What is Constipation?
The term constipation varies from person to person. This may sound a little gross but some people may have a bowel movement say twice a day as normal routine others might have a bowel movement once every three days and still be normal with it. It is basically any change of bowel habit less than the ordinary one you have. Follow below given a complete constipation diet plan or foods that prevent constipation list.
What helps constipation fast?
Now coming to, what foods that can help prevent constipation? a lot of you must be wondering why I’m talking about this today. Well, because being a doctor, every third patient I see is complaining of constipation.
And let’s face it, everyone has had it pretty bad at some point, but been too shy to talk about it. Well, worry not, one of the things studying medicine teaches you is that there’s nothing to be embarrassed by.
Furthermore, being right bam in the middle of the summers, we are all losing a lot more water than we’d like to. And those who think to be in an air-conditioned office should keep them safe are absolutely wrong, those too are losing water through evaporation.
So how do we prevent this? Here we go!
What is the best vegetable to eat for constipation?
Source: BHG
Increase your Vegetable intake no matter which ones they are as constipation home remedy.
You can take them raw or cooked because the main concern here if the fiber intake. But apart from the fiber, the water content of raw vegetables also contributes towards relieving constipation.
Read Also: Top Fruits and Vegetables to fight the dehydration
So which vegetables are the best to prevent constipation? To be honest most of them will do well. But here are the top few vegetables that help avoid constipation.
1. Lettuce: Put it in your salads, sandwiches or burgers! This leafy green vegetable is high in fiber content!
2. Spinach: Again another leafy green vegetable which can be incorporated easily in the diet. It also has added benefits of folate and Vitamin C!
3. Cabbage: This can easily be included in salads, soups, sandwiches, and even detox juices!
Source: fitness spell
4. Carrots: Another easily available vegetable on the market is a carrot. You can eat it on its own as a snack, in salads, soups, Asian cuisine or drink it as a juice!
5. Potatoes: Especially with the skin are a rich source of fiber and an all-time favorite! I mean, who doesn’t love potatoes? Fry them, bake them (with skin), boil them, and mash them! Put them in your salads, in rice, or make that awesome aalo ki bhujya!
6. Green beans, zucchini, broccoli, kale are some other vegetable that are easily available and can be easily incorporated into a diet plan to prevent constipation.
Source: pixabay
A second most important way to avoid constipation is increasing that fruit intake! It is the perfect home remedy for constipation!
So which fruits would you benefit most from?
Source: half your plate
1. Apricots: These are easily available during the summers, and oh-so-delicious foods to prevent constipation! High in fiber, these are sure to relieve your constipation. You can take them fresh in a fruit salad, shake, juice, or by themselves. You can even soak dried apricots in water and have those to relieve constipation!
Source: hppr
2. Prunes: Another fruit of the summer, and yummy, is an easy source of fiber to move those bowels along!
3. Figs: All of us have a parent in the house who’s a fanatic of figs. This fruit can be taken fresh or again after being soaked if in dried form.
4. Grapes: Red, green, fresh or dried, grapes are definitely a favorite in fruit salads, juices, or even in rice (Afghani pulao). And of course, they’re a favorite during winters, as dried fruit. Whichever form, you take them in; they’re bound to prevent constipation.
5. Papayas, kiwis, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, plums and pineapples are some other fruits you can take during the summer to beat that constipation.
Source: ecoagricultor
How can I increase my bowel movements?
Increased Fluid intake:
Source: medicalnewstoday
The importance of hydration and fluid intake cannot be emphasized enough. Water intake helps keeps the stools soft and helps them move along faster along the bowels. One needs to take at least three liters of water per day to prevent constipation. There are many ways to stay hydrated. You can take the water in the form of juices, slushies, smoothies, lemonades, or pure simple water. This is the treatment of constipation at home!
Increased Exercise:
The simplest form of exercise that will help relieve constipation is walking. How does that work? Walking makes your gut (intestines) move as your body needs more nutrients, food moves along faster through the gut.
As the food moves faster along the gut, there is less time for absorption of water. And food moves faster along the intestines, and faster in the stool thereby preventing constipation.
Source: unsplash
Include unprocessed foods:
Include whole grain products like brown rice, whole wheat, rye and oats in the diet. The fiber content of these is high and thus reduced time of the food in the gut.
What are the foods that cause constipation?
Another way of avoiding constipation is to avoid foods that cause constipation! Some of these foods are, white flour, white rice, alcohol, fried foods, red meat milk and dairy containing compounds. So you need to eat more foods that prevent constipation!
But what if none of this works? Well, if done right, it’s highly unlikely that this will not prevent constipation. However, dire situations, lead people to take dire actions. But before those dire actions there are some other remedies that may help.
Stool Bulking agents:
These include ispaghol husk, which needs to be taken after being soaked in a glass of water for at least an hour or so and not immediately consumed from the packet.
Stool Laxative agents:
These can be irritant or osmotic, either way they cause water and contents of gut to move along faster than they would if left on its own, thereby causing a faster bowel movement. These usually come in the form of syrups or tablets.
Stool Softeners:
These soften the stool as water increase intake naturally would, thereby relieve constipation.
But these, of course, should be last resorts, as the gut can become accustomed to these medicines. Therefore, the best method is to modify your diet!
