Foods to Help Constipation

According to statistics, some 42 million people are afflicted by constipation in the USA alone. And although most people try to hide the fact because they are embarrassed by the awkwardness of talking about it, constipation is here to stay. But you don’t have to remain under the yoke of constipation, because there are things that can be done to reverse it, such as eating certain foods to help constipation.

The causes of constipation include, among others, not going to the toilet when you need to, not doing enough exercise, being in stressful situations all the time, not drinking enough water and eating the wrong food instead of eating foods that help constipation. And if you chronically keep doing these things, then you will end up sometime with chronic constipation and the unpleasant constipation symptoms that go with it.

Unfortunately, as a species, the human race has moved away from eating the right kinds of foods that will prevent constipation and keep our intestinal tracts functioning correctly. We have turned to a diet that is good for our taste buds, but bad for our gut health. Refined foods cause us to get constipation and other unpleasant digestive health problems such as heartburn, indigestion and also more serious diseases such as colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

In order to move back to a situation where our digestive tract will be healthy and work as it should, we need to change our lifestyle back to what it was a few thousand years ago. This means that we need to do more exercise, drink more water live a more relaxed life and eat foods that will help us get rid of constipation and that will thereafter maintain a healthy gut. We need to eat foods that will help constipation or foods to help constipation.

Which foods are the right foods to help constipation or prevent constipation? A healthy diet that will help constipation will mainly consist of foods that are fiber-rich, foods that contain good quality proteins and fats

and lots of water. The following image of a food pyramid gives us a good idea of foods to help constipation or relieve constipation, and which foods to eat less of because they may cause constipation or make constipation worse. Note that higher up on the pyramid, the less you should eat those foods. Also note that water is right at the bottom, meaning that it should be the foundation of our diet and therefore it is the most basic food to help constipation. While we can go without food for quite a few days, we cannot go without water for more than three days at the most. The only thing that we need more than water is oxygen. You need about 8 glasses of water per day.

The next two levels just higher up than water are the levels containing fiber-rich carbs (carbohydrates) and fruit and veggies. Carbohydrates are foods like brown rice, whole wheat bread, fiber-rich plates of pasta and cereals that are fortified, meaning that all the necessary nutrients have been added back to make it a whole food. Fruit and veggies are the raw product that we get from trees and gardens (or a greengrocer if we live in a city where we cannot grow our own fruit and veggies).

These two levels of foods are the best foods to relieve or foods to help constipation because of the high fiber content. The fiber fills the insides of the bowels and helps the food move along through the intestines more easily. All of these foods are awesome foods that help constipation. You need about six servings per day of carbohydrates, 3 servings per day of raw or cooked veggies and 2 servings per day of raw fruit.

Specific foods to help constipation and works very well for constipation relief in these categories are prunes, kiwis, popcorn, oranges, beans, pineapple, sweet potatoes, ripe bananas, nuts and seeds, whole grain bread, pears and apples, plums, apricots and peaches, various berries, flaxseed, broccoli, dried fruit, spinach.

The next level up contains two groups of food namely meat, fish, eggs, poultry, nuts and dry beans, as well as dairy products. All of these provide good quality of proteins and most of them provide good quality fats and oils. Nuts and dry beans also provide good quality fiber. You need about 3 servings of dairy per day and 2 servings of the meat, legumes and poultry group. Dried beans are excellent foods to help constipation because of the high fiber content. It provides quick constipation relief.

Specific foods in this category that are good for constipation are dry beans, hazelnuts, fatty beef, dry peas, steamed fish, peanuts, walnuts, pecan nuts, mutton.

The tip of the pyramid is the less desirable foods that are good for your taste buds but bad for the rest of you. These are the foods that you need to have as little as possible of. They are sweets, snacks, cookies, cakes, tarts, etc that you will find at a party. These are not foods to help constipation, and should not be eaten. Too much of these foods will cause constipation instead of helping it. Avoid having more than one helping of these foods per week.

Other foods that will fall in this category are sweet syrupy puddings, cheesecakes, donuts, hot cross buns, chocolates, candy, rich white sauces, custard, potato crisps, pretzels, crackers, etc. Sodas can also be considered to fall into this group. None of these foods will help constipation at all.

Nutritional supplements such as Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, etc also fall into this category and should be avoided if at all possible. It is far better to get your nutrients naturally from various food sources. Red meats (especially beef) contain a rich supply of Vitamin B12 and fruit and veggies (especially raw) contain lots of Vitamins A, C and E. To get enough Vitamin D you merely need to spend some time in bright sunlight, and eggs contain a bit of everything. One eggshell contains enough calcium to last you a week,

The whole objective is to avoid unnatural foods and eat natural foods that will help constipation. that way you will remain healthy.

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