Do you often see chunks of food, namely vegetables, in your poops?
For instance, you might see pieces of tomato, celery, green peppers and other undigested material.
You may also see seeds and nuts in your stools, such as sunflower seeds and pine nuts – which are full of healthy fats.
You may be wondering if eating multiple servings a day of vegetables and fruits is all in vein because so much of these foods end up in the toilet bowl.
“Yes, it is still healthy in most patients for them to keep eating vegetables even if there is some undigested material in the stool,” says Jeffrey S. Gold, MD, board certified family physician and owner of Gold Direct Care in Salem, MA.
“Some parts of veggies are just not digestible by humans such as cellulose which is present in many high fiber veggies.
“These veggies are extremely important to maintain digestive tract health and reduce risks of colon cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
“You are still able to absorb the important vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals from high fiber veggies.
“However, if there is severely loose stools, bloody stools or a high degree/amount of undigested food materials, you should consult with your personal doctor.”
Seeing a lot of undigested food in your bowel movements doesn’t mean you have cancer.
But you’ll want to make sure that you don’t mistake a little bit of blood for a little bit of red pepper, tomato or beets.
Dr. Gold is founder and owner of Gold Direct Care in Salem, MA: The first privately owned direct primary care practice in MA which eliminates third-party interference from the patient-doctor relationship.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
