Freaking out because you think you’ve got blood in your stool? Not so fast.
Consider for a moment when the last time was that you ate beets?
Maybe you’ve heard Oprah’s story about the time she freaked out when she saw “blood” in her stool and took herself to the ER. She thought she had a serious problem when in reality she had just eaten beets several days prior.
Have you ever thought about how long it takes for a single food to pass through your entire digestive system?
I’m guessing the answer is likely a resounding NO! Unless of course you’ve done the Conscious Cleanse.
As a culture that is, dare I say it, obsessed about a number on a scale, you’d think we’d be more open to taking a closer look at what is actually going in and coming out of our body.
And what’s the big deal about poop talk in our culture? Why is it such a taboo topic to talk about the one thing that all of us do on a daily (hopefully!) basis?
When we’re young all we want to do is talk about our poop. The word alone is fun to say. When we need to go we’re sure to announce it to the world. And after we go, we get supercharged with energy.
So today we’re going there. We’re gonna talk about poop and the amount of time it takes for the food you eat to go from your mouth to your toilet.
Professionals call this “Food Transit Time.” We like to refer to it simply as the “Beetroot Test.”
The average American eating the Standard American diet has a food transit time between 60 and 100 hours! The longer the transit time, the longer toxic waste matter sits in the bowels, the more likely we are to develop disease. That also means that for nearly 3 (or more) days there is rotting food waste sitting inside of the colon.
It’s no wonder we hear people complaining all time time of feeling tired, sluggish, sick and bloated.
Ugh! So now I know why we don’t like to talk about poop. That fact alone is enough to make even a vibrant health warrior like myself nauseous.
So what’s a girl to do?
Well the first step is always awareness. Try our beloved Beetroot test and wait to see how many days it takes for you to see the color of the red beets in your stool.
Beetroot Test: Eat a large serving of beets, noting the date and time of your meal. Count the number of hours and days it takes for you to see “red” in your stool.
You might be wondering, “what is a good food transit time?,” and the answer is varied but generally speaking 12 to 24 hours is a great number to work towards.
Below is a recipe for one of my favorite salads, Raw Carrot Beet Salad. It’s is beet-i-licious and perfect for the beetroot test. Enjoy!
Looking for more great beet recipes? Here’s one our favorites: Beet Hummus
We can’t wait to hear the comments and results of this one, so please leave me a note below and tell me, what your beetroot test reveals!
With love and beet goodness,
Raw Carrot Beet Salad
Yields about 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 large raw beets, peeled and quartered
- 4-6 carrots, peeled
- 1 to 2 TB. olive oil
- 1 to 2 TB. coconut aminos (tamari can be used here too when not on the cleanse)
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted
- 1/4 cup raisins
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
Fit your food processor with the shredding blade and shred beets and carrots. Transfer into a large bowl and mix in olive oil, coconut aminos, sunflower seeds and raisins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before eating.
If you liked this and would like to learn more about the Conscious Cleanse, we invite you to join our online community! As a welcome-gift, we’ll send you our Taste of the Conscious Cleanse Free eCookbook, a collection of more of our favorite recipes!
We also share new recipes, free live calls with us, and more healthy lifestyle tips, plus let you know when our next group cleanse is coming. Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here.
I had beets at lunch 11 hours later there in the toilet cant say I didnt jump think omg whys it red them remembered I had beets lol
4 hours here! Can’t imagine holding for 60hours! Gross!
Awesome!
OMG I RAN ACROSS THIS SIGHT BY MISTAKE BUT IT REALLY ASNSWERED A FEW QUESTION.FUNNY I WAS TAKING BEET JUICE FOR BLOOD PRESSURE REASONS TO SEE IF I COULD TELL THE DIFFERENCE.BUT I FREAKED OUT WHEN I SAW RED STOOL AND RED STOOL AND PINKISH URINE.I WAS THINKING LORD IM GOING THREW THE CHANGE OF LIFE.I MAY NEED A HISTORECTOMY IF MY CYCLE DOESNT SOON STOP. IT TOO LIKE ALMOST 4 DAYS TO SEE THIS EFFECT.DOES THAT MEAN I HAVE A PROBLEM?
Not really, as this may still be problematic and caused by eating too fast or have too many stimulants which means you are not processing all of the nutrients out of your food (no matter what you eat). That’s why the window is 12-24 hours. The process takes time and should be balanced.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1171722/the-bowel-movement-beet-test-how-to-measure-your-digestive-transit-time/
I ate a can of beets yesterday at around 2 p.m. got up this morning at 8 saw bits of red in my poop look closer and it was pieces of beets terrified me I thought it was blood.
I pooped like 2 hour later red I almost fainted til I remembered I juiced that morning. Is this normal?
I juice up raw beets with other seasonal fruits and gulp it down, pulp and all. Two minutes after I poop the red. Isnt that abnormal? How fast did it go through my tracts??
Hi Vezotolu, Thanks for your comment! That does sound fast but every body is different. We’d need more information about your gut and digestion to be able to tell if that’s abnormal or not. There’s also a chance that it’s showing up so quickly because you’re consuming the beets through juice — they tend to go through the system more quickly that way. Feel free to reach out to us if you have more questions or want to discuss this further at connect@consciouscleanse.com. XO, J&J
It was about 6hrs for me maybe its too fast IBS?
No way Daphne. That’s great!
I saw red in my poop and pee 20 minutes after eating beets (freaked me out) and I’m still seeing it now, 18 hours later.
Is that too fast?
Hope not because if it is then we’re both in big, big trouble. I’ll give it total 36hrs until I worry. Good Luck!
Hi,
I drank Borscht at 11:30 PM and the next morning at 10 saw a bowl full of red. then i remembered the beets juice i drank.
but now it’s a day latter and i still see a little red.
how long will this stay like this?
Hey Chancy, It depends on your digestion really. Could be one day could be up to five. Keep me posted. :)
Is the longer it takes to leave also Indicative of digestive health?
Hi Patty, Ideally transit time should be 12 to 24 hours. The longer it takes to eliminate the longer the waste stays in your body allowing toxins to be reabsorbed. The solid feces also sits and backs up. This can cause major discomfort as well as damage your colon.
What does it mean if you see it in less than 4 hours?
Hi Sarah, Was it a beet juice or soup that went through your system so fast or was it whole cooked beets? Juice or soup will move through your system much faster. If it was a whole form of beet, it could be that your system was irritated by something. How often do you have bowel movements? Has there been a change in them recently?
I had to use the restroom almost immediately after eating beets and i seen the red…is that bad
Hi Jeffrey, Though that is fast, it’s not unusual to find your urine turning red quickly. Are your bowel movements regular? Do you have movements a couple times a day?
Not if it’s juice:-) No fiber to slow things down.
I had a large serving of beets, ginger and apples ate 3:45p and a BM at 10:50p and thought I was going to that big cabin in the sky until I came across this website. What a relief!
LOL! Glad you found us!
Is there an alternative to beats? I am allergic to them but am interested in my “time”
Blueberries. Same idea, different color.
DA, you can swallow several tablespoons of whole sesame seeds, or take a few tablespoons of activated charcoal (MAKE SURE IT’S ACTIVATED CHARCOAL!).
I think I’m almost 4 days, what can I do to speed it up?
A cleanse, of course! :) Really, cleanse regularly, taking 2 TB of flaxseeds daily, drink half your body weight in ounces or more, eliminate allergens, practice good food combining. Have you done the cleanse with us?
No I haven’t done a cleanse. I do have a lot of sensitives, about 50 total, it’s kinda nuts! My main ones are, wheat, gluten, corn, rice, potatoes, dairy, eggs, peanuts, almonds, green beans, honey, garlic, onions, beef, tomatoes, and lemons. But a cleanse might be good, what do I do?
Wow, Becki. Be sure to check out our program page. Next cleanse is April 5th. We would love for you to join us!
Becki,
WOW! You are the first person I have ever run across that has reactions to such a variety of foods, other than myself. My food allergies include corn, wheat (not gluten), potatoes, tomatoes, and all poultry. Good luck with your cleanse, hopefully it will help.
I ate an baked beet on Sunday, peed pink later that evening think nothing of it because I knew it was the beets, but today three days later I poop and it’s bright red, shouldn’t it be out of my system by now. I almost passed out and was about to call my Dr but came across your site, should I wait a few more days, or should I take a laxative to flush it out?
Hi May, I would not panic at all. It’s likely the beet working its way out of your system. How’s your elimination normally? Might be time for a cleanse. :)
Thank you; I will give one of those a try :-)
It took 36 hrs and by this point forgot i was checking for beets and freaked out when I saw black! Think this is too slow?
The sooner the better but nothing to get too freaked out about. It just means it’s time for a cleanse! :)
Hi Julie,
Mine was about 2 hours later and (sorry) was quite runny and red!. I have been eating very ‘clean’ for a month now – no dairy/gluten/sugar and also taking liver cleanse supplements.
Just wanting to check that that’s not ‘too soon’ as I’d hate not to be getting the nutrients from food.
Thanks
It sounds like you’re detoxing and doing some deep cleansing right now, Gemma. I wouldn’t worry about it but if it persists that would be a concern to discuss with your care provider.
My situation is the same as Gemma – but…
(and I’ve read all your responsive questions to others about “How many times a day do you have a BM?”) – Anyway –
This morning at approx 8am, I had one of those NAKED JUICES (Beet, with other juice in combination)… Two approximate hours later I’m letting all that go – liquid. Of Note: I also had a smaller Carrot juice just prior to the Beet juice. So – All of that came out not long after.
Yes – I go often – 3 or more times per day.
My BM tends to vary widely on the “scale” – but is often watery in bits.
I am wondering if I have a parasite?
but… not sure. I do believe I am detoxing.
Like I said – my food behaviors reflect Gemmas.
