The presence of blood in the stool can be seen with the naked eye. Sometimes it is necessary to examine the stool sample to diagnose fecal blood. There are various reasons for the presence of blood in the stool, but what we will discuss in this article is the foods that make us think we have blood in our stools.
What you will read next:
Causes of blood in the stool
Before examining the causes of blood in the stool, it is necessary to say that fecal blood is divided into two types, light and dark, each of which has its own causes.
- Dark blood in the stool:
Due to the long stay of blood in the gastrointestinal tract, it occurs before defecation and is mainly in the form of loose, smelly and dark stools caused by bleeding in the upper parts of the gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach and the beginning of the small intestine.)
- Clear blood in the stool:
The main and common causes of this complication can be mentioned as follows:
- Hemorrhoids
- Fisher or anal fissures
- Intestinal inflammation (colitis)
- Stomach inflammation (gastritis)
- Crohn’s disease
- Colitis Ulcer
- Tumors and intestinal cancers
- Polyps
- Inflammation of the intestinal diverticulum (diverticulitis)
What foods may be mistaken for real blood in the stool?
Sometimes eating certain foods can cause your stools to turn black or red and cause you to worry.
The following is a list of these snacks:
-
- tomato
- Sugar beet
- cranberry
- Red jelly or red pastels
- And generally foods that are red
All of these foods can make your stools red. So if your stools are red temporarily and not frequently, first check if you have eaten these foods recently.
The following foods may also cause your stools to turn black:
- Vegetables that have dark leaves
- black liquorice
- Sometimes eating large amounts of spicy foods, drinking alcohol, and smoking can also cause dark stools.
Medications that cause stools to become black and dark are:
What other reasons can red stools have?
Your doctor can determine the exact cause of a bloody stool. Sometimes disorders and diseases are the cause of bloody stools and can be very serious. If you are worried, it is better not to waste time and see a doctor.
First of all, look at the blood in the stool:
- How much blood is in the stool?
- How often do you have bloody stools?
- What color is the blood in the stool?
This way the doctor can focus on the main problem. Blood in the stool can be anywhere in the digestive tract, such as the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, or rectum.
Red blood usually means that blood is coming out of the lower gastrointestinal tract or rectum. Darker blood is usually associated with the upper gastrointestinal tract. The presence or absence of blood in the stool is another indication of where the blood comes from and what causes the bleeding.
Other causes of bloody stools include:
- Peptic ulcer or gastrointestinal ulcer
- Colon polyps
- Intestinal infection
- Colon Cancer
- gastric cancer
- And…
After a thorough examination and evaluation, the doctor will determine which of the above complications, the cause of bloody stools is.
The final remark:
If your stools are dark after taking the above items, it is better to stop taking suspicious foods for a while, and if the color and appearance of the stools do not improve after stopping, see your doctor to check the cause of your bloody stools.