Constipation Help - Foods That Will Help You Relieve Or Prevent Constipation

If you have no underlying medical condition that makes you constipated a change in diet can do wonders to help your body avoid being constipated.

High Fiber Foods are Best

Wheat Bread

In general it is best to eat foods that are high in fiber. Instead of eating white bread for example you can eat wheat bread.

What Causes Constipation?

In order to understand what the role of food in preventing constipation is, it would be well to understand something about what causes constipation.

Constipation is the condition of not being able to defecate (or go poo poo) easily. It occurs when bowel movements are infrequent or incomplete.

Hard feces are caused primarily by having too much of the water in the food you eat being taken out of that food as it passes through the colon. This results in a hard and dry stool that is difficult to expel.

Many things cause constipation that are not directly related to your diet however. Certain kinds of drugs, dehydration, various medical conditions, even pregnancy can all cause constipation irrespective of how much fiber you get in your diet.

Preventing Constipation Through a Change in Diet

But, assuming that none of these non-dietary conditions exist you can alleviate and relieve constipation by eating food that will move through the colon faster while retaining more of its moisture.

You want to eat foods that are great for you but that also move through the colon quickly and more easily allowing us to avoid being constipated altogether.

Along with eating high fiber food you also want to make sure that you drink lots of water or juice to avoid being dehydrated.

The Role of Fiber

High fiber foods help alleviate constipation because the fiber in them is not easily digested by the body. Instead, it moves through the bowel absorbing and holding water. This aids other food to move along and be expelled more quickly. A high fiber diet produces a large, soft, and bulky stool that passes through the colon more easily.

Fiber is not just found in foods like whole wheat bread however. It can also be found in fruits and vegetables.

Reading Food Labels

When deciding what foods to buy it is important to look at the list of ingredients, if there is one, to make sure you are actually getting real fiber. Bread, for example, that is labeled "whole wheat" is not always whole. Many breads contain "enriched wheat flour" which many times has had much of the actual fiber that is found in wheat, removed. Many times such flour has been de-germed which removes much of the fiber. When buying bread you should look for "100% whole wheat" or similar labeling on the ingredients label itself without relying on the words that appear on the packaging.

Examples of Great Food that will help with Constipation

Some foods that are particularly rich in fiber and thus very helpful in improving your bowel movements are lentils, raisins, broccoli, peas, navy beans, pears, spinach, barley, and prunes.

Constipation Help - Foods That Will Help You Relieve Or Prevent Constipation

Steve Dix is the owner of Foods for Constipation, a web site where you can learn more about which foods will help you avoid constipation and more tips on how to stay regular.

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