What Causes Sticky Poop and what Foods to Avoid

What Causes Sticky Stool?

Sticky stool can come about for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the common culprits:

1. Food Intolerances

The inability to properly digest certain foods — which is the case with lactose intolerance, for example — can lead to fatty, sticky stool, according to Cedars- Sinai.

2. Underlying Conditions

If you have mucus in your stool, it could indicate that you're dealing with an underlying health problem like an intestinal infection or bleeding, per the Mayo Clinic. Stool with mucus and blood may also be the result of digestive illnesses like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or celiac disease.

3. Supplements or Medicine

Black, tarry stool can be a side effect from taking certain supplements and medications, like iron pills or medicine that includes bismuth (like Pepto- Bismol), according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Foods to Avoid

If you have sticky stool, certain dietary changes may help ease your symptoms. Here are some foods to avoid:

1. Shun Fatty Foods to Avoid Sticky Stools

Excessive dietary fats not stored as fat are eliminated as stool, which can often be sticky, or greasy. The recommended dietary fat intake for the average adult ranges, but according to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, saturated fats should only be 10 percent of calories for the day.

2. Watch Out for High-Protein Foods

Protein is digested in the stomach, where in the presence of hydrochloric acid it is broken down into amino acids. The elevated levels of stomach acid necessary to digest protein can damage the lining of the stomach, causing an ulcer to form and possibly bleed. The digested blood results in black, tarry stool.

The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for protein is .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. As with fat intake, you can calculate your daily calories by the amount of protein your doctor recommends each day. This will tell you the number of calories you need from a protein source. A diet emphasizing meat, eggs and dairy products can exceed the recommended intake and damage the stomach, resulting in sticky stool.

Read more on: livestrong