Hi Floyd, It’s hard to say if you have a parasite. You would need to go to a doctor to verify that. There could be many reason you have loose stool. It can be caused by low stomach acid, stress, sensitivity to what you’re eating, and so on. A cleanse is not a bad idea to help explore what could be causing this. Our next live guided cleanse is in September. You can sign up here to be notified when registration opens. https://consciouscleanse.com/notify-of-registration-opening/. You can also cleanse independently with our book here: https://consciouscleanse.com/book/. We would love to work with you! Please reach out if you have any other questions. XO, J&J
I had a shot of beet juice around 6:30-7pm and this morning around 9 am my poop was a bit red and the water in the toilet was a tiny bit red. I eat pretty healthy for the most part. I have several bowel movements everyday but the ones this morning have been red. I don’t know how long it should take to completely stop pooping red.
Hi Johanna, Juices do go through the digestive tract a bit faster than whole beets. What you’re seeing is expected and you shouldn’t be alarmed. Do you experience the same when eating whole beets? XO, J&J
I ate Beets two weeks ago and still seeing red in my stool. Can it be something else. I have done colin cleans in the past year, but I have a real problem with consitpation. lots of food allegies, but eat very healthly. Sesame is one of my food allegies.
What should I do?
fury
Hey! It depends. Is it bright red or a deeper red/purple like closer to when you ate the beets. If you’re concerned, call your doc for sure! Let us know!
Hi,
I, too, was worried. I ate beets over the weekend and am still “seeing red” in my poop on Tuesday. I eat primarily Paleo but am wondering if I’m not getting enough fiber to push everything through faster. I poop quite regularly and have no tummy problems at all….but I definitely failed the beet test!
Hi Susan, If you eat a lot of meat it could be time for a tune up. Our cleanse includes meat so it’s definitely Paleo-friendly. You will just shift the focus slightly to include more veggies. It could be worthwhile to rest your digestive system since it has to work a bit harder to break down meat. If you have any questions, please let me know!
Mines a deep purple not red. I baked the beets and ate them and sautéed the stems and ate both around 6pm by 7am I pooped but mine wasn’t red it was deep purple:/ Am I broken?
You’re definitely not broken, Emilie. The color might vary a bit depending what else you’re digesting and the color of the beets. That sounded like a yummy dinner. XO, Jo & Jules
10 hours here. I freaked last week when I saw the red, but now I know. Pretty impressed with my Intestinal tract as I thought it would be more sluggish
Nice Jen! 10 hours is great!
I ate about 2/3 of a beet for dinner last night at 8:30 pm and had red poop at 7:00 a.m the next morning. I was freaking out all day until I found your website. Thank you for discussing the poop or i would of called my doc.
Great transition time there Holly! That’s a good sign of health!
I ate beets at dinner at 5:00 on march 6th. Saw red in the toilet the following morning, about 12hours later. I was concerned when there was more red again today, two days later! Is this normal? Also, does urine become darker in color? it seems darker to me! i feel great, but I am trying not to freak out here! I remember this happening a few months ago and it freaked me out then so I started eating the golden beets instead! How long will this red continue? Not to be graphic, but my movements are pretty “impressive” if you know what I mean! I would think the beets would be all past by now! Thanks!
Hey Jill, Doesn’t sound like you have anything to worry about. And yes, I’ve seen my urine turn pink after eating beets too.
I found your site while trying to find out how much to eat to determine color change for urine. Was also wondering if this works with canned beets or only fresh as well.
Taken from the following website:
http://heal-thyself.ning.com/forum/topics/the-beet-test
Eat beets. If they turn your urine pink/red, then you have low stomach acid. Stomach acid is a very important first step in digestion. Without enough, you can’t absorb B12, and you have trouble absorbing zinc as well as several other nutrients. If you don’t have adequate stomach acid, proteins aren’t broken down properly, and so they can cause trouble in the small intestine and/or get absorbed whole into the bloodstream.
I believe it will work with canned beets but I would go fresh if at all possible.
Any idea on how much to consume to get accurate color change?
I would think a half cup would do the trick.
Thank goodness I found this article! I made roasted beets the night before last, and was shocked the next morning to see that my pee had turned red (it almost looked like I was on a cycle, but I had a hysterectomy about 13 years ago, so it really freaked me out!)
Then I went to the bathroom when I got home from work today and my stool was bright red, and so was the water in the bowl! That REALLY REALLY freaked me out!
So glad to see this is a “normal” reaction to beets. By the way, I loved the beets, but think I can easily pass on them next time because I don’t need to make myself a neurotic :(
Hey Linda! Now you know so no need to miss out on eating beets! Or try “golden beets” instead.
I just did my first juicing tonight about an hour ago, used 1 whole beet and now, which is an hour later, I pooped a crazy red lol. Is an hour too soon? Is that okay?
I had a similar experience but am wondering why I have never had this reaction (at least that I’ve noticed) to eating beets before. What does that possibly mean that I am just for the first time seeing the bright red stool and small red pieces in the stool? I don’t eat them often, but it’s not my first time either…
Hi Jenna, If the small pieces in your stool looks like beets it could mean that you’re not actually digesting them. Your digestion transit time could be too fast or you have other things going on. That’s something we work on with our Conscious Cleanse On Demand members. Registration for our next Group Cleanse is open. We would love to work with you if you would like to join. You can find out more here: https://consciouscleanse.com/whole-body-health-november-4-group-cleanse/. XO, J&J
I ate beets on 3/9 at 6:00 pm 4 hours later I pooped red . I ate some for lunch on 3/10. I have gone several time and I’m still popping red on 3/12. Is that normal , maybe time for a cleanse??
If you haven’t done a cleanse within the last 6 months then I would say yes, it’s time for cleanse! :)
I ate beetroot crisps and 6 hours later my wee had a pinkish look to it, and 12 hours later I had a purplish poo. I freaked right out. So glad I found this site. As I suffer from anxiety and was panicking. How much longer does it take to clear out of your system?
Hi Sharon, Yep, that’s perfectly normal. Sounds like your system is working great! XO, Jo & Jules
I ate beets for breakfast at 9:00 am and had a red bm at 11:45 am on the same day. How could it be this fast?
I showed signs within hours which I knew was normal..but 2.5 days later? I’ve had very regular movements and find it hard to believe it still looks like I just finished a big bowl! Do I have both regular AND sluggish intestines?
i ate beets on saturday and on monday i lost it because i thought i was bleeding from my bladder. today is tuesday and it’s still pink. i’m sort of still freaking out because i can’t believe i’m not bleeding and this is really beet dye.
can you please explain how it took so long to show up, and what i can do to correct the longer digestive time of food? doesn’t sound very healthy to take two/three days to show up.
thank you for sharing your knowledge.
We all digest and metabolize things at different rates. If you want to improve your digestion, one of the best things you can do is a cleanse. It will give your digestive system a rest, help you reset your system, and hopefully help you pass an old fecal matter. It’s good to consider at least a few times per year.
I did thebeet juice St 9a.m. urine and bowel soft and. Red.later around seven.pop.m. pinkish at 11p.m. urine pink is that normal I am freaking out.
Hi Deborah, That is completely normal. Beets definitely do that, especially beet juice. It permeates through out the colon dying everything red.
I ate one good size toaster roasted beets 2 days ago. less than a day. My pee started changing its color. Yesterday, My poop, lol dark red more solid. Still today!!!
I ate beets for lunch and 3 hours later out they came, red and all. Is that too soon?
Definitely not. :)
What is the recipe for the cleanse and how many days do u have to do it? I usually go 3-4 times a day. Is it still good for me to do it? Thanks!!
What’s a good/safe way to move things along when you are pregnant? Took about 3 days for my beets to pass through, and despite eating lots of finer and drinking TONS of water, I always feel bloated and icky.
Hi Lana! Digestion definitely slows down a bit in pregnancy. Nevertheless, congratulations! :) Green smoothies would be my suggestion. Greens and fruits will give you lots of good fiber and a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals that you and baby need! 2 TB of ground flaxseeds is good too. Hope that helps!
I found your website wondering about my poop being red this weekend, since I started adding beets to my diet. Mine was 12 hours. Is this great? Do you suggest a cleanse? Thank you for the tips!
Hi Georgina! 12 hours is good for sure. Have you ever done a cleanse before? Our next supported program is June 7. Would be great to have you join us!
I had them at 8.30am deposited in the loo by 10.30am !!
My youngest daughter and I both love beets, so I baked them this morning and we ate them at a snack at 10 this morning. Now it’s 12:30 and we’ve both had purple BMs. I know that I have recently changed my diet and it is primarily fruits, veggies and grains, but it does seem like it travelled fast. I feel fine, and it was a tasty treat, so I am going to assume it isn’t anything to worry about. :)
Definitely nothing to worry about! It seems like you have a very healthy digestive system, which is awesome! Keep up the great work!
I juice beets daily. A great tasting juice receipt 1 beet, 3 Granny Smith apples, 3-5 carrots. Alternate ginger (very small piece) or a lemon… So delicious!
Beet is an acquired taste for me, so could I just blend the beets and carrots then drink the cocktail instead of a eating a salad? Thanks
Absolutely! Throw some ginger and lemon and you have a delicious drink!
Ii had beets in my fresh veggie juice for two days in a row, would that show up a bright red in my stools?
Yes, but it could also tint your urine a little pink. Have you noticed either?
I ate beets a week ago and I’m still seeing it leach pink from my poop. Is that normal?
I’d say it’s time for a cleanse, Lynn! :)
Hi im so glad I found this site I start beet carrot and apple sometimes in last year.. I take it for anemia and it did work.. But I notice now when I drink it it doesn’t show in my pee any more I started seeing it in my poo. I just blend one beet 2 carrots and one apple and I used 1 cup water and after its blend I just drink it same I I got energy in 2 hours.
Great article!! I did Google this for a friend who also had pink urine afterwards. I read that it may indicate something about ones iron metabolism. So, for those who have been told they have low iron, and are taking iron supplements; your body may not be absorbing all of it, and perhaps something to look at. In any case, this beet test is so great because we get thinking about our health, diet, and the ‘inner workings’ of things! (I drink beet+carrot juice daily and it’s so yummy)
Thanks so much for the info
Less than 12 hours
I had a beet tomato juice @ 6:50 and pooped pink at 10… yikes
That’s great!
Hey, i am worried, i had beets yesterday, probably a bit more than normal, around 3 yesterday, that night, my pee was pink, this morning, my stools were a bit reddish colour, i freaked out, but another thing, my stomach seems to be a bit weird. I keep thinking i have a kidney infection. Any suggestions?
