Does juicing change your stool?
Juicing has become an increasingly popular way for people to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. By extracting the liquid from fresh produce, juicing proponents claim you can get a concentrated dose of vitamins, minerals, and plant nutrients. However, one side effect of juicing that isn’t often discussed is its impact on digestion and stool.
When you juice fruits and veggies, you remove the insoluble fiber content. This fiber helps give structure to stool and influences gastrointestinal transit time. Thus, drinking juice instead of eating whole fruits and vegetables may affect bowel habits.
This article explores how juicing may impact your stool, including stool color, texture, frequency, and more. We’ll also provide tips to minimize undesirable effects.
How Juicing Affects Fiber Content
Plant foods contain two types of fiber:
- Soluble fiber – dissolves in water to form a gel-like material
- Insoluble fiber – does not dissolve, aids in forming stool
Juicing extracts the juice and leaves behind the insoluble fiber in the discarded pulp. For example, a 6 oz (170 ml) glass of spinach juice contains only 0.5 grams of fiber, compared to 2.2 grams in 1 cup (30 grams) of chopped raw spinach.
While soluble fiber remains intact, the large reduction in insoluble fiber content is where juice falls short compared to whole fruits and veggies.
How Fiber Affects Stool
Insoluble fiber plays a key role in promoting regularity. It:
- Adds bulk to stool to ease passage
- Helps maintain loose, soft stool consistency
- Influences stool weight and transit time
With insufficient insoluble fiber, stools become less bulky and frequent. Thus, juicing consistently may lead to changes like constipation, straining, lumpy stools, and intestinal discomfort in some people.
Impact of Juicing on Stool Color
Juicing large amounts of carrots, beets, spinach, and other colorful produce can dramatically change stool appearance.
For example, compounds called carotenoids in carrots and greens can impart an orange or greenish hue. Dark purple produce like beets may make stool appear maroon or tar-like.
While this can be alarming, it’s usually harmless. Below are some common stool colors and what may cause them when juicing:
| Stool Color | Produce Cause |
|---|---|
| Orange | Carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, apricots |
| Green | Spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli, kiwi, matcha |
| Yellow | Apples, lemons, bananas, turmeric |
| Red or maroon | Beets, tomatoes, red cabbage, cranberries |
| Black or gray | Activated charcoal |
While this staining is normal, extremely dark stool that persists could indicate bleeding in the GI tract. Check with your doctor if concerned.
Tips to Prevent and Relieve Constipation from Juicing
To help maintain regularity when juicing, consider these tips:
- Drink juice in moderation as part of a balanced diet. Aim for no more than 24 ounces (710 ml) per day.
- Add some diced fruit or pulp back into juice drinks for extra fiber.
- Consume whole fruits and vegetables too, not just juice.
- Include insoluble fiber sources like nuts, seeds, beans, oats, or bran cereal.
- Stay well hydrated by drinking water throughout the day.
- Engage in regular physical activity to support healthy transit time.
- Consider a fiber supplement like psyllium or methylcellulose, if needed.
If constipation persists, slowly reduce juice intake or take a break. Be sure to consume plenty of fiber from whole produce, fiber-rich foods, and water to get stool back to normal.
Other Possible Digestive Effects of Juicing
In addition to stool changes, juicing may impact digestion in other ways:
- Gas and bloating. The high fiber content of produce can cause gas. Removing fiber via juicing may help.
- Less satiety. The fiber removed in juicing aids fullness from whole fruits and veggies.
- Blood sugar spikes. Juice spikes blood sugar more than whole produce due to less fiber.
- Nutrient changes. Juicing makes some nutrients more bioavailable but may decrease others.
Overall, juice is not as filling and has a higher glycemic index than eating the whole produce. So consider pairing juices with fiber, protein, and healthy fats for better blood sugar control.
Bottom Line
Juicing can temporarily change stool color and consistency due to removing insoluble fiber from produce. This may occasionally lead to constipation or looser stools in some people.
To help avoid digestion issues, consume juice in moderation alongside a fiber-rich diet with plenty of whole fruits, veggies, and water. This provides a good balance of soluble and insoluble fiber for healthy elimination.
While juicing impacts stool, keep in mind that diarrhea or constipation may also result from infections, IBS, food sensitivities, dehydration, and certain medications. So be sure to consult your healthcare provider if significant digestive changes persist.
