You don't want to suddenly go from eating 10 g of fiber a day to 25 g, says Charlene Prather, MD, MPH , a professor of internal medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in St. Also, when adding more fiber-filled foods to your diet, be sure to drink plenty of fluids to help the fiber flow properly through your digestive tract.
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Everyday Health may earn an affiliate commission if you purchase a featured product or service. For a sweet constipation remedy, take your pick of luscious raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Prather says. A cup of fresh strawberries provides 3 g of fiber, while the same size serving of blackberries will provide 7. Berries are low in calories, so you can eat a big bowl of plain berries with low-fat whipped cream as dessert, toss them on your breakfast cereal, or mix them into pancakes.
But if you pile on the salt and butter, you could undo some of its benefits. Go for air-popped popcorn or a healthy variety of microwave popcorn. Popcorn is a whole grain , and increasing the whole grains in your diet is an effective constipation remedy. Cup for cup, beans and lentils provide twice as much fiber as most vegetables.
Lima , great northern, and kidney beans have a little less, but still pack a whopping 4. Beans are incredibly versatile , and can be tossed into salads, soups, casseroles, or pasta dishes.
Dried fruits, such as dates , figs, prunes , apricots , and raisins , are another great source of dietary fiber that acts as constipation relief. Like fiber, sorbitol is a type of carbohydrate and has a molecular structure similar to sugar. This water softens your stool, helping to relieve constipation. Just remember that dried fruits are also packed with calories and may contain added sugar, so if you're watching your waistline, be sure to keep an eye on your portions and choose varieties without added sugar.
If you want to keep constipation at bay, the bread you eat should be made from percent whole grains. That's why Dr. Blaney suggests high-fiber, lower-sugar fruits that don't bring on the bloated tummy, like kiwi. One cup of kiwi offers 5 grams of fiber, plus you'll get other good-for-you nutrients, like more than double your daily vitamin C quota.
It's an easy way to add more fiber into your day—3 cups of air-popped contains 3 grams for just 93 calories. Along with fiber and getting regular exercise, drinking enough water is the most important factor in relieving constipation. H2O is critical to help stool move easily through the colon. If you're a bit dehydrated, your stool will be harder and more difficult to pass," says Dr. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, recommends Dr. Sam, and fill up on foods with a high water content.
Just a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds packs in 2 grams of fiber. That may sound like a little, but the beauty of flaxseeds is that they're so easy to throw into everyday eats for a fiber punch. Add a scoop to smoothies, oatmeal, or atop a salad.
Note: don't eat flaxseeds whole. Your body can't digest them, which means they'll pass through you without giving you any nutrients. Buy them pre-ground, or throw them in a coffee or spice grinder to get the benefit.
Related: 20 best foods for fiber. Skip the OJ in favor of a big juicy orange. Sam favors the fruit because one large orange offers 4 grams of fiber for just 86 calories. Bonus, citrus fruits contain a flavonol called naringenin, which Chinese researchers in an animal study found could work like a laxative to help treat constipation. Oatmeal offers up the best of both fiber worlds: a half-cup of dry oats contains 2 grams of insoluble and 2 grams of soluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool and helps food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines, while soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel-like material.
Together, the two types of fiber work together to bulk up stool, soften it, and make it easier to pass. Eating a bowl of rice may make your gut happy. The researchers didn't examine exactly why, but rice's fiber may play a role, or it may be that people who ate rice naturally had healthier diets. Since it may be the fiber, go for brown rice—it offers four grams per cup compared to one in white. Related: Best and worst foods for bloating. Aloe vera juice. This bottled beverage is popping up in more stores, fueled by the healthy-drink trend think coconut water.
Made from the aloe vera plant, aloe can act as a laxative for some people. In fact, aloe was traditionally included in laxative products. Blaney suggests that if you want to try aloe juice, start with 2 ounces and work your way up to 8. With these nutrients, you could find benefit for your eyes, skin and hair, and even some help in the battle against osteoporosis.
Try substituting your favourite raisin dishes with prunes, such as baked goods, breakfast cereal, and any number of delicious sweet and savoury dishes. Prunes vs. Prune vs. Psyllium Study For fourteen weeks, the researchers followed forty subjects, aged , whose symptoms met the Rome III criteria for chronic constipation, but not for irritable bowel syndrome IBS. Study Recommendations The laxative mechanism of prunes is not yet fully known but researchers suspect it is likely related to the combination of sorbitol, water-soluble fibre, and polyphenols that they contain.
Do you enjoy prunes? Prunes: good for more than constipation relief Prunes slow the rate at which food leaves the stomach, helping dieters feel full sooner and for longer periods. Want to learn more about constipation? Lactulose Prunes vs. Attaluri A et al.
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