CONSTIPATION
Treat Constipation with Diet, Not With Laxatives.
For fuller details, see my series of posts on Constipation on this blog, and also on my Alzheimers blog at The Alzheimers Carer. This page is a summary of useful foods and how they can be used to avoid the deadly Laxatives Trap.
You will need only one extra item in your kitchen for implementing this diet and that is a coffee grinder - you may already have one. Buy all seeds whole (they are also cheaper that way) and grind them as you use them. That way, you don’t lose any of their goodness.
Salient Points:
- Avoid white flour and white sugar.
- Meat and cheese should be eaten with fibre.
Good sources of Fibre:
- Vegetables
- Grated carrots or zucchini in breads and muffins
- Apples – the pectin in apples is very good for the bowel and has been proved to help with cholesterol – peel and grate them
- Oatbran – also good for cholesterol levels
- Flax seed / linseed – buy whole and grind it in your coffee grinder as required – about 1-2 tablespoons a day – use in baking or sprinkle on food. Nice on breakfast muesli – good source of Omega 3 fatty acids.
- Sunflower seeds – ground – use in baking or sprinkle on food – huge vitamin and mineral content plus fatty acids
- Sesame seeds – ground – use plenty in baking or sprinkle on food – highly nourishing and excellent for the bowel, stops baked goods going mouldy – ground sesames are yummy as a topping for baked or steamed veggies
- Psyllium hulls (from the health store) good for diarrhea as well as constipation, it adds bulk and moisture to the stool – use in smoothies
Good Sources of Flavor:
- Ginger – good for the digestion and for travel sickness and dizziness
- Vanilla – use the real extract or the pod
- Blackstrap molasses – if you have to have a sweetener – contains iron and heaps of other minerals
- Carob flour – good for diarrhea, stomach upsets , constipation, and has natural sugars and a chocolatey flavor
Note: Although in the past wheat bran was “the thing” for adding fibre, it’s now recognized that it is definitely not the best option because its action tends to be harsh, and also because wheat is not the best of grains. So give it a miss and try out the other sources listed above.
Finally – something to think about. Living 3 years in Africa brought home to me a fact that we westerners are really not aware of : the standard issue porcelain toilet does absolutely nothing to alleviate constipation. Thousands of people throughout the world defecate in the correct position for emptying the bowel – squatting. In the squatting position, the body‘s muscles are correctly aligned to most efficiently and comfortably empty the bowel.
You can buy gadgets to fit round your toilet, or if you have a strong toilet seat, you can squat on that. I have to confess to somehow becoming constipated myself once while my mom was alive. She was calling out for attention, so I didn’t have the time to sit for ages straining on the toilet. I grabbed a newspaper and squatted on the floor with my back to the wall. It worked.
If you are just changing your diet and still need some help you can use “Smooth Move” Tea by Traditional Medicinals of CA from the health store. One cup is usually all it takes – and it’s a very pleasant drink. I believe it’s better than tablets or capsules because it is a liquid and therefore adds to the moisture content of the stool. But remember – this is for occasional, not regular, use.
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