I ate beyes last night at 8 am 4 small pieces had red poop at 7 am 11 hours not bad. :) is it true that if your transit time shows up as less then 12 hours that means you have a Slight Malabsorbtion of nutrients? Thanks
pphheeww, thank goodness I found this posting, I thought I must have been on the way out with my bloody poops and all it is is my latest craze of eating beetroot with dinner! Can stop obessing about the grossness of colonoscopies and gross examinations and cancer and coffins and motherless children and and and…
I juice one beet and 4 carrots today and in about 5 yo 6 hours I in the bathroom pooing red. I never poo red before after drinking beet juice.
I had one very small beet in a juice I made today (also had kale, romaine, apple, broccoli, parsley and turnip) around 4:30pm. By 6:00pm, I had a loose(ish) stool tinged with magenta and urine that was pink. Wow. Am I a mutant? LOL!
Hi, I too freaked out when I saw red this morning. I suffer from constipation and took something to ease this and 36hrs the beets came out. Very interested in the cleanse
Hi Kerry, Be sure to sign up to get our free ecookbook so you hear about our upcoming cleanse. We would love to have you join us!
I never noticed a color change in my stool after eating beets until this morning. I felt a little frightened at first, but took a few seconds to recall what I had to eat yesterday. I had half a cup of beets at noon, then a reddish elimination at 8 this morning, so about 20 hours of transit time. I came to this website to see if this was normal and it looks like I’m OK. No pink urine, though. Thank you for posting things of this private nature on the web!
I am soo glad that i have found this article! I found out some purple pieces in my stool and water gone pinkish red( sorry if this is a TMI but maybe helps someone) I freaked out and thought that I have some intestinal bleeding or something! Than my mom remind me that I had beets but still, I wasn’t sure that it was from beets or blood. It was a huge relief to read the article and all the comments. You know it is shocking to see something that obvious. Btw my transit time is about 14 hours and my urine color was normal.
I’m so glad I found this article. I’ve been eating clean for the last 30 days and last night I ate raw beets for the first time. Shortly after I noticed my iron was a bit pink, then this morning about 12 hours later I noticed lots of red in the toilet. I started to freak out a bit bit luckily I now know all of these is normal. Thanks!!
Hi,
Ate (a lot ) of beets Monday for dinner – today is Thursday and still pink urine……did not notice red or pink in my stool. Have also had blueberries a couple of times. Any concern? Where is info on cleanse?
Thank you!
Kelly
Hi Kelly, All our cleanse info can be found here – https://consciouscleanse.com/programs. It seems like a long transition time and that a cleanse could be a good thing! Email us if you have any questions about the cleanse. Next one starts on August 2 but registration closes this Monday!
A friend gave me a huge beet from her garden. Ate 1/4 of it last night (about 1-1&1/2 cups). Delicious! This morning (10 hrs later) so much red in the toilet!
I red an article that if you ate beets and your urine turns that pinkish color stop eating beets. That was from a urologist. It didn’t make any sense to me. I thought beets are very healty.
Hi Maria, You bring up a really good point that’s not addressed in this post…having pink urine can actually be a sign that your low on stomach acid. A few things to consider to help build your digestive fire are to take a really good (allergen-free) probiotic, eat more raw foods to boost your enzymes, drink warm water with one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in it 15 minutes prior to eating. Be sure you’re drinking enough water too. Hope that’s helpful. Keep me posted!
I had beets last night and this morning. Ranging from 12 hours to 2, red urine and poo.
I Love Juicing In My Nutribullet And I Always Tried Many Fruits And Vegetables But Then I Decided To Use Beets! Friday Night And Saturday Morning I Drank My Beets Mixed With Blueberries And Coconut Water, It Was GREAT! But While At Work I Had The Urge To Do The Number 2! When I Did I Saw RED POOP! I Was Scared Until I Remebered That I Had Beets For Breakfast. That’s What Basically Lead Me Here To See If I Was The Only One.. I Guess Not! :-)
I had several beets yesterday but my poop was fine that night. This morning, it was red/purple and it still is (it’s 2 o clock) wow
Jules, I stumbled upon this blog in a panic-y, googling frenzy because I saw red in the toilet. The reason for my panic is because I’m about 2 weeks into Accutane, for moderately severe/scarring acne that I’ve been fighting for 7 years now – I’m 26, male. I’ve avoided Accutane because I strongly dislike doing unnatural things to my body.. especially internally.
Anyhow, I remembered I had a fresh bottle of cold-pressed fruits/veggies, with beetroot as the main ingredient, at midnight the night before. And this poop *giggle* scare happened around 4pm the next day – 16 hours. At first I figured the beetroot couldn’t possibly pass through my system so quick, but this post took some anxiety away – though I will keep a very watchful eye for the next few days and probably should contact my doctor about this.
Thanks for the post!
Hey! Thanks for writing and glad I could help you get to the bottom of the red poop mystery. :) Regarding your acne, have you ever tried going off dairy or gluten or other allergens? Check out our cleanse. We see people’s skin clear up after years of struggle. We’d love to help.
Usually takes me about 14 hrs. Another good day to day way to maximize flow is to exercise regularly. I noticed a consistent improvement just from running 45 minutes every other day and eating lots of leafy greens. Cleanses are not a panacea you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately we are so obsessed with quick fixes in this culture there is no data supporting an increase in life expectancy from cleanses. They may help but lifestyle changes are fat better.
Phil
-Epidemiologist
Thanks for your comment, Phil! We are all about lifestyle so I appreciate your words. That’s the conscious part of the Conscious Cleanse. It’s not your standard cleanse but more an education on finding your perfect blueprint for eating that sustainable. Hope you’ll join us sometime!
Can i get info on this cleanse? I ate beets two days ago but i have had gastric bypass a year ago so i dont go as often but i have gone to the bathroom a couple times and no red?
Hi Melissa, Of course. Check it out here – https://consciouscleanse.com/programs and email us with any questions!
It only took me about an hour. Is that too fast?
No, that’s definitely possible. Do you feel like you’ve digested the food or that it’s passing through you? You could play with taking 1 TB of apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before you eat to see if that helps.
Thanks, for the speedy reply, Julie.
I guess I felt about the same as I always feel when I consume a large amount of vegetables – a little bloated, followed by a need to go to the bathroom within two hours. I will give the apple cider a try!
Hope it helps Valerie!
I juice beets (along with spinach or kale, lemon, apple, carrots, cucumber, etc.) almost every morning. Sometimes it starts to go through my system in an hour or two. It generally continues to be visible in urine/or stool throughout the day. Is it going through my system too fast? I take 2 tbsp of ACV some mornings (that’s a hard one to get down). How does taking AVC impact the transit time?
Hey Meredith, No that is totally normal for juice to move through you quickly. If you eat beets, with the fiber intact, and are seeing red right away, it could be an indicator of low stomach acid. I recommended the ACV to help with digestion and assimilation. :) Great question.
I ate quite a bit of beets and its been 4 or 5 days and no discoloration in my stool or urine. I have normal BMs and it used to discolor my urine a few years ago now (I’m 24 now) it doesn’t seem to change anything. Should I be worried?
Hi Marianne, I wouldn’t worry just yet, but it would be good time to check in with yourself. First question, what color were the beets? If they golden, they typically do not change your stool color. Second is how much water have you been drinking each day? A good goal is to have half your weight in ounces of water. This helps with stool elimination. Thirdly, what are regular bowel moments to you? The body should be eliminating after each full meal, but twice a day is still considered good. Elimination should be solid, sausage like, and un-stressful. Best wishes, Jo and Jules
Good thing I googled this before seeking medical advice. I juiced mine with other veggies and fruits. I was in total total what the what status. Whew!!
Ahh! Thanks for the info! Although I know that beets can turn poop red I wasn’t quite prepared for what I saw this morning after juicing beets from my garden yesterday. Woah! I’m 26 weeks pregnant and have been working on having good digestive health, so I’ll be happy with a less than 24 hour process. :)
Nice Amanda! Good for you and baby! Congratulations. Keep up the great work.
Ate em for dinner around 9:30pm, woke up around 7am, pooped like normal same time every morning and BAM beet colored poop! I was startled at first, which is why I found this site, but now that I know of the beetroot test, I feel much better! Haha!
That’s awesome, Joe! Congrats. :)
So glad I found this!!! As a preface, I should say I’m dealing with a parasite (possibly hookworm,) at the moment so I freaked, the. Remembered I had beets for dinner at around 6-7pm…it’s about twenty after one in the morning…and boom…beet colored poop! I’m assuming that’s fantastic time? Ha.
Yes, that’s fantastic. Keep up the great work. And good luck with the parasite, hope you have the support you need to get rid of it.
I have been juicing and using raw beets I went to the bathroom and noticed it was red and immediately my blood pressure was probably sky high. I did some research and found out it is natural and I noticed it in 6 hours so I will continue to do my juicing hopefully I am becoming more healthy
Marcy! Yes, keep juicing. Beets are such an amazing nutrient dense food. Great for detox and inflammation.
I have been trying to do more juicing than normal. I came across a recipe with beets, apple, oranges, etc. I noticed about 6 hours later I was seeing a light pink. Of course I thought, maybe its that time of the month. Then I remembered, its not! Went to the potty again and saw pink, started searching the internet and came across the explanation! All I can say is Thank you!
OMG!!! so glad I found this!! I’ve just had a colonoscopy due to ongoing digestive issues and recently finding “blood” in my poo. Thankfully all clear but now I’m thinking it may have been beet juice. I’ve only just started eating it a couple of weeks ago on advice from my naturopath…I feel a bit silly…but incredibly relieved!!
Mine took 21 hours. Part of my lower intestines were removed during a debulking surgery for cancer recurrence. Is this an acceptable transit time? I can’t do most cleanses and wonder if you have other ideas for ways to improve. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, Yes that is great. Email us at connect@consciouscleanse.com. Our cleanse is a whole foods based cleanse and not a one size fits all. We also have a staff of health coaches to help you find your perfect cleanse plan. Hope you can join us Nov. 1.
