BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls

Subject: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Mrrzy
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 03:34 PM

OK, sorry, don't read this if you're squeamish.

I have a question that none of my medical practitioners seem to be able to answer, so I'm asking y'all. Sorry ahead of time.

A few weeks, maybe a couple of months ago, my poop and that of my twins turned bright, kelly green. It was the prettiest thing, albeit a little scary. It went away in a few days, but has been coming back intermittently, and I have finally figured out what does it: parmesan cheese. Whenever I put parm on my spag, the next day, pretty pretty bright green. And also my kids'. We have been big fans of parm for years - didn't used to happen. We have not changed providers, we always get the "fresh-grated" (in theory) and never the Kraft can of who-knows-when-it-was-grated. The twins are more likely than I to put ONLY parm on their spag, I like sauce, and if I don't have any parm, then nothing changes for me.

No other symptoms. No pain. We don't really want it fixed (and the medics say not to worry) but I am deeply, deeply curious.

Any ideas on WHY or HOW? Thank you all.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 03:39 PM

You should consult a good nutritionist. I knew one who knew all about these kinds of things.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 03:40 PM

Have not heard of or experienced this with parm, but other foods, yes; purple grapes turn my poop green!

But BTW your parm can change even if the parm look exactly the same-- who kows where stuff really comes from?


Hm! I guess we need a song. "Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight" is not... quite... right, somehow. :~)

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: beardedbruce
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 03:47 PM

bright green sounds like bile- reaction to the fat content of the cheese?

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Peace
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 03:49 PM

Come in handy on St Patrick's Day.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: bobad
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 03:51 PM

Since both you and your children have this reaction I would venture a guess that you have either an inherited enzyme that is reacting with some substance in the parmesan or some peculiar intestinal flora which in either case is producing a pigmented metabolite.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 03:57 PM

Sorry to not have anything to contribute but I just have to let you know that I am literally rolling round the floor at Peace's reply.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: gnu
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 04:07 PM

Well, March 16th, really.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Jeri
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 04:16 PM

I want some! Seriously, I don't have a lot going on in my life and this would be something different. I ate a bunch of beets a while back and had beet-magenta poop. Not all that fun. Too close to red. It was, "OH MY GOD I HAVE RED POO AND I'M GOING TO D... oh yeah. Beets."

Somebody ought to write a book about rainbow crap. OK, I went surfing and when I stopped laughing, came back here to share: poopreport.com 6000 mL of Purplesaurus Rex Koolaid will do it. This is less cheery, but would bile cause Kelly green poop in three different people?

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 05:03 PM

I always assume the WWW has almost everything....but I have to admit.."Poopreport.com" got me!

Anyway...it seems that various colors are not that unusual...just as there are things that will affect urine color.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 05:36 PM

My wife, who is very fond of licorice, especially black jellybeans, tells me that eating lots of them will turn her poop green. I've never verified this for myself.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 06:12 PM

Just as a test, you might try some Romano in place of the Parmesan. It's a fairly similar flavor, and only about twice as expensive (but much harder to find) in my area.

If your market is similar to mine, the "snob value" of being able to tell your favorite Italian server that you "require the more expensive stuff" should be worth it, whether it does/doesn't produce the same result.

John

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Jack Campin
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 06:42 PM

I would guess you are getting a product which has been adulterated with a pH-sensitive food colouring. And since just about no legal food colouring is pH-sensitive, that suggests some sort of criminal fakery.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Peace
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 07:14 PM

First, there Parmesan and then there's Parmesan.

Some stuff marketed as Parmesan cheese (pre-grated) has so much additive in it that the real cheese is only about half what yer putting on yer pasta. The rest is stuff I have difficulty spelling.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Peace
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 07:24 PM

If it looked like this, then perhaps you have a problem!

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 07:25 PM

I'm laughing even more now.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 08:52 PM

Try a couple of different brands of the cheese and see what happens. And grate it yourself.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 12:54 AM

Italy has been having some problems with the cheese. I think it has mostly to do with mozarella and ricotta, but If you have Italian parmesan cheese you might want to do some research. I don't know if it would make it through the USDA Ag inpsectors stations, but then we know that they catch only a fraction of the problems that are around. The biggest cheese issue in Italy has to do with the trash problems in Naples (a trash strike leads to no pickup leads to pollution in the water, getting to the milk and cheese supply). Dioxin is the culprit there.

