We all know that our stool is an indicator which gives us an idea of how healthy we are. It is, therefore, essential that you know how to study your stool and analyze it.

The stool color chart makes it easy for a person to understand the condition of the stool and decide whether he or she needs to see a doctor or no. The chart tells us about all the possible stool colors a person can have and what it means.

Though the stool chart does not give precise information about the health condition, it helps in at least knowing the possibilities of what health diseases you might have.

Common causes of changes in stool color are as follows:

• Over-the-counter drugs or medication affects your stool color.
• Diarrhea can cause a change in stool color.
• Alcoholism can affect your stool color.
• A case of hemorrhoid can cause a change in your stool color.
• Also, an excess of green vegetables, beets, might change your stool color to green or red respectively.

Stool colors in stool color chart
Light to dark brown:  Normal stool color ranges from light to dark brown. The ideal stool color is medium brown, which indicates that you have a healthy lifestyle.

Green:  Green colored stool is another common occurrence.

Light white:  Light white stool may occur when there is a bile flow obstruction and the bile salt production is low in your intestine.

Red:  Red stool is not normal and the moment you notice that your stool color is red, you should rush to your doctor. Red color stool can mean different things ranging from hemorrhoid to gut infection or a case of excessive bleeding of your intestine.

Black:  Like the red stool, if you notice black stool or symptomssuch as the followingthat cause it, it would need immediate attention. Most of the times, black stools are caused because of GI tract or esophageal varices bleeding.

Black stool symptoms
Black stool is something you should not ignore. Black stool can mean several things like excessive intake of iron, alcoholism, or bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract. Often you will observe that black stool is accompanied by other symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.

If you experience any of these symptoms, ensure that you do not take it lightly and immediately consult your doctor.

You should keep in mind that the stool color chart is just a rough chart which talks about the stool. To know more about your stool color and what it means, discuss it with your doctor.