Wondering if 1 hour is too fast? I was sick a few days ago, miserably so, and thought it would be good to have a juice today to replenish some nutrients (haven’t had much chance to eat since then… maybe 2 good meals?) and beets were an ingredient. Within a few sips my tummy starts hurting and by the time I finish it, it’s already started cleaning me out, and on the 3rd potty trip it’s all red! and red every time since! I guess maybe juice goes through faster than solid food? Usually that juice blend is one of my favorites, but I’m sad it made my stomach hurt this time. Maybe cause it was empty… except that I thought that was supposed to be good to absorb nutrients… Confusing!
Sorry to hear you’ve been sick! Juice will move through your system much faster then the whole food but I’m wondering if you still have a touch of the bug you had. You might try a warming chickpea miso soup to get some warmth and minerals into your system. Feel better.
If you’ve been poorly, then chances are the good bacteria in your gut has suffered heavy losses and your gut lining is still sensitive and inflamed. This basically means that anything entering the gut is going to cause discomfort and most like make you run straight to the toilet. Think about if you hurt any part of your body and touch the sore part, natural responses cause it to react violently to the stimuli. Same when food enters a sore and inflamed bowel. The body’s natural defences are to reject the stimuli as fast as possible, and for something inside your bowels, there’s only one way that’s going to go.
While you recover properly from your recent illness, take it easy. This is the time to go easy on the fruit and and starchy veg, as they are often some way off pH neutral. Meat is also a big no-no at this stage, as it is too demanding on the digestive tract. If you are not lactose intolerant, then live yoghurt is a good thing, as it not only soothes your insides, but it also promotes the re-establishment of healthy (‘good’) gut bacteria. Brown rice is good for the same reasons, and has the added bonus that it is ok for people with lactose and/or gluten intolerences. Whatever though, eat little and often until your bowel is back to normal. Simply avoid overloading it. And rest. Remember that of all your body parts, your gut is the most underrated, it is vitally important. When your gut is not well, your whole body and mind can not be well. So rest it, rest yourself, nurture it, and be well.
I had a natural juice of a whole beetroot, carrots, grannysmith Apple and ginger on Friday. On Saturday I notices pinkish colored urine and Sunday afternoon I noticed bright reddish colored stool.. I imidiately panicked and proceeded to get ready to go to closest ER… I remembered the juice and then stumbled on your website… I feel much better after reading these stories.. It’s been about 36 or more hours since I had my beet juice, is it normal to see the red stool now after so long of a consumption period?
Hi,
I had a roasted beet salad 3 days ago. The first day my poo was red and the last 2 it’s been purple and my pee has been a pale pink color, I drink heaps of water but it’s not had a yellow tinge or anything, just pink. I also read someone else’s comment saying that the pink pee means you have low stomach acid & won’t be absorbing protein properly. Do you know if that’s true? Is it normal to still be pooing purple?
hallo there. My daughter ate some beetroot and about 5-10min later she needed the loo. She called me to come see as the water in the toilet was stained red. Compitly freaked out by this I called my doctor and he told me to take a sample of her feces in tomorrow. I was wondering if this was normal for the beetroot to go though your system so quickly?
I almost pass out when I saw my poop red thanks now I know I am not dying .those beets are good stuff.
I can’t believe I’m asking this. I m on day 8 of the21 day “Clean” cleans. I juiced with Beets and their greens this morning and had a not solid bm that was red less than two hours later. Am I absorbing any nutrients, and is this normal. I would appreciate any help with this. I don’t want to be short selling myself on the benefits.
Passing red is not uncommon after drinking beet juice. As far as the consistency, without knowing more of your history on the Clean program it’s hard to say. You are likely detoxing which is the whole point! :)
hi..i took beetroot juice 3 days back and noticed red stool today…i have constipation problem…i will glad if u guide me on this..that how can i join the cleansing program..thx in advance….really wanna have cleanse
Yes Sehrish, Sounds like your due for a clean out. :) Registration for our Jan. 24 cleanse closes tomorrow on Monday Jan. 19. You can find out more and sign up here – https://consciouscleanse.com/programs/
hi, had beets two days ago. turned pee and stool red within two hours…. but they are still a little pink is this normal? i was suprised it turned right away but it hasnt gone away yet. i am eating whole foods nothing processed and i definately dont have constipation problems……
Hey Chelcy, Yes that’s totally possible. Did you eat a great deal of beets?
My husband made a special Valentine’s Day Juice (his way of sneaking beets into our diet) and it turned my poop red in two hours. I totally thought that I would need to make a mad dash to the emergency room. Thank you for all of your comments as I am now reassured that it is most certainly the beets and not something frightening going on in my body. Just to be on the safe side, the mister has suggested that we try yellow beets to see if we get the same effect. I have been told that I have a high metabolism, but is it normal for the juice to run through my body in less than two hours time and effect the color of my feces so quickly?
Everytime I put raw beets (even in the smallest amount), I get sick (throw up). Curious if you’ve heard of this before, although it sounds like I could still try the pee test with cooked beets. Thanks!
Oh no! My first thought is that you could have an allergy to beets. If you suspect that at all, I would steer clear of raw and cooked. If not, you can still do the test with cooked beets or beet juice. Keep me posted.
Thanks for your great post!
I saw red within a few hours of eating beets. But three days later my urine and feaces is still red! (I have used the bathroom about 6 times or more in the last few days) Does this also mean I have a slow transit time??? Should the colour be lingering on for so long?
I m drinking beet juice since a week and I m pooping 3 to 4 times daily , is it fine?
I ate beets four or five days ago. My pee was pink right away but even today my poo was purple. Is this bad?
Could be time for a cleanse Camille. :)
Ok so I had color change in my stool within 4 hours but it’s been 5 days and my stool is still pinkish. What does this mean?
I had beet juice this morning at 10:30 am and today at 4:30 poop and pee was Red! I love the benefits from beet juice! I juice daily and when I have green juices I poop green! Its funny but awesome because I know how clean my body is! Great site!!
Nice!
I had a homemade beet-blueberry slushie yesterday morning. I poop religiously. Three trips to the bathroom every morning. This morning I almost had a heart attack when I looked in the bowl. Thank you for calming my fears. I always knew I was a fast digester.
I had a large serving of beet juice on friday night and i saw it in my poop on monday night, this is bad right? =(
been eating alot less than normal all week, friday i had a decent sized burger and fries at lunch, and had 2 ramen noodles packs at night after i went and ran/ran stairs. woke up early today (saturday) and watched some family guy, havent ate anything, so decided to do another juicing. this time i bought beets. i put lemons, limes, apples, oranges, spinach, bananas, and beets in the juicer. i got done and drank 1 tall glass of it and about 2 hours later, i went and had a super red loose poop, then ran into my room (mini heart attack feeling) and looked up if beets cause this and found out its normal for it happen in about 16 hours.
Is it normal for this to happen in such a short time? – I have had a considerable less amount of food in my stomach this week and nothing to eat saturday.
Yes Justin, that’s definitely possible especially given you were drinking juice. I’m curious to know what your bowel movements are normally like and it you suspect any food intolerances?
I ate beetroot 7 days ago and my poo is still red. I suffer from food allergies mainly anything from the onion family, anything whole grain and most yogurts, is this normal?
Sounds like it’s taking awhile to move on through Roberta. Do you poop daily and take a probiotic? You might have some gut healing to do given all your allergies.
I usually do #2’s twice a day. is that normal?
i juice beets, carrots apples and celery and notice the stool is red but my pee is still clear. is that also normal? from reading the above it seems most people experience both red stool and pee o.O
Urine has always turned red until couple yrs ago. Then all of a sudden the stool took on the red color after eating beets and red in urine barely visible, if at all. would you know of a reason for the change? Thanks.
2 hours after I drank beet juice my poop was very runny and red. 12 hours after drinking the beet juice my urine turned pink. That freaked me out because by then I had forgotten out it. Geeze, glad I found this site because beet juice never made my urine pink before. I’m glad it’s normal.
Hey Steph, Sounds like it was very “cleansing” to your digestive track. Yay! Thanks for posting!
It usually takes me 4-6 hours for the stool to show up red, sometimes less. Is this sign of malabosprtion? Im a vegetarian, and just so you know I have been diagnosed with b12 and D deficiency. DOes this mean that my body is not absorbing the nutrients? I got a basic stool test done, which was clean, and other nutrients like Potassium, Iron, Magnesium are also in the normal range.
Hey Aditya, I don’t think you have any reason to concerned. We all digest at different rates. How often do you typically eliminate?
Hi Jules
I had 2 large boiled beetroots for dinner 5 days ago. I was passing red the next morning but are still doing so…
I have been worried so went to the doctor since it does not feel normal to be passing for so many days after?
Its a bright red / purple colour. Should I be worried? For how long after is it really possible to pass red?
What does it mean that I am still passing red for so many days? really appreciate your reply.
Kind regards
Hey Sanna, I’m curious what your doctor had to say? I would suspect that your digestive system is a bit sluggish. How often do you eliminate typically? Do you feel constipated?
This site is what I was just looking for.
I went to my doctor and he said I had low haemoglobin count and suggested that I have beets.My stool colur has ever since changed to a dark brown almost black color. now am worried because it has been 5 days.
how long does it take to go back to its original color? could there be a bigger problem?
and am also planning to take it constantly until my iron levels increase does this mean I will always have discolored stool?
What if it only takes two hours to pass through?
Hi I’m just wondering if I have a healthy colon or not, I had beetroot, approximately 5 balls so about 120g at 1 oclock. By 3 my pee was pink and and 6 my stools were red! Ive heard conflicting stories about low stomach acid or healthy colons so I’m just wondering which I have! I’m pretty healthy, active lifestyle and eat relatively well apart from the odd binge on junk food. Thanks .H
I ate Beets for lunch and 2 hours later, after I relieved myself, I had red stool. Scared the hell out of me.
