Doctors and dietitians recommend these tips to keep things moving.
Constipation is a common complaint and an extremely uncomfortable situation.
We also know that a happy gut is a healthy gut.
Give it some time.
Ready to get regular again?
Try these foods (and drinks!)
to stop the strain and get your gut health back on track.
Drink Water
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
“The more water you get, the better it is for the colon,” says Dr. Arastu.
How much water is the right amount?
That depends on a few personal factors.
But be careful, she cautions.
Where can you get insoluble fiber from food?
(P.S.Here are some more high-fiber foods you’re able to eat.)
Whole Grains
With breads and grains, makehealthy swaps to your typical grain game.
Consider choosing whole grain breads, quinoa, oats, and brown rice in your dishes.
But just be wary of eating too much at once, as they can cause bloating and gassiness.
It’s because prunes contain sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that’s naturally in certain foods.
It naturally occurs in berries, like raspberries and strawberries, too.
“Both meat and dairy consumption can often cause constipation,” adds Wilson.
Consider How You Eat
Sometimes it’s not what we eat, but how we eat it.
People are busy and we are often on the go with our food.
Sometimes we make convenient, but not nutritious food choices.
Pack snacks like trail mix with nuts and dried fruit or popcorn.
It’s just as important to eat regularly, too.
“Eat frequently and don’t skip mealsit slows motility,” says Wilson.
“When we consume a meal or snack it stimulates peristalsisallowing food to move through the digestive tract.”
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Digestive disease statistics for the United States: chronic constipation.
Date Accessed May 12, 2022.
UC Davis Student Health and Counseling Services.Constipation.Date Accessed May 12, 2022.
UCSF Health.Patient education: constipation.
Date Accessed May 12, 2022.
UC San Diego Health.Gastrointestinal motility and physiology.
Date Accessed May 12, 2022.
2021;143(17):1642-1654. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.048996
USDA.Dietary guidelines for Americans: food sources of dietary fiber.
Date Accessed May 12, 2022.
Liauw S, Saibil F.Sorbitol: Often forgotten cause of osmotic diarrhea.Can Fam Physician.
2019;65(8):557-558.
PubChem.Compound summary: sorbitol.
Date Accessed May 12, 2022.
