Foods For Constipation
by Sarah
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Before you seek foods for constipation, you need to determine why you’re suffering from bloating and constipation on a regular basis. In modern popular culture, constipation or irregularity is often the result of people not eating enough vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods. Combined with drinking plenty of water (not just any liquids, but nice, clean water), better integrating these foods for constipation into your diet will often make a greater difference than people realize.
Foods for Constipation
Our oft sedentary lifestyle is one of the most common constipation causes as well. So don’t blame your diet entirely if you spend all your time split between a computer desk and the couch in front of your television.
Of course, there are also exceptional cases that inevitably lead to a greater likelihood of constipation as well, such as pregnancy.
Gluten Intolerance and Constipation
Gluten intolerance often leads to bouts of constipation and diarrhea. It may seem confusing that it can cause both extremes of digestive disorders, but gluten intolerance and celiac disease remain a little mysterious as it manifests itself a little differently in everyone.
No matter the severity of your gluten intolerance — and there is a wide range of severity — constipation and celiac disease bloating is something someone who is gluten intolerant will likely suffer as they are two of the earliest and most common gluten intolerance symptoms. Often times people who are experiencing gluten intolerance or celiac disease may not even realize it because they’re only experiencing an earlier, mild symptom like occasional constipation. There are over 250 gluten allergy symptoms so don’t exclude the possibility of celiac disease just because your symptoms don’t perfectly match some list found on the Internet.
However, if after evaluating your diet and determining you consume plenty of foods for constipation you still experience constipation fairly regularly, you should really see your doctor and explore the possibility of having some form of gluten intolerance. Even if you test negative for celiac disease, you might try a gluten elimination diet to see how your body reacts. If you experience greater regularity and energy after a few weeks of completely eliminating gluten from your diet, it might not be a matter of consuming the right foods for constipation as it is about avoiding the wrong foods for constipation in your specific case.
Good Foods for Constipation
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So the first thing you need to do is integrate more vegetables, fruits and water into your diet. Try to consume at least 20 grams of fiber every day. Beans are an excellent and nutritious way to increase your fiber intake and you will find a wide variety of beans to work into your diet. If you’re concerned about the stereotypical flatulence associated with beans, just gradually integrate them into your diet. As your body acclimates itself to consuming more and more beans over time, you will experience far less gas and bloating as a result of their consumption.
And again, try to drink plenty of water and increase your physical activity level. Even walking just 20 minutes or so each day can make a big difference if you’ve been leading an overly sedentary lifestyle.
Bad Foods For Constipation
Overly processed foods are often the source of constipation. Try to consume fewer packaged foods and read labels to spot excess fillers and preservatives. Avoid foods with too long and complex of an ingredient list, especially those littered with terms like high fructose corn syrup and various hydrogenated oils.
Highly processed white flour will often lead to constipation. If you’re gluten intolerant, of course, you should be avoiding such flour, but even those who aren’t gluten intolerant should avoid such empty carbohydrates and simple sugars. Go for whole grains and darker flours instead. If you’re the sort that turns your nose up at weird dark breads and cynically leer at “natural” food, all I can say is: hey, have fun with your constipation and flatulence.
Even if you’re not clinically gluten intolerant, you might experiment with some gluten free bread recipes or gluten free bread machine recipes in place of your usual breads just to see how your body reacts to consuming less gluten.
Dairy products like ice cream, cheese and milk are also common causes of constipation. In many cases it just means you need to consume them in moderation and in other cases you may be suffering from lactose intolerance, one of the more common adult food allergies.
Junk foods and simple sugars should be avoided, but that’s a given for any healthy diet.
And last but not least, you might cut down on the beef (or eliminate it entirely). Our intestines simply don’t process red meat very well, not matter what the powerful beef industry lobbyists and rich advertisers want your elected officials and you to believe.
In the end, the best thing you can do is to learn to integrate more simple, natural foods into your diet, with plenty of fruits and veggies playing a larger role. Those are the foods for constipation that you need to live a more healthy and comfortable life. You need to chase after miracle constipation treatments when a common sense healthy lifestyle will do.
Drink plenty of quality liquids (soda pop doesn’t count) and try to get more exercise. If you still suffer regular constipation, please see your doctor as there could be something serious as the underlying cause such as celiac disease constipation. You must diagnose and treat such conditions before too much damage is done to your digestive tract.
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