I made a power smoothie yesterday when I got in from the gym, about 1:00 PM. This morning I was a little concerned when I looked in the toilet and saw a redish glow…But it dawned on the beet root…So I just decided to look on the internet, and here was your article:)…It took about 14 hours to show up after I digested it….In case anyone is interested…Power smoothie consists of…Spinach, Kale, carrot, beet root, froze blueberry’s, froze mango & pineapple mix, squeeze of lemon, and a scoop of wheybolic extreme 60 strength by GNC, filtered water or Ice…
Thanks for sharing the smoothie recipe! :)
Dear Jules,
I am a 29 year old who take a mix of PPI (Esomeprazole + Levosulpiride) for gastric reflux and dyspepsia. I dont take them continuously but only when I have symptoms, currently I have been taking them for 13 days once in the morning before breakfast. For the last 3 days I noticed lot of undigested materials in my stool and somtimes a greenish tint (i do take a green smoothie every morning (kale+celery+papaya+chia+ginger+brazil nut)), further
yesterday at 16:00 I had a fairly tall cup of Beet+Apple+Carrot juice+Detox shot+Multi vitamin shot from a juice shop called Tank this was magenta in colour and this morning at 07:45 my poop came out all reddish brown in colour, my urine was clear. I am kinda freaked out, please could you tell me if this is normal? and should I discontinue my medication for a bit.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Pramod! Thank you for reaching out! I am not a doctor so I cannot advise you there. Best to reach out to your doctor. The red-brown bowel movements are very likely from the juice so not to worry there! Keep drinking the good stuff! You sound like you’re right on track!
Thank you, appreciate your time Jules!
Hi, I gave my 10-month-old daughter some beet juice but we didn’t see it show up in her stool or urine. She has wonderful digestion, as we see all other foods process within the same day most of the time. Could it be because it was blended with some almond milk?
That could definitely be the case, Miriam! Love that you are starting her with good habits at a young age!
I read an article stating that bowel and urine only turn read when u have a problem with low stomach acid and a few other issues. Maybe your babies stool didn’t turn because her digestive system is working correctly.
I had 1 glass of beet root boiled water today morning around 9:00 AM on an empty stomach and after 2 hours around 11:30 when I pooped it was all red is this normal?
Definitely! That is actually very common with beet juice.
I love beetroot and the way it makes my gut feel cleansed after a good, red voiding. I had a timbale of beetroot for lunch yesterday, with my next movement about 10 hours later coloured red. I usually don’t see evidence of beetroot consumption in my urine.
I had a few beets and two hours later I had loose, very red stool. That seems awfully fast, especially as people seem to be talking in the 12-24 hour range…
I have been having allergy-related problems for the last 4 years. I have been eating gluten free for 4 years and dairy free for 1.5 years and I still have tons of problems (undigested foods in stool, nausea, fatigue, etc). Can the beetroot test help clarify anything about what’s going on in my digestive system?
I ate beets for dinner Thursday evening and did not see any until 48 hours later and was still seeing red until Monday morning. My doctor has ordered a gastric emptying test and is going to do a colonoscopy. I have been having a lot of bloating.
Oh wow! Good luck with that. Are you taking a high quality probiotic too? Be sure to check out our Spring Cleanse. Cleaning up your diet could be just the thing you need to beat the bloat! Feel better.
My son ate beetroot the day before yesterday and he noticed red stool last night and it is even more red today around lunch time is that normal I thought it should disappear with time not become more red
Hi Rosette, It’s totally understandable why that would be concerning, but it is very normal. As food breaks down and moves in waves within the bowel, the color in beets will alter the color of the broken down food before it. So it will show slightly tented and then a stronger color and then lighter red color again. Best wishes to you!
I am a medical doctor, and at a conference today had nice serving cooked beets and then about 2-3 hrs later bright pink stools. Surprised me somewhat that gut transit could be so fast, I would have thought >8 hrs. But then I am endocrinologist not a gastroenterologist. Your thoughts.
Hi Colin, We’ve had a similar experience before. Beets are fibrous and can aid in moving the bowel quickly. Also their color is pretty pervasive coloring everything in the bowel as the content is moving back and forth through digestion. Do fibrous food regularly move through your system quickly?
Hello,
I came across your site because I was worried that I ate three beets about 5-6 days ago and I’m still seeing red. How long does this last?
Hi Dave, We’ve seen beet coloring last 24 to 48 hours. When did you start seeing the coloring?
Just returned to work after a nasty cold and decides to get a juice, which included beets an pomegranate juice and was confused that my stomach was a lil upset. When I went to the ladies room I was startled to find beet coloring. I drank my juice at 10am and it came out at 1pm= 3hr am I okay?
Hi Britney, I’m sure that was a surprise! Beet coloring, especially when juiced, can be very pervasive. When going through digestion, the beet juice mixes with everything else in your digestive track causing it all to color. It sounds like your transit time is moving well. Your upset stomach could be from any number of things but it could also be that it was more beet juice than it could handle at that time. Try easing back the quantity that you drink at one time and see if that makes a difference.
Hi,
I had roasted beets and a few hours later noticed change in urine….todays BM had a tinge…is 3 days later bad to see that?? GREAT and informative site!!! Thank you
Hi Di, We are so glad you are enjoying our site! Normally you’d want to see transit time of 12 to 24 hours. You might want to start including more fibrous foods,fermented foods, and water to increase your transit time.
Hi,
Ok…maybe digestion is better than I thought – but memory not so much lol. I actually found receipt – roasted them night I purchased…so it was actually less than 36 hours….I do take a probiotic…Can I ask do you recommend one dose of probiotics? Thank you so much!
Hi Di, We recommend an allergen-free probiotic. Look for hidden allergens such as dairy, soy, or wheat. Look for a probiotic that has a diverse amount of happy bugs and is in the billions per serving. Have a great day!
HI,
First off, love you site here. I’ve been reading organic beet juice could be a good remedy towards HBP. I’ve been on a “pressure pill,” 10mg daily for about 20 years, it still works but I wanted to give beet juice a try because of the info I’ve been reading. BM have never been a problem for me, I’m like clockwork every morning after a good cup of coffee, so, yesterday I drank the standard amount of 8-oz of organic beet juice around 1400 hours, and this morning at 0700 hours, lots of red in my stool, but no problem since I’m 65 and basically in good shape, it didn’t scare me, but I thought, if I drink 8-oz’s every day this is going to be an on-going situation every morning. I’m planning on changing to Vegan Beet Juice Powder, non-GMO and gluten free capsule, 880mg, at 2 capsules a day. It’s going to be interesting to see if there will be a change in color on poop.
Thanks, and once again, great site, great info.
Hi Tony, Your transit time does sound perfect. It would be interesting to find out if the capsules change your poop color. We haven’t tried it yet. Thank you for all the kudos! All the best to you!
I am a avid cyclist and often use beet juice on rides and just about fell over at the sight of seeing red stool. Right away I made a dr’s appt. and looking online for causes of red stool and luckily stumbled across this fine website and much to my surprise there were others like me who were afraid for their lives. It wasn’t funny at first but I can say I can laugh about it now
You are definitely not alone, Asha! We’re glad you got a laugh out of it. :-)
My urine turned pink almost immediately but I didn’t see it in my stool for 6 days. I’ve always had issues with constipation but never realized how long things were hanging out there. What now?
Hi Lacey, It does sound like things are taking a bit long to move through your system. Have you tried upping your fiber intake in the form of lots of veggies and non-gluten grains? In our blog we have lots of yummy smoothie recipes and tasty salads that will definitely boost your fiber intake in a delicious way. https://consciouscleanse.com/category/recipes/ If you try them out let us know what you think.
I was eating beets last week and early this week. I have a BM probably 3 times a day, very rarely less. Only in the last two days has there been red/purplish colour to my stool…..
Hi Birdie, Having 3 bowel moments a day is great, especially if they are after a good sized meal. Though your bowel movements are right on time, it doesn’t sound like everything is moving out. Do you feel your BMs are incomplete? Upping your veggies load should help with complete evacuation. We have a lot of tasty veggie recipes on our blog. https://consciouscleanse.com/category/recipes/ Best wishes!
can eating a bag of beetroot chips have the same affect
Hi Karen, Yes, beet chips can give the same effect. Have a great day!
Hi I drank 16 ounces of beet juice two different days and never saw red in urine or poop. I have been having digestive issues for sure and was diagnosed with gall stones about two years ago but have had no issues since. I still have my gall bladder. Is it bad that I never saw red in the toilet? And if so what can I do to fix it?
Ok. So today I juiced a bunch of vegetables (2 large carrots, a small head of broccoli, a small amount of ginger root, an apple, and a whole beet, and I’m pretty sure that’s it – and it made a whole 8 oz glass of juice which was quite red). After drinking the juice, it only took about 6 hours for there to be liquidy red in my stool. Does that mean that I have good Colin health or did it simply go through my digestive system quicker because I drank the juice rather than ate the beats??? I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!
Hi David, Juiced beets will move through your system much faster since all the fiber has been removed. A good test is to try the whole beet. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Kudzi
I had cleansing juice which had some beetroot in it and a small serving of pickled juice on Saturday. Now Monday and my poop and wee are still coloured. I do number two twice a day on average. Is this normal
Hi Kudzai, When did you first start seeing the coloring? Was it on Monday? It’s great to poop twice a day but it doesn’t mean that there is complete elimination. That does seem a little long to still have color but nothing to worry about. Adding more fibrous foods in your diet will help to speed things along.
3 hours for me with canned beets
Thank you so much for this article! I stumbled across it by accident and it definitely helped diffuse an attack of anxiety. Found my stool bloody red this morning and panicked. I am post menopausal and thought I was bleeding. Looked up all kinds of crazy things that could be wrong, such as cervical cancer. Then it hit me…… I had beets last night for dinner. I never eat beets even though my husband loves them. I made a new recipe last night and thought I would try it. OMgosh! When a person is not accustomed to eating beets the next morning can be quite frightening! The good news is, it passed through in at around 12 hours so my colon is doing its job! :-) I am smiling right now!
Oh, Kim, you had us laughing by the end. It would be nice if beets came with warning labels, wouldn’t it? I hope you like your beet dish and great job on regular movements.