From About.com (used to be Mining Company, but now it is so full of ads I rarely go there, and keep my popup blocker on maximum strength):

Article one: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/gettingdiagnosed/a/green_stools.htm

The liver constantly a bright green fluid called bile that is secreted into the small intestine or stored in the gallbladder.

Bile is needed to absorb fats and fat soluble vitamins. It also helps to soften stools and is responsible for giving stools their characteristic brown color.

As bile makes its way through the intestines, it progressively changes color from green to yellow to brown, due to the action of bacteria in the large intestine on the bile salts.

Green stool often indicates that food has passed through the intestines faster than normal (called decreased bowel transit time), before it could be changed from green to brown.

Diarrhea decreases bowel transit time, so any condition that causes diarrhea can result in green stool.

Other causes of green stool include:
Laxative use
Antibiotic use
Medication side effects
Food poisoning
Celiac disease
Ulcerative colitis
Crohn's disease
Malabsorption
Irritable bowel syndrome
Bacterial overgrowth
Infectious diarrhea - especially salmonella and giardia
Traveler's diarrhea
Cancer
Foods and supplements that can cause green stool include:
Chlorophyll
Iron supplements
Algae

Another article: http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/otherdiseases/a/greenstool.htm

Stool that looks green in color is not necessarily a cause for alarm.
A question from my email:
"After I went to the bathroom today I was surprised to discover my stool was green! What can cause this? Should I be worried? Should I call the doctor?"

If you have the occasional green stool—don't panic! Most likely it is normal, and there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. Think about the foods you ate, any vitamins or supplements you took—even if they're not green in color.

There can be many reasons why stool appears to be green. The first and most obvious reason is eating green foods. Green, leafy vegetables contain chlorophyll which could be coloring the stool green. Foods with dark purple coloring like Kool-Aid, popsicles, and gelatin (Jell-O) can also result in rainbow-colored stools. Iron supplements or even foods that are rich in iron can also give stool a green tinge.

Stool can also appear green for physical reasons, and not just from what you've been eating. We think of a healthy stool as being brown. Bile that is secreted in the first part of the small intestine is actually green. As stool is digested and passed through the large intestine it is turned into a darker brown color.

If stool is still green by the time it is excreted, it could mean that it went through the large intestine too fast to be changed in color. This is often called "rapid transit" or "decreased colonic transit time" and diarrhea that is green in color could be the result.

In breast-fed babies, green stool is a normal occurrence, especially right after delivery. In older children, the reason could be food-related as described above, or even from non-food items. Eating or sucking on colored non-food items such as crayons might also turn stools different colors.

If green stool continues, or your bowel habits have changed in other ways, you may want to call your doctor. This is especially true if you are experiencing diarrhea which can be an indication of other problems or could lead to dehydration.

Google "green stool" health

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Mrrzy
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 08:57 PM

Thanks, all, yes, quite funny, some of you...

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 01 May 08 - 02:43 AM

If you feed a young baby skinless grapes...although light green in colour...the stool produced is emerald green and does the child no harm.....
Have you suffered any ill effects from the phenomenom...if not..is it really a problem? May be worth discussing with your doctor at next visit just to assure yourself that it is safe.
Best wishes, Mike.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 May 08 - 11:33 AM

Not, not a problem, and I've discussed it with all my doctors and nobody is worried - I am just CURIOUS.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 01 May 08 - 11:56 AM

Pre-grated cheese has to have more preservatives/colouring, as it has a greater surface area exposed to the air. Why go for that anyway? Just buy a piece of parmezan and grate it - freshly - yourself over the dish. Less wastage, as well as less packaging and processing, i.e. a better carbon footprint. And healthier too. And it will keep longer.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: frogprince
Date: 01 May 08 - 12:09 PM

I let Saint Patricks Day slip by this year without getting a shamock shake from McDonalds. I've noted in the past that, apparently, the green dye in them is indigestible.

Subject: RE: BS: (Almost literal) gross, but advice pls
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 May 08 - 05:48 PM

And with dogs, (sorry, Mrz...) some heartworm medications will turn the stool bright purple. At least you can find it to scoop it up!