How to Avoid Constipation
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Millions of people suffer from this uncomfortable disorder. If you don't feel comfortable discussing it we've included some simple solutions for you to try. Here are some ideas to reduce your constipation symptoms and improve your diet for long term digestive health.
Steps
- Eat a diet high in fiber. Fiber helps provide bulk and also accelerates the movement of food through the GI tract. Both insoluble and soluble fiber will benefit constipation.
- Select breakfast cereals with ideally around ten grams of fiber per one hundred grams but do watch cereal salt content.
- Introduce more legumes (beans, lentils), seeds, nuts and green leafy vegetables into your diet on a daily basis. They are rich in fiber and nutrients, including magnesium, which is good for constipation.
- Swap refined carbohydrates such as white bread for whole meal or whole grain varieties. This applies to pasta and rice as well. Whole grains have more fiber and more nutrients. They not only help protect against constipation but may also help prevent insulin surges and reduce the risk of diabetes.
- Aim for around five portions of fruit or vegetables per day. Vary your choices because different fruits and vegetables provide different kinds of fibers. A variety of fruits and vegetables also enhances the body's ability to fight free radicals by providing a variety of different antioxidants with different roles to play in the body. Remember that those dried and canned count too.
- Exercise. Set yourself an achievable goal such as a 30-minute walk each day and stick to it. Being more active will increase general health and should make the gut work more effectively. Studies show that exercise increases nitric oxide levels, which may alleviate constipation. Low nitric oxide levels may explain both constipation and hypertension in pregnant women and the elderly.
- Drink plenty of water (Eight glasses per day is ideal). Constipation occurs when too much moisture is reabsorbed from feces.
- Cut down on caffeine and alcohol, both of which are diuretics that dehydrate you. Try to switch to decaffeinated coffee.
- Do not overeat. Smaller meals are easier to digest and may benefit GI health more than larger meals. You could try eating more than three meals a day and see how you feel. Avoid eating late at night because the body has more trouble digesting food while you are sleeping.
- If you are still constipated after trying this general health-improving advice, try natural means to combat constipation; prunes or herbal teas are an option.
- Use over-the-counter remedies with caution. If you do try them and they work but constipation returns do not continue using them as a long term solution consult your family physician.
- Visit your local vitamin or health food store for enzymatic treatments to help balance the good and bad bacterias in your digestive system. The active cultures in yogurt may also help assuage constipation and even reduce the risk of colon cancer. If you are magnesium-deficient, you may consider looking into a magnesium supplement as well.
Video
Tips
- Do not be embarrassed to talk to your family physician about the problem. He or she is qualified to help you.
- If the problem is chronic, you should speak to your doctor or see a specialist right away. Constipation is a symptom of many more serious medical problems, including bowel obstructions, colon cancer, and rectal cancer.
- Be matter-of-fact about the problem; they have heard it many times before.
- Avoid harsh laxatives, especially when they are used long-term. While the importance of preventing constipation cannot be overstated, the long-term use of laxatives may harm the intestines and lead to dependence. You can take fiber and magnesium supplements your whole life if you are not obtaining enough of these nutrients from your diet.
- If you are embarrassed, you can also seek treatment from a physician from the same sex as you.
- Some yogurts sold in the dairy section of grocery stores have additional enzymes to aid in digestion.
- High protein diets are hard on the digestive system. Constipation may be frequent in those on Atkins or other high protein diets. Diets that limit carbohydrates, such as Atkins, may be deficient in fiber and other nutrients. If you are following the Atkins diet, for example, be sure to include low-carbohydrate foods that are still high in fiber, such as broccoli.
- Painkillers frequently cause constipation by slowing the movement of food through the intestines. Consider loperamide, an agent that combats diarrhea through its effects on the movement of food through the GI effect. It works through actions similar to opioids, but acts only on the intestines. Make sure that you have a high-fiber intake when taking painkillers. If the problem persists, you may need to try a stool softener.
Warnings
- If constipation alternates with diarrhea, persists for long periods of time, or blood is passed with stools, know that it is definitely time for a chat with the doctor.
- Be careful when starting to introduce more exercise. Start slowly and again chat with a doctor about any health concerns beforehand.
- A diet high in fiber is healthy for the gut (and perhaps even the pancreas and heart), but you can have too much. Too much fiber may reduce the absorption of nutrients from your food by binding to them in the GI tract. If you take vitamins and fiber supplements, you may want to take the fiber supplements at a different time to increase the effectiveness of your vitamins.
- You can drink too much water too. In the most extreme cases, drinking too much water can lead to hyponatremia (a lack of sodium in the blood) and can even kill you. Do not exceed ten glasses per day, and avoid drinking isotonic sports drinks in large amounts.
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