Okay so I wasn’t doing the beat transit test, rather like some of the other people that posted I was googling like a mad woman trying to figure out if I needed to go the hospital. I am so glad to know it was the beets from Monday but I am concerned that my transit time is 57 hours.. I normally have bm once a day, so why is it taking so long… I don’t feel constipated.. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Hi Kalena, We find that most reason people find this particular article for the same reason. We are glad we were able to ease your mind some. :-) 57 hours is longer than optimal. Though you have bowel movements once a day, it doesn’t mean there is not some sort of constipation. Ideally we want to have bowel moments 3 times a day after larger meals such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 2 times a day we would consider good. We also want our stool to be “sausage” like. Here’s a good chart to go by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale. Type 3 and 4 are good. It doesn’t mean though if you have #3 and #4 that you’re eliminating enough. In your situation, we would increase the amount of veggies you have especially leafy greens. We hope that helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
My wife and I were given some beets fresh from a neighbour’s garden on the weekend. She roasted them and we each had a small one with our dinner (yum!) Now 2 days later, my urine is darker, but bright red at the bottom of the toilet bowl along with the ‘solids’, the colour of fresh blood, not purple or pink, as seems to be the expected colour. Another website said blood is heavier than water, and that the beet colour would dillute with the water, which this did not. I’ll keep an eye on it but i don’t remember it being this bright red when I’ve had beets in the past. I had a colon scope due to occult blood a year ago and I was pronounced good for another 3 years based on that. Should I be concerned?
Hi Finn, Those beets do sound yummy! We totally see how that is concerning. That might be something to speak to your doctor about with the history you have. Is your urine normally cloudy? Urine should be the color of light straw and clear, that is unless you’ve recently had beets. Red urine is normal after eating beets. The timing of red urine in association to eating beets probably is not coincidence. Has the color continued to be red? With your history might be worth talking to your doctor about if you are concerned.
Well I have a query regarding this, whenever I consume normal food or normal diet it normally takes 12-24 hours of transit timewhich I feel its normal, but whenever I eat beetroot or drink beetroot smothie, it is quiet abnormal it demands me to goto washroom within 3-4 hours with a result that is redish same as the color of beet,which means the transit time is around 3-4 hours, and this happens only when i consume beet root, so I am wondering if this is a concern or a good sign.
Hi John, Great question. It could be the fiber in beets have things moving a little fast for you when consuming them in raw or cooked. Also, in beet juices and smoothies the color of beets can spread fast when already in a liquid form. When food is moved back and forth in the colon, it can move the color quickly through. XO, Jo and Jules
I started having beet juice to increase blood content. so,I had 200ml of beetroot juice yesterday. Today my poop was coloured. I want to know if my blood content increases or not. seeing poop in pink color i thought no use of having it as it cameout.
Thank you
Hi Vasavi, Beets will color your bowel moments whether you’ve absorbed the nutrients from the beet juice or not. The color is just that strong and why it’s used for bowel transit tests. If you have a very short transit time then there could be concern for a lack of absorption. It’s hard to test with juice compared to roasted beets since juice will move through quicker since it’s already a liquid. XO, Jo and Jules
I have started eating on the Splendid Spoon program, which is a soup-based weekly cleanse and daily soups for lunch. For the lunch soups, there is a beet soup that has chopped up beets in it, which I have not tried yet. Today, I had the soup that is prepared for the cleanse day which is smoother and the beets are blended up like they would be in a smoothie. It sounds like that transit time can be much faster since it’s at least partially in liquid form, but there is still fiber in there to help clean things out (and slow things down). About 4 hours later, it was quite evident that the beets had moved through. Is that too fast for absorption or is that just about what you would expect. I imagine that you would expect that the soup with the chopped up beets might go through a little slower – right?
Hi Stacie, The better way to understand your transit time with beets is with chopped roasted or raw beets. Beets that have been blended well or are in a soup (where they have died the broth) can move the color through the colon faster. Yes there’s still fiber in there which will slow it down the digestion of the beets a little but you’re mixing the colored liquid from the soup with the other liquids that are in your bowels. Try it with roasted or raw beets and see what your transit time is then.
Glad to find your site! In Aug, I went to an ENT Dr because of odd lump sensation in my throat 4 months after having a thyroglossal cyst removed. After observing with a scope it was assumed I have silent reflux and told to avoid a bunch of foods(which I’ve done 90% of the time), take omeprazole (not a fan of meds) every morning and get a swallowing test. Go figure, that night I had terrible pains which must have been heartburn! My test is scheduled for another few weeks and I’m already over 2 weeks in with the meds(little to no improvements). I have been doing lemon water for 2 years adding BraggsACV, cinnamon and honey for over a year. I had to stop. I take HMF Forte probiotic (lazily stopped for 2 months) Meanwhile I’m still wondering if my stomach acid is still low, inwhich the PPI’s wouldn’t help. My saliva is pH 6.75. I had roasted beets last night to test my stomach acid. So far, my urine was pink this morning. 16 hrs after eating the beets, my BM is normal without any red at all. Is this okay? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Gina, It sounds like you have a lot going on. I would give it a little more time since it’s been only 16 hours since you ate the beets. With the medications you’ve been on they might slow your digestion, but I think it’s still too early to tell.
Hi I had beetroot crisps at 8.30pm and by 2am my urine was pink which freaked me out then at 7 am my poop was red/ purple tint to it. Is this normal? Thanks in advance, had a few wees since and colour nearly back to normal🙂
Looked through this thread and am really impressed with your dedication and tenacity. Way to stick with the topic, ladies.
Also. Only eat beats when I harvest them. Roasted beats with fresh squeezed cider…. Lol. Picture that. Talk about a cleanse! Stay healthy and beautiful.
Hi Anon, Thank you! That does sound quite yummy! XO, Jo & Jules
Hi, I love the beet test. I usually ‘see red’ within 3-5 days. However, this time I am a little concerned. Monday, October 17th, I ate almost an entire mason jar of pickled beets. Then ate the rest of them the next day. This is about 9 days ago. I have gone twice since then, but absolutely no red or purple. Tomorrow’s another day…
Hi Ester, 3 to 5 days does seem a little long to see red. Ideally you want to see red within 12 to 24 hours. A well functioning digestive system typically has a bowel movement two times a day. Having 2 bowel movements in 9 days seems a like a long time. Is there a particular reason your bowel movements are so far apart? Have you considered doing a cleanse? Registration for November 2 cleanse is open. We would love to work with you. You can find out more and register here: https://consciouscleanse.com/programs/
I had beet juice,sugarcane,cucumber,aloevera all together on an empty stomach around 0900hrs . The whole day ive been having a very angry stomach with loose stool ..now its 2237hrs and ive just seen red on my stool and pee …ive been shaking thinking of ways of getting to hospital i was almost dialing an uber i knew i needed blood asap Thank God i decided to google this and now i am just laughing at myself ..turns out am healthy and not dying…Thank God for google and this website!!!! (Relieved Individual)
Hi Kevin, Oh no! We’re so glad you found our website! How scary, but we’re glad it ended in a chuckle. You’re far from the first person that has had the same reaction. It’s on the list of things we wished our mothers warned us about growing up. XO, Jo & Jules
Hi! So glad I found this! Just a quick question though… my stool isn’t purplish red. It’s not bright red either though. It’s more pale red or reddish brown. Does the beet always make it purple-red? Or is there some variation to the color? The beets that I ate were definitely more magenta in color so not sure if the red should be concerning.
Hi Randi, Good question! The color of your stool after beets will very quite a bit depending on what you’ve eaten through the day, how the root was prepared, and how hydrated you are. It sounds like you are just fine. We hope you enjoyed the beets! XO, Jo & Jules
I’ve been living a healthy lifestyle most recently. Tuesday I decided to go to the juice bar after leaving the gym. I ordered raw beets juice for the first time thinking “this should be tasty”, and it was! By Friday my urine and stool was red. Immediately I started thinking the worst.. I cryed myself all the way to the ER. After a series of tests and consulting with the doctor the results came back normal. My friend found this link for me which confirmed that it was simply from drinking beets juice. Thank God and thank you Jo and Jules for this wonderful link. 😇
Oh no, Chyna, how scary that must have been! We are so glad your friend found our site. 4 days seems a little long for the beet juice to show up. That means your food has been sitting in your colon for several days. Have you tried upping your veggie intake to get your bowels moving more regular? Keep up those beet juices. XO, Jo & Jules
I make beet and carrot whole food smoothie and have been for over 10 years. Ever shine I drank the same combination in Mexico, only theirs was juiced and I use a Ninja Extractor. A month ago a had the same drink and my bowels were red for about 3 days but my urine was normal. A week ago I had roasted beets and within 12 hours my urine was blood red for 3 days then lighter for 2 days then normal. But 3 days after I ate the beets my bowels had red leaching out of it and now it’s been going on for 4 days. What gives, why could I eat them without problems and now this and it goes on for days??
Hi Misty, Your diet sounds great! It’s hard to say why that difference. Your initial transit time sound good. Four days does seem a little long to have the beet coloring. It could be any number of reasons from how fresh the beets were, how they were prepared, how much you ate, what else you ate with them, or if your body is fighting off something which is prolonging digestion. One time this happens doesn’t seem something to worry about. If it continues then you may want to do more research. Thank you for reaching out. XO, Jo & Jules
Just wanted to say a little about my diet. I eat mostly raw vegetables, but also I like them roasted, sautéed or steamed. I do have fish, salmon or chicken with it but only 3-4 days a week. Try to stay away from frozen vegetables unless I freeze them for my drinks. I eat a lot of different fruits. I take in about 30-40 grams of fiber/day in my food. I try to stay away from breads and white rice, limit gluten (not because I have too, it just elevates my glucose).
4-6hrs did a fast water only the previous day, it can really be disturbing looking, but its a great fast.. had aaprox 1 large beet, 3 carrots, ginger, garlic, and 1 potatoe. Blended into a juice… yesterday I had 2 carrots, 1 small beet, 1 piece of ginger, 5 or 6 radishes and it was approximately 6hrs.
Had red beets baked in the oven two days ago. First BM could see beets in it. Then normal color. Then today….BM looked like it was sitting on red “blood” can you have what is “normal” BM inbetween and then a “blood” looking one. Scared the life out of me. I don’t eat meat buy do fish so have a fairly healthy diet. Pickled rex beets don’t seem to hVe this effect but first time baking my own 2 days ago. Its scared me off eating them and I really did enjoy them. Thanks.
