What does it mean when your feces is a beige color

Not Medical Advice: All shades of brown are usually considered normal stool color; this would include light brown and beige (but not yellow). The color of feces is influenced by the amount of bile (yellow-green fat-digesting fluid) in the stool as well as what one eats.

Lighter colored (and especially white, yellow or clay-colored) stool may signify a bile duct obstruction, especially if accompanied by jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin caused by bilirubin buildup in the body). A physician should be consulted immediately if one shows signs of jaundice along with light-colored stool.

Other possible causes of pale or clay-colored stool: cysts, gallstones, infection, alcoholic hepatitis, birth defects, hepatitis (A, B or C), biliary cirrhosis, medication side effects, strictures, tumor, or sclerosing cholangitis. Large doses of bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate) and other anti-diarrheal medications often cause light/pale, white or clay-colored stool.

Stool that is green in color often signifies that food is moving through the large intestine too fast (such as with diarrhea). However, green feces may also be caused by ingestion of iron supplements, green leafy vegetables, or food or drink with green food coloring (popsicles, green Kool-Aid, etc.).

Feces that are bright red or black in color should normally be a reason to seek medical treatment immediately, as bright red stool can signify rectal bleeding and black stool may be a symptom of bleeding in the esophagus or stomach. However, dietary causes such as beets or red Jell-O or red Kool-Aid can also result in bright red color of the stool, and black stool may be caused by iron supplements, black licorice, or (again) bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol, etc.).

If you are concerned about your stool color, or if unusual color of feces is persistent, we encourage you to consult your physician. If stool is black or bright red and none of the possible dietary causes noted above are pertinent, or if you are experiencing jaundice along with light or clay-colored stool, we encourage you to seek medical care immediately.

A new article published in the Canadian media on 27 September 2023 basically reiterated the "you poop what you eat" theory about why feces change color. The article also mentioned, according to physicians, bowel movements should occur approximately 20 hours after finishing a meal (and suggested testing out the theory by eating beets to see if it turns your stool red or reddish).

Here's more info from a physician about what the color of your stool could mean: