Despite lifting our feet up and down and straining our body, we only end up depleting our energy, and remain bloated and uncomfortable in the most inopportune places, such as work or school.
Constipation is one of the most widespread medical conditions in the world. Experts say it is usually food-related.
“Constipation can be an indicator of poor fat digestion, imbalanced gut microbes, and a toxic liver” Jennifer Scribner, a nutritional therapy practitioner specialising in digestive issues, in Portland, Oregon, says.
The nutritionist says even though it’s normal to deal with constipation, regular constipation can still be a cause for concern because it allows more toxicity to build in the body that can possibly cause long-term issues such as chronic abdominal pain and back pain.
To prevent your stool from becoming hard, dry, and difficult to pass, consume these foods to help you use the bathroom:
Cooked beans
This healthful food is known to cause flatulence, but its high fibre content can actually alleviate constipation. Consuming black beans, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, and soy beans can minimise gassiness if they are cooked properly.
“Lack of adequate fibre in the diet or water, and eating too much processed foods are often an indicator of constipation,” says Dr. Elaine Ferguson, holistic physician and bestselling author of Superhealing: Engaging Your Mind, Body, and Spirit to Create Optimal Health and Well-Being. Foods with fibre help constipation because they add mass to the stool and stimulate the colon to literally push things along. Half a cup of beans can provide you with six or more grammes of fibre.
Drain your water glass
Contrary to popular belief, water may be an even stronger antidote to constipation than fibre. A 2013 study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that low liquid consumption was a better predictor of constipation than fibre intake.
“It’s known that having an adequate amount of water in your diet is an important factor in preventing constipation, but I’m still surprised that the data shows such a robust effect of water,” says Scribner. Everyone’s heard the eight-glasses-a-day rule, but the nutritionist says that’s a lot to swallow. “Generally, we ask people to increase the amount of water they are drinking up to the point they can tolerate.”
Drink coffee
Coffee lovers can rejoice that the bitter-tasting substances in their cup of coffee can actually stimulate the digestive tract and provide constipation relief. Drinking coffee can not only help you use the bathroom, but also help you to pass softer, easier stools. While there are no large-scale studies on this subject, researchers believe drinking coffee can stimulate the movement of the colonic muscles and promote peristalsis – the coordinated contraction and relaxation of intestinal muscles that cause bowel movements – at a fast rate. Decaffeinated coffee can help bowels, but it won’t do so at the same rate as caffeinated coffee.
Eat dark chocolate
The health benefits of dark chocolate seem endless, but what chocolate eaters may not know is that it can treat constipation. The candy bar is a rich source of magnesium, which helps relax the muscles in the digestive tract, and throughout the entire body, increasing the likelihood that you will go. If you are unable to eat chocolate, Scribner suggests taking magnesium glycinate supplements to conquer constipation naturally. It’s best to opt for organic dark chocolate that contains at least 72 per cent cocoa. Unfortunately, milk chocolate does not work the same as its darker counterpart.
Get more magnesium
Magnesium, a mineral found in the body, plays a role in muscle function and helps stool move through the intestines. An insufficient supply can lead to digestive problems. A 2007 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that low magnesium intake had an even greater effect on constipation than low fibre; and that women who had low intakes of magnesium were more likely to be constipated. The good news is that magnesium is found in everything, from spinach to avocado to bananas.
Exercise
Whether exercise prevents constipation is up for debate – there are no rock-solid studies proving that it does. But doctors say that getting your body moving is beneficial for bowel health. Some data shows that if you are ambulatory versus sedentary, you are less likely to be constipated. There is enough anecdotal evidence that exercise helps patients.
While doctors can’t say how much or what type of exercise is ideal, they agree that regular movement is probably best. They say that very few people who exercise regularly report constipation, or they tend to report constipation with minimal symptoms.
Use laxatives
Over-the-counter laxatives can beef up your body’s fibre supply (which increases the water content of poop, making it easier to slide through the colon), make stool slippery (i.e., no straining necessary), and stimulate the intestinal lining (which triggers the urge to go). Still, doctors advise using laxatives with caution.
Take yoghurt
Yoghurt is an excellent source of probiotics, which promotes healthy digestion. “One of the best natural remedies most people don’t know about is taking probiotics,” Ferguson said. Examples of probiotics include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Sacchromyces boulardi, which are available in supplement form; and some foods such as yoghurt.
However, not all yoghurts are created equal. Avoid yoghurts that contain lots of sugar and opt for plain organic yoghurts that have a good source of probiotics.
Next time you feel bloated and uncomfortable, grab yourself one of these foods to get natural constipation relief without colon-damaging laxatives.
PUNCH
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