Hi Steve, Sure, that could totally happen. Don’t let that stop you from eating beets. Beets are fantastic for you. Just know it will color your stool and that is perfectly normal. XO, Jo & Jules
Yesterday, at noon I had 1 beet, 1 carrot 1/2 cup of pineapple, water and 1 apple and. I drank it like a smoothie. After 24 hours I went to the bathroom and I freaked out. It’s was scary! Then, I remember it was the beets. It cleaned my colon for sure. Is it bad or good because it took to long and how often should i do this. Thanks
Great news, WendyB, you are perfectly good! We like to see coloring within 12 to 24 hours. Beets are fantastic for you, so eat them as often as you like. XO, Jo & Jules
I had a beet and apple blend juice yesterday which was quite large within 30 mins i got a very bloated and crampy stomach I have celiac disease as well
About 18 hours later I had a bowel movement with diarreha that was fushia in color which freaked me out
Should I avoid beets with my digestive issues?
Hi Kelly, We’re sorry you experienced that! It’s hard to say that if your reaction was due to beet juice vs. apple juice, the combo of the two or even the amount you had. Do you have that experience when you eat whole beets or whole apples? You may want to explore more before removing beets from your diet completely. XO, Jo & Jules
So I have a question. I am sick with an ear infection and sinus infection. I’ve been having some abdominal discomfort for days. Tonight I tried beet juice. I drank one whole glass. I just went #2 and saw it was surrounded by “blood”. It’s only been maybe five hours since I drank the glass of organise beet juice. I’m freaking out. Is this okay?
Please talk to me because I’m panicking and wondering if I should go to the ER. My grandfather just passed away so I’m extremely down. And now I’m worried.
Hi Michele, We’re sorry you’re not feeling well and the passing of your grandfather. It’s not unusual for stool to be red soon after drinking beet juice. Because it’s predigested and not containing fiber, the red juice will move through your digestive tract much faster than say roasted beets coloring all your stool. We hope that eases your mind. XO, J&J
I ate half a juice and even tried juicing a whole beet. My urine and poop never turned red. Should I be concerned about that? I am having regular bowel movements- at least two times daily.
Hi Andrea, Great question. It’s not really a concern that you haven’t seen anything. If you do start to see something, it’s that length of time between the time you consumed the beets and when you started seeing color in your stool or urine to take note of. Have you tried roasted beets? Do you have different results? XO, Jo & Jules
I had a juice containing beets about 24 hrs before notice pink stool…. But since it was a juice, shouldn’t it have digested a lot faster..? Does this mean my digestive system is slow? And possibly have constipation?
Hi Abigail, Good question! Typically juice does move through the digestive track a little faster. It could be that your digestion is moving a little slower. You can try eating a diet heavy in veggies and keep yourself well hydrated and test again in a week to see if there’s a difference. Not knowing how your bowel movements are and how your diet is, it’s a little hard to say but extra veggies and water are always a great place to start. If you try this, let us know how it goes. XO, J&J
hi there,
thanks 4 the article….
i had a juice that had beets chunk in it and an hour later i need to poo… it was diarrhea and reddish AF….. it was so red that it freaked me out…. i had the juice as breakfast so ididnt have anything before it but cup of water… so 1 hour transit time…. isnt it abnormal ?
thx
Hi Caleb, Thank you for reaching out! It sounds like beets might irritate your system. Have you ever had this reactions with beets before when you ate them with other foods? XO, J&J
hello
thx 4 the reply, actually my digestion is messed up for a whole good year from side effects i got from a medication…sometimes i have diarrhea and sometimes its normal but the transit time was so weird …. i dont know how 2 heal my gut been 2 many places(drs)
thanks n merry christmas
Thanks for the information!
I think for some 30 years that I hadn’t been eaten a single piece of beet because I just don’t like it. But a friend invited me to try something new last friday nite, and we had for dinner beet fries and borsch, which both tasted excellent. All things went normal until Sunday morning, after I woke up and went to toilet to pee and poo, I found the whole toilet bowl reddish – the poop looked darker in colour than normal (not red though), while the water was all bloody red. It really freaked my out totally. But things turned back to super normal again from the next toilet trip onwards.
I was so desperate to find out reasons and hence I went to doctors and all said they didn’t know the reason, and I should do further examinations. Of course, this does remind me that it’s time for a body check at least, if not going as far as a colonoscopy. But not until today (7 days later), and thanks to this article, that I could find out this all can be “beet-related”. I would say most probably, else it would be too coincidental. Perhaps I should beet-test myself later, but anyway I have arranged body check (and my answer maybe “iron deficiency”?)
Thanks again. Wish everyone good health and good wealth.
Following my story above:
If it’s really beet that had turned my pee bloody red after more than 24 hours later (which it’s still all normal within first 24 hours after eating beet), is my digestive system too poor? I saw previous comments suggesting their red pee came out as fast as a few hours or even 20 something minutes, but for me more than 24 hours…
Hi Larlar, That does sound frightening! We like to see color between 12 and 24 hours. More than that, your digestive system seems a little sluggish. Adding more fiber into your diets including beets and leafy green veggies and more water will definitely help to move things along. So glad you enjoyed the beets! XO, J&J
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this.
We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more clear
from this post. I’m very glad to see such excellent info being shared
freely out there.
Hi, We are so glad that you found this so informative! XO, J&J
I started drinking beet juice because a friend told me it was good for my liver and high blood pressure but the moment I finished drinking it like 20 minutes later I had to go poop. My poop was like purpleish and loose stool. It was my first time drinking it too.
Hi Diana, Juice will definitely move through the bowels faster than roasted beets. It sounds like you may want to ease into drinking beet juice or mix it with another juice. It may have been too much too fast for your system. XO, J&J
Hello!, I just found this site looking on internet, I ate last week on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday roasted soup made by my self, and today, 6 days after, I still see my stool cover of purple… I am starting to worry.. I mean the color looks like a beet but is it possible 6 days after?? I ate three days..
Please let me know
Hi Sandra, That soup sounds fantastic! Is it 6 days since the first bowl of soup or last. Even 3 days seems like a long time. It sounds like your digestion is a little sluggish. Are you drinking half your body weight in ounces of pure water each day? Are veggies the primary focus of each of your meals? Along with the tips mentioned above, this will really help getting things moving at a better rate. XO, J&J
Hello, so glad I found you. I ate roasted beets and an arugula salad at noon. Passed through me in 2 hours but with terrible cramps. I thought it was time of the month. Is that common? I drink a ton of water and know arugula helps keep me normal and I eat beets a lot, but have never had such fierce cramps in my intestines. Thoughts?
Hi Allyson, We’re sorry you had that experience. It sounds like your digestive tract had a hard time digesting your meal at that time. There could be a lot of factors that contribute to that. It could be low enzyme and HCl levels which prohibited the break it down or it could be an eventful time which contributed to the low digestion of your lunch. Try cooking the beets a bit more and see if you have the same results. XO, J&J
Tried this two Sundays in a row, never saw pink urine or red stool, since I repeated test on Sunday and Thursday at 3 pm will be 4 days…..should I be concerned? Monday I had steamed corn kernels, that showed up in my stool 24 hours later and again 48 hours late. I am moving my bowels once a day as usual…..I take Renew Cleanse ultimate flora probiotic each day, 50 billion……what do you suggest? Thanks
Hi Karen, We wouldn’t say it’s any concern. You many not being seeing it due to the quantity you consumed or how colorful the other food you consumed were. It does sound like corn may not be a good fit since you are not digesting it, which is very common. Do you feel any digestive issues when you eat it? Have you joined us for a live cleanse before? We love to work with you and explore this more. Great choice on the probiotic. We love Renew Cleanse Ultimate Flora probiotic. XO, J&J
What’s healthier? To eat the beets or to juice it and drink it? Thank you!
Hi Pat, We don’t really see one way over the other as healthier. We think both are great and recommend consuming them in both juice and whole food form. Raw and roasted beets add fiber along with the nutrients which is always great and juicing allows you absorb the nutrients faster. Feel free to share with us your favorite way of having beets. XO, J&J
Hai I had a beet juice in 4pm ofter 2hours I had stomach pain I went poop my poop was looking like blood is it normal.sencond time I went poop still like a blood.is it normal pls answer my question.and
Hi Naga, It sounds like that was too much beet juice for your digestive system at once. We recommend trying a smaller amount and see how it feels. Or try roasting the beets instead. XO, J&J
I had some fresh beetroot on Sunday grown in my friend’s allotment. Today it has passed through with a pink poop. I was like wow, I haven’t seen it that pink since having beetroot! It’s been a long time since I have had beetroot though. I was so worried it was blood and something serious but I should not worry! I’m a healthy kid!
Yay, Natasha, you’re very healthy! XO, J&J
OK…drank about 1/2 cup of concentrated beet juice cut with 1/2 cup water. 6 – 7 hours later…runny stool and it’s ‘beet red’… No red in urine, just in the loose poop. Scared the daylights out of me until I realized…oh yeah, beet juice. Not crazy it zipped through so fast, but I guess better than lingering for days! :)
I gathered beets from my garden Sunday night, baked them in the oven Monday night and ate 3 and a 1/2 medium sized beets around 11pm. I didn’t have my first bowel movement until today Wednesday around 5:30pm which was very dark garnet red like the beets. That was almost 42 hours later. I’ve always had poor digestion, bad constipation since elementary school. I am 32 now. I know my biggest issue is water. I’m never thirsty. Ever. Not even on hot summer days. I like cold water. I try to commit to drinking it but my brain just doesn’t want it. It’s the stangest thing.
Hi Brittany, That is a long time between bowel moments. Having it stored that long in your body causes your body to reabsorb the toxins it’s trying to eliminate. We would love to help you with this. Our September Cleanse registration is open if you would like our help. You can register here: https://consciouscleanse.com/register/. XO, J&J
So glad I came across this site. I’ve been having a lot of tummy issues, getting a colonoscopy and scope next week but I had beets today, and I expected the red from past experience but when I went less than 5hours later, I had diarrhea and I wiped the paper looked like it was covered in blood with what looked like some clots. I’ve never had this issue when eating beets before… is it from the beets or whatever else is going on in there?
