unchanging pigmentation, chlorophyll offers trace amounts of micronutrients, which your body absorbs during digestion. These micronutrients and antioxidants foster healthy cell growth and fight cancerous cells. Don't be misled by the green bowel movements that occur after eating arugula; your body still absorbs vital nutrients while digesting this organic compound.
How Arugula Turns Stool Green
After you eat arugula, your bloodstream absorbs the trace amounts of available micronutrients through your intestinal walls. Micronutrients are only a small part of the chlorophyll molecule, and since green pigmentation is useless to humans, the majority of the chlorophyll molecule passes directly through your digestive tract. As the green chlorophyll particles travel through your intestines, they attach to other unusable food elements, resulting in green stool.
Overlapping Concerns
Green stool after eating arugula is healthy, but consuming arugula contaminated with E. coli bacteria also results in green-colored bowel movements. Arugula becomes contaminated when the water used to store, grow or wash this leafy vegetable contains a specific strain of bacteria. Green stool is also symptomatic of E. coli poisoning, but only when accompanied by vomiting, stomach cramping and diarrhea.
References
- Mayoclinic.com: Green Stool -- Causes
- Ohio State University: Student Health Services Blog -- Why Is My Poop Green?
- American Cancer Society: Chlorella
- Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center -- Chlorophyll and Chlorophyllin
- Nutrition Research: Digestion, Absorption, and Cancer Preventative Activity of Dietary Chlorophyll Derivatives
- American Cancer Society: Antioxidant Fact Sheet
Member Comments