Fat is very much important for our body, but excessive fat can cause many digestion problems and sticky poop is one of them. The sticky poop is basically undigested fat and that will make poo sticky. Large quantities fatty food overloads the large and small intestines, and making it difficult to absorb all fats. This undigested extra fat is then excreted in the stool and making it sticky. The body excretes all waste material through the stool and the presence of undigested food cannot not pass through the stool properly and causes acidity, constipation, dehydration, and uneasiness.
What Causes Sticky Poop?
The primary cause of sticky poop is fatty or fibrous food. Though eating fibrous food is very important, because it adds bulk to the stool, but these foods are likely to remain undigested. Example of high fiber foods are listed below:
- Corn
- Beans
- Seeds of sunflower and sesame
- Skins of vegetables, such as bell pepper and tomatoes
- Fruits like Banana, mangoes, orange, avocado, and strawberries
- Bread and grains
- Lentils
- Brussels sprouts
- Oats
- Almonds
- Sweet Potatoes
- Baked potatoes
- Garbanzo beans
- Milk.
Since most reasons for sticky poop are related to the foods you consume, the best treatment is to keep away from the food that gives you problems. Individuals with celiac disease, for example, frequently have no other stomach related problems. If these individuals stay away from foods containing gluten, they ought to have no symptoms like sticky stool.
While the most widely recognized reason for undigested food showing up in the stool is fiber food, there are medical conditions that can result in sticky poop and these are:
Crohn’s Disease: This condition is a kind of inflammatory bowel illness that causes inflammation in the stomach and the related tract that can prompt extreme diarrhea and stomach pain.
Celiac Disease: This is an immune system issue where the body can’t process the protein known as gluten that is found in wheat, grain, and certain different grains.
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency: Pancreatic insufficiency is a condition where the food isn’t digested properly due to lack of enough digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas. In this condition, the pancreas is unable to aid in the digestion and thus absorption of any protein which can lead to sticky poop.
Lactose Intolerance: It is a condition where a person cannot tolerate lactose which is found in dairy products. This can cause sticky poop.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): IBS is a typical condition that influences the digestive organ and causes swelling, pain, looseness of the bowels, or constipation.
It cannot be said that all sticky poop occurs from undigested fats and fibers, but it may also occur when you are suffering from malaria, dengue, typhoid, and other serious illnesses as these illness makes one dehydrated and causes sticky stool or constipation. Another harmless culprit known for causing sticky stool is eating fast. When a person eats very fast, their food passes to the stomach without fully being broken down and this in turn can cause indigestion. So, in order to avoid sticky poop, eat slowly, drink six to eight glass water and walk after having a meal.
Effects of Sticky Poop
Although, sticky poop is not a major concern, but when it happens, it causes so many problems like uneasiness, mild fever, muscles ache, leg pain, abdomen pain, stress, headache, vomiting, and sour throat.
What To Do About Sticky Poop?
According to medical studies, stools should be soft and passed without any discomfort. The basic things you need to include in your daily life are listed below, that will always keep your stomach and immunity system healthy.
The American Dietetic Association prescribes to take 30g of fiber daily if you experience the ill effects of sticky poop. The other things which you need to include are:
Drink Lots of Water: Water purifies and detoxifies your body, so it washes out all toxins, including your stools. One needs to take six and eight glasses of water every day.
Exercise to Avoid Having Sticky Poop: This encourages your gut to work better, processing everything much more rapidly. Exercising also builds your nitric oxide levels, which encourages your colon to exhaust. The best exercise to avoid having sticky poop is walking.
Cut Down on Caffeine and Alcohol: Studies have demonstrated that drinking large volumes of both, caffeine and alcohol, have a diuretic impact on the body. Thus, both caffeine and alcohol increase the kidney function and make you urinate a lot causing dehydration and hence, sticky poop.
Don’t Over-eat: An excess of protein in the body implies your liver and kidneys need to utilize heaps of water, which can again cause dehydration. Also, over-eating implies that you’re less likely to need to drink enough water causing sticky poop.
Go for Natural Diuretic Food: The foods, flavors, and herbs that are known to be natural medicines are aloe vera, prunes, sour figs, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, garlic, citrus organic products, omega-3 unsaturated fats, beans, avocados. These helps one to avoid having sticky poop.
When to Visit a Doctor for Sticky Poop?
Sticky poop is an indication that your diet needs some changes; maybe a less fat and drink lots of water. Though, undigested food in the stool doesn’t create any serious problem, there is some exception. However, if the doctor is concerned about the presence of undigested food in your stool as well as the other symptoms, they may order a stool test. This test involves collecting a sample stool and sending it to a laboratory for diagnosis. This test may look at the presence of fat, blood, and undigested food materials. Sometimes, doctors may also ask for a blood test to check the platelets counts or other conditions which s/he may suspect. Seeing the reports, the doctor would guide according to the condition.
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