Hi Jess, That must have been scary! That does sound like beets along with your stomach issues. Since you’re seeing a physician, you can mention it to them and let them know you ate beets shortly before. Best wishes on your colonoscopy! XO, J&J
I eat fairly healthy, mainly chicken or tuna salads for lunch and veg and chicken for dinner most nights. I don’t eat many carbs apart from those in fruit (I eat loads of fruit!!!) And I have just added a bowl of beetroot to my lunch. Maybe 4-5 medium size beetroot. I started this a week ago and I still haven’t seen any change in the colour of my stools or urine. Should I be concerned? My stomach does feel a bit distended.
Hi Kirsty, Do you have regular bowel moments? At least two per a day? Also, were you eating deep red or purple beets or golden beets? That is unusual not to see color, but wouldn’t be alarmed just yet. XO, J&J
drank about 24 oz of beet juice, and saw red pee about 8 hrs later. is this normal
Hi Carla, Absolutely! Since beet juice doesn’t contain fiber, which would slow digestion, will go through your digestive tract a lot faster. XO, J&J
I drank a carrot and apple smoothie and 30 minutes later I was pooping orange. It was like a cow pile. To soon?
Hi Peggy, Like beets, carrots can do that as well. It does sound like your transit time is moving fast. Fast digestion does not allow our bodies to absorb what we are eating. It could also be a sign that something in the smoothie is not agreeing with your digestive system. We would love to work with on this. Please check out our Conscious Cleanse On Demand program here: https://consciouscleanse.com/programs/ and reach out if you have any questions at all. XO, J&J
Hi Peggy,
Very concern
I have been giving my mum beetroot juice twice in a week for about four months and her blood count has improved after taking it because initially her blood count reading was 10 and the last month her reading had improved which is 12 .
However, lately I have minimize giving her beetroot juice because each time she has her juice at 2.00pm the following day at 2.00pm she goes on diarrhea at least twice without any symptoms . it becoming a bit concern on my end because she feels like she is bleeding and it she freaks out.
She says it red in colour and I kept on telling her it beetroot juice not blood.
Very concern .
Molly P
Hi Molly, Is it 24 hours later that she’s having diarrhea? If she doesn’t have beet juice, does have diarrhea the following day? It might be good to journal what she’s eating and what her stool is like. It might provide a better idea of what’s causing the loose stool. We would be more than happy to work with her through our Conscious Cleanse On Demand. You can find more information here: https://consciouscleanse.com/programs/ XO, J&J
I drank a beet juice and 2 1/2 hours later I had diarrhea that was red like beets! I freaked out..I thought that was quite fast for it to go through me ???
Hi Akat, That can be quite surprising! Since juice is liquid without fiber, it will move the digestive tract very quickly. We recommend trying beets in their whole form, roasted or maybe in a salad like the recipe above. This will provide a better gage of the transit time of your digestive system. Let us know when you give it a try! XO, J&J
Hello,
Will mixing beet powder in your smoothie (with strawberries, blueberries, spinach, flax seed) cause your poop to be red. I had a BM this morning and I saw red in the stool. It really freaked me out! The poop itself was brown, but it was floating around what looked like blood!
Hi Kevin, Great question! Whether the beet is liquid, powder, cooked or raw, it will stain our stool which will wash into the toilet water. I’m sure that was quite a surprise. XO, J&J
Hey, I have recently started my transition from Keto (on it for weight loss and couldn’t lose more than 20lb with losing and gaining all the time. I really missed my carbs from when I was younger and thinner (61 now). I started listening to all the fad notions and following them like CICO, lose the carbs, your metabolism is ruined.
So, I started saying well, if I can’t lose the weight, I might as well eat the things I like eating. So a few weeks ago I started eating brown rice. Lots of it. I watched documentaries like Forks over Knives etc and decided then to ditch some meat for a while. My weight crept up about 6-7 lb over the next week or two and reckoned that it was water weight from reintroducing complex carbs to my diet.
Last week I started looking at juicing, and started adding lots of fruit to my diet. I am Reading Dr Michael Greger just now, and it is really making sense to me now.
So I have been concentrating on just adding lots of plant based foods to my diet and can’t believe how much food I am eating. I have lost interest in alcohol (not saying I will never have another drink!) but I was drinking almost daily.
My sleep is stabilising after a week of fatigue and little sleep – detox? Last night a slept a good 8.5 hours. And for the first time, I am down a pound on the scale.
Also, I am going to bed to read at about 8.30pm to sleep for around 10pm. Last night while I was reading Dr Greger. I read about the beetroot test and decided to go eat some beetroot to see what the result of that was for me. I wasn’t expecting it to be that good, as I have been on keto mostly for over a year. To my surprise, the result was just over 14 hours!!!! That is awesome and what brought me to your site :)
This is a work in progress and in early stages, but I think I am off to a good start and was excited to share my early results with you!
Thank you for the above information!
Hi Mags, Thank you for sharing! Yay to the power of veggies! It’s amazing what true nutrient dense foods can do for us, especially veggies. It helps every aspects of our body and mental wellbeing. We would love to work with you! You can check out our Conscious Cleanse program here: https://consciouscleanse.com/programs/ We appreciate you reaching out. It’s always wonderful to hear stories like yours. XO, J&J
Hi, might I ask if the beets were (1/2 cup of raw beets) eaten with a meal, does it change the colour of the entire BM to a dark purple/red, or just comes out in a chunk looking like chewed up beetroot? The latter happened to me about 15hr later, not sure if it digested or just went straight though. And I thank your for this article its so informative!
Hi Maria, Great question! Beets can do both changing the color of your bowel moments or just the stool itself. If you can distinguish actual food in your stool then it sounds like you’re not actually digesting the food. It could be your system is moving too fast or your body doesn’t agree with what you’re eating. Do you find this happening with other foods or just beets? A cleanse is great to get your digestive system functioning better. We take time to ease digestion, find what foods work best for you, and get you feeling vibrant. You can find out more here: https://consciouscleanse.com/programs/ XO, J&J
Thank you for your reply! Hmm I don’t think it happens with other foods (unless I got food poisoning). Actually this morning (36hr later) it made my stool very dark purple, so I think I’m on the slower side. I will look into doing a cleanse, never heard of it before reading your article! Appreciate your reply :)
Hi Maria, It sounds like you’re right. Great job being in tune with your body. Please reach out if you have any questions or if we can support you in anyway. XO, J&J
I ate roasted beets last night (on a spinach salad with lentils & with a small cup of butternut squash soup on the side) and about 5-6 hours later had some cramps/IBS pains and bright red loose stool that lasted for about 2 more hours. This does not seem normal? Is 6 hours too quick and should I be concerned?
Hi Jen, Thank you for reaching out! That dish sounds yummy but it does contains a lot of foods that can be hard to digest. Do you have this reaction when eating lentils or butternut squash on their own? Or any of the other items independently? In the cleanse we dive deep into food combining and the effects on our digestion. We would love to work with you on discovering your unique blueprint. You can find out more about our program at: https://consciouscleanse.com/programs/ or reach out to us at connect@consciouscleanse.com. XO, J&J
Hoping you can help. I ate a small can (one serving) of red beets around 8:30 pm and passed a stool next day at 11am. I noticed what looked like “solid diced tomatoes ” in stool. Hoping you can ease my mind and say it is undigested beets. Thank you for your time and wisdom!
Hi Tara, It does sound like it’s the beets coming through only partially digested. That could be your transit time during digestion is moving too quick for your food to be properly digested. We would love to work with you on this. We are currently hosting a free 5-Day Clean Eating Challenge that would give you a taste of how we could support you. You can find out more here: https://www.consciouscleanse.com/5-day-clean-eating-challenge-2021/ XO, J&J
I ate roasted beets 12 hours ago and got a little freaked out this morning when I went to the bathroom and then I found your site. Thank you for sharing. I do most mornings go at least two times It’s annoying sometimes because I can’t start my day until that happens. Can you tell me why that is?
Hi Donna, We’re so glad we were able to ease your mind. Having a bowel movement typically coincides with when you eat or drink. When you’re about to eat, your body starts to prepare for it and will cause a wave like motion, moving waste down the intestines and about the time you are done eating or shortly after, it’s time to poop. That’s healthy. This can also happen when you drink 32oz of warm lemon water in the morning. It’s great to rid the body of all that it’s detoxed while you slept. Is this how it’s happening for you? Or is it different? Having healthy bowel movements is important for detoxification and staying healthy. Please let us know if you need more support. XO, J&J
Hi I had beet on the 9th of August 2021 and I am still seeing red 5 days later.
What do I do?
Hi Gugu, Thank you for reaching out. It sounds like your digestive system might be sluggish. We would love to help you with this issue. We recommend joining us for a cleanse so we can dive in this with you. You can find more about our program here: https://www.consciouscleanse.com/conscious-cleanse-nutrition-fitness/. If you have further questions, please reach out to us at connect@consciouscleanse.com. XO, J&J
What’s a normal serving size of beets? Do you only count until you first notice the beets in urine/stool or for how long you notice the pink tinge? I happen to love beets though I rarely cook them and ate 4 whole beets at a single meal. Didn’t take long to notice the color change but it’s taking a while to change back to normal …
Hi E J, Great question! A serving size can depend on what you’re eating it with. If you’re eating beets in a slaw it’ll be less than if you’re eating them roasted. We like to make veggies at least 2/3 of our plate if that helps with reference. We count when you first notice color in your urine or stool. Note that juice will show up faster than say roasted and then raw beets since the fiber is removed. Four beets is great! Yum! Since they are raw, they will take longer to digest due to the fiber so seeing it in your stool or urine for a while is normal. Thank you for reaching out! If you have more questions, feel free to reach out to us at connect@consciouscleanse.com. XO, J&J
I’m gonna have to try this one…
I usually just do raw beets carrots & celery with poppyseed dressing it’s so good 👍 👍
Hi Morning star, that sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing. Let us know how the beetroot test goes for you. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about the test at connect@consciouscleanse.com. XO, J&J