Vegan Diet Poo: What's That Smell?

Does your poo smell when starting a vegan diet?

It's a question many people are too embarrassed to ask, but it's perfectly normal to wonder about the changes in your bowel movements when you switch to a vegan diet.

The smell

According to Dr Greger from Nutrition Facts, the smell of your poo comes from what you eat. Those who eat meat enjoy a much stinkier poo, while those who do not have a less pungent smell. So, if you've recently gone vegan, your poo might smell worse initially as your body cleanses itself of toxins linked to animal fats.

Frequency of bowel movements

You may find that you're pooing more now you're vegan, and that's mostly because you're likely to be eating more fibre. It's generally thought that the western diet is lacking in fibre, so the addition of more whole foods and plants to your meals will probably result in more pooing!

However, it's still possible to be fibre deficient on a vegan diet, especially if you're eating a lot of vegan junk food and processed foods.

Consistency

The perfect poo is smooth, without cracks, and comes out in one piece or in a few short blobs. It should be a sausage shape, indicating there is enough fibre and water to sweep the bowel clean.

Colour

The colour of your poo matters. Properly digested food will exit the body as a medium brown colour. If your poo is pale or yellow, this is an indication that you are not digesting or absorbing fat effectively and could be the result of undiagnosed and untreated gut issues such as coeliac disease or a lack of lipase (fat-digesting enzymes). If your poo is consistently very dark, it generally indicates an issue such as an ulcer in the gut, although it may be caused by medication containing iron.

Vegan poop is healthier

Vegan Poop is More Frequent

Vegans tend to have more frequent bowel movements than meat-eaters. This is largely due to the increased amount of fibre in a vegan diet. Fibre adds bulk to stools, which keeps things moving through the intestines.

Vegan Poop is Softer

The fibre in a vegan diet also absorbs water, which makes stools softer and moist. Softer stools are easier to pass and bring a greater feeling of relief.

Vegan Poop is Easier

Plant proteins are simpler and easier to digest than animal proteins. Meat eaters tend to be more constipated, which means they strain more when passing stools.

Vegan Poop is Less Sticky

Vegan stools are less sticky than those of meat-eaters. Sticky stools are usually associated with fatty, high-protein foods, such as animal products.

Vegan Poop is Less Smelly

Some people report that their poop smells less after switching to a vegan diet. This may be because a vegan diet is often healthier and contains less harmful toxins.

Vegan Poop is Healthier

A vegan diet is typically rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which provide a good source of fibre and other nutrients. This can lead to healthier gut flora and improved bowel health.

Vegan poop may smell worse initially

It's not a pleasant topic, but it's one that needs to be addressed. The smell of your poop is usually a good sign. While we all hate it, the odour is actually proof that your body is ridding itself of harmful toxins, and it's also thought to be associated with the bacteria found within the gut.

The problem is that everyone is different. So, what may be a "normal" smell for one person will be entirely different for another.

People transitioning to a plant-based diet are likely to experience a change in smells, and it can sometimes get worse. This is because the body is cleansing itself of all the dioxins, hormones, bacteria, antibiotics, and other nasties associated with regular consumption of animal products.

The good news is that this will generally settle down, although it can take a little while. When I first switched from the Standard American Diet to eating solely plants, it was a shock. My guts were in turmoil, and it lasted for several months!

I even seriously considered giving up and going back to how I was eating before, such was my embarrassment. Thankfully, things began to calm down and now I actually have fewer issues with bad smells as my body is generally cleaner and better equipped to process the food I eat quickly and efficiently.

Another thing that can help with the new vegan poop smell dilemma is to begin a plant-based probiotics program. Improving your gut flora will help your body adjust to your new way of eating and can also help lessen your cravings for certain foodstuffs, especially those with high sugar content.

The thing to remember is that if your smell changes dramatically for the worse, without any other changes occurring, and remains this way for longer than a few days, a trip to your doctor is probably wise. Same rule applies for the frequency of your bowel movements, too.

Drastic changes can be signs of underlying problems, so don't let embarrassment stop you from getting medical advice. Your healthcare practitioner has heard and seen it all before.

Vegan poop may be more frequent

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Vegan poop may be less frequent

It's entirely possible that you'll poop less frequently when you first transition to a vegan diet. This is usually down to one of two reasons:

You're not getting enough fibre

This may seem counterintuitive, but it's entirely possible to be fibre deficient on a vegan diet. This is especially true if you're eating a lot of vegan junk food and not enough whole foods.

Your body is adjusting to its new fuel

Our guts can get very used to what we give them to break down, and a gut that has had a lifetime of dairy and meat can take a while to learn how best to digest non-processed foods.

What to do about it

If you're worried about your lack of bowel movements, try a slower transition to eating more plants. This will give your body time to adjust to your new diet.

You should also ensure you're getting enough fibre. The best way to do this is to eat a variety of whole foods, including fruits and vegetables.

If you're still struggling, try taking a daily probiotic to improve your gut flora.

Vegan poop may be easier to deal with

The quality of your vegan poop is likely to be good providing you follow a whole food, plant-based diet. Now, we already know that this is good for our health, but it also has another advantage too.

When you start eating more plants and eliminate animal products from your diet, you’ll find that your stools become less, well, sticky. Sticky stools are usually associated with fatty foods and those which are high in protein (i.e. animal products), and they can be a real pain when it comes to cleaning up once you’ve finished clearing out!

Another reason you may encounter the dreaded sticky stool is an intolerance of some kind. While those who are lactose intolerant will automatically bring relief to their guts by removing dairy from their lives, anyone who has a problem with gluten may see things get worse when going vegan.

This is largely because many of us substitute animal products with more grain-based foods when going vegan, so be aware of this when transitioning across. The fact is, many people who have coeliac disease are actually unaware they have a problem.

Therefore, if you feel as though you are eating healthily, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough exercise, but are still passing tacky, tarry stools, a visit to your health care provider for a coeliac disease test is probably a good idea.

For most of us, though, adopting a plant-based diet means more angel poos. If you’re unsure of what that means, I’ll hand you over to the Urban Dictionary…

> A poo so perfect that requires virtually no toilet paper to clean your anus.

Vegan poop is easier to, ahem, deal with

Now, this isn’t going to be easy to describe with any finesse, so apologies in advance!

Frequently asked questions