Recipes
Food
Create Your Diet
Digestive Herb Chart
SYMPTOMS & AYURVEDIC REMEDIES
SHINY / OILY / FATTY STOOLS (Steatorrhea)WHAT DOES IT MEAN? WHAT'S CAUSING IT? WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Written by John Immel,
11 likes SAVE IT
Written by John Immel,
Are you prone to a problem with 'Shiny / oily / fatty stools'?
Shiny / oily / fatty stools are a sign of poor fat digestion which may be caused by pancreatic or bile insufficiency. The majority of fat absorption occurs in the proximal 100 cm of the jejunum. Ayurveda considers fatty stools a problem of low agni. Hydration and electrolyte balance help restore the function of all exocrine glands, including the pancreas. Pancreatic lipase accounts for 90% of fat digestion, however fat digestion is not impaired until output drops to 10% of normal levels. The resulting malabsorption causes weight loss, loss of subcutaneous fat, muscle wasting, and deficiencies of fat-soluble vitamins including vitamins A,D,E and K. The undigested fat may be fermented by bacteria, causing gas, bloating and high toxic load to the liver. Stools may be light colored, foul-smelling, loose stools, often that float because of unabsorbed fat. Bile InsufficencyInsufficient bile causes poor fat digestion. Bile release is stimulated hormonally by the release of cholecystokinin in the duodenum. Bile is recycled and reused 4-6 times daily. In a healthy individual, less than .5g of bile acids remains after re-absorption. When larger amounts of bile enter the colon, it stimulates water secretion and increased peristalsis, causing chronic diarrhea.Re-absorption of bile is affected by damage to the brush border membrane of the small intestine, overproduction, gastro-intestinal surgery, or pre-digestion by bacterial overgrowth. In pancreatic insufficiency, the duodenum is too acidic, causing bile salts to precipitate out of solution, making them ineffective for fat digestion, and inabsorbable by the ileum. Instead, they are eliminated through the feces. Excess elimination of bile eventually depletes the bile acid pool. Gall bladder stagnation and biliary obstruction may also cause insufficient bile. Disclaimer: Conditions such as 'Shiny / oily / fatty stools' that cause tissue changes could be serious and should be checked by a medical doctor.
DIET REMEDIES FOR 'SHINY / OILY / FATTY STOOLS'PRODUCT REMEDIES FOR 'SHINY / OILY / FATTY STOOLS' FIND MORE POOP RELATED PRODUCTS
See our herbs & products in these categories. Or, click here for general Poop Tips.
DIGESTION PRODUCTSCLEANSE AND DETOX PRODUCTS DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. HOW DOES AYURVEDA HEAL 'SHINY / OILY / FATTY STOOLS'?
AVOID DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS THAT AGGRAVATE THESE EFFECTS
With Shiny / oily / fatty stools, one or more of the following
doshas
and qualities may be aggravated.
If you have an imbalance of one of these doshas or qualities, Ayurveda recommends avoiding foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate that quality and/or dosha.
These imbalanced doshas and qualities may need to be brought back into balance before this condition can be healed.
Click on the quality to learn what foods and
lifestyle habits should be avoided.
 Symptoms Tell A Story The first step to healing is learning patterns from your symptoms. Symptoms are clues that reveal underlying imbalances, showing you where your body is weak. Specifically, they reveal the doshas & qualities that may have become aggravated. If you notice a quality or dosha appears next to many of your symptoms, it helps you establish a pattern that may be systemic.V = VATA, P = PITTA, K = KAPHA  
To learn more about the symbols above, click on them. Are you prone to a problem with 'Shiny / oily / fatty stools'?
FAVOR DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS WITH THESE MEDICINAL EFFECTSEverything you eat has an effect on your body, which Ayurveda categorizes in a simple and easy way, using gunas. Gunas are qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the effect a food or herb has on your body. Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism. Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism. For 'Shiny / oily / fatty stools', you should select foods with the following qualities (gunas). Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.
To learn more about the symbols above, click on them. Digestion: Digestive DIGESTIVEHerbs that encourage healthy digestive.Liver & Gall Bladder: Cholagogue CHOLAGOGUECholagogues stimulate the release of bile from the gall bladder for improved digestion.ADDRESS ISSUES IN STAGE OF DISEASE 3SHINY / OILY / FATTY STOOLS IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE 3 - ATTACKING TISSUEIf you have symptoms in this category it means that your imbalances are becoming stronger and weakening your body's resistance. Most people have a weakness in one or more organs. These areas of weakness are the 'weak link in the chain.' They are first to succumb when an imbalance reaches a tipping point. Repairing imbalances in this category often represent your last opportunity to prevent disease. At any moment, these imbalances could overwhelm weakened tissue and develop into a disease. You may feel pain or discomfort in the weakened area. At this stage you will need to support the weakened tissue with specialized foods and herbs for the weakened tissue. REDUCE THESE RELATED SYMPTOMS & HABITSThe following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Shiny / oily / fatty stools'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them.Click Below to Find Out More
WHAT'S NEXT? 
DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR UNIQUE BODY?
What aggravates it? What heals it?
Then get your Personal Ayurvedic Body Book!
This book, written by founder and director of Joyful Belly, John Immel,
is individually formatted for your unique body and will help you confidently choose food that restores your
healthy glow to get you feeling like your best self.
Just $19.99!
HOW AYURVEDA WORKS
ARE YOU WONDERING HOW AYURVEDA CAN HELP YOU?
WHY IS AYURVEDA THE RIGHT SOLUTION?Ayurveda strengthens the body, in addition to addressing the disorder. It take a holistic, systemic approach, instead of myopically focusing on the disorder in question. Ayurveda shows a person how to interpret signs and symptoms of imbalance, and how to address them using materials from home, so they can optimize their health on a continual basis. You can't take the doctor home with you, but you can take Ayurveda home with you. Ayurveda is the most advanced and easy to use home system for self healing with an exceptional focus on digestion.HOW DOES AYURVEDA WORK?Ayurveda starts by identifying your body type, which identifies certain tendencies in your body to get sick (as well as identifying your strengths). It uses body type to determine the likely root causes of your disorders. Next, Ayurveda analyzes the nature of your disorder. It fits all your signs and symptoms into a pattern, expressed as a combination of gunas / qualities. For example, you may have a heat disorder, a cold disorder, or an oily disorder, etc. This simple categorical approach shows you how to correct systemic imbalances and strengthen your body as a whole.On Joyful Belly, we've created an extensive categorization of food so you can easily match food to your imbalances (gunas). By eating an optimal diet that balances your gunas, your whole body is strengthened and the conditions that created the disorder are removed. Once the root causes of the disease are removed, the disease lessens in strength or disappears altogether. Additional remedies - such as herbs and lifestyle practices - focused on the specific disorder, can greatly enhance your healing. Want to learn more about Ayurveda and its step-by-step approach to healing? Click below.LEARN MOREGET STARTEDTo get started on your Ayurvedic journey, we first recommend that your find your body type by taking our free quiz. In Ayurveda, every solution is based on your unique body type, so by taking this quiz, you’ll get the best results.5 WAYS TO HEAL YOUR BODY
WITH AYURVEDA - FREE REPORT!
New to Ayurveda? Not sure how Ayurveda can help you?
This free report shows you 5 simple ways you can heal your body with Ayurveda.
It shows you simple, practical ways manage your health.
About the Author John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda. His approach to Ayurveda exudes a certain ease, which many find enjoyable and insightful. His online course Balance Your Ayurvedic Diet in a Week provides tools for gracefully healing with Ayurveda to thousands. John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda , which specializes in digestive tract pathology & Ayurvedic nutrition. John and his wife Natalie recently published Explore Your Hunger: A Guide to Hunger, Appetite & Food.John's interest in Ayurveda and digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, including his public service work in South Asia. John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion. John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing. In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University. John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots, and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church. Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick. That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well. Comments & Personal ExperiencesHow does 'shiny / oily / fatty stools' affect your quality of life? What aggravates it? What has helped you? Is there something you'd like to know about 'shiny / oily / fatty stools'?11 likes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On Facebook
On Twitter
BOOKS
BY JOYFUL BELLY
Say goodbye to confusion about food and health with your personal Ayurveda body book, individually and custom formulated for your body. $19.99 $7.95 introductory offer 3 days only
Join Joyful Belly.
Want our top Ayurvedic recipes and health tips?Subscribe to our free newsletter!