Foods that Help with Constipation, Help you Poop!

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High fiber foods are foods that help with constipation. It’s that simple. When our bodies are not in complete working order, when we can’t fully digest our foods and can’t poop, we notice it. We don’t feel our best. Below I’ve put together a list of foods that help with constipation, or foods that help you poop. You will also find soluble fiber vs insoluble fiber, the health benefits of fiber and what to watch out for.

Dietary fiber, otherwise called “roughage”, incorporates the parts of plant foods the body cannot digest. Fiber isn’t digested by your body unlike other food components such as proteins, fats, or carbohydrates which your body breaks down and assimilates. Instead, it goes through the stomach and then moves to the small intestine and colon before eventually moving out of your body. It helps greatly with the digestion process and gets things “moving”, if you know what I mean!

Digestion has turned out to be more of an issue in the present day world than it used to be. Many of the processed foods we eat aren’t easily digestible and are filled with preservatives or are high fat; it’s no surprise that we’re tormented with gas, heartburn, and constipation. Constipation is not a funny matter, but a long-term cure is as easy as heading to a grocery store to get high fiber foods; foods that help with constipation.
Are laxatives okay? Many people think the easiest and safest way to cure constipation is by taking laxatives. This is NOT true! They can be helpful in emergency situations, but they do not offer a long-term solution and can uphold the problem if they are taken for a long period of time. The most effective and safest way to cure constipation is to get adequate fiber in your diet. See below for a list of foods that help with constipation – high fiber foods.

Some fibers basically help to accumulate your stool and give it an easier passage through the intestines. This is why it’s important to eat these foods that help you poop. Other fibers assist in slowing down digestion so that the body can absorb the needed nutrients before fully digesting them and expelling them. The best foods that help with constipation are black beans, ground flaxseeds, yogurt, prunes, broccoli, strawberries, whole-grain cereals and whole grain bread. Most plants contain a specific amount of fiber; and in the case of constipation, it’s a good idea to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Drinking lots of water is probably the most important thing to do to help with constipation as it helps with keeping you hydrated which keeps your bowels in working order.

TYPES OF FIBER

There are two major types of dietary fiber:

Soluble Fiber

Soluble fiber aids in protecting the digestive system and is useful in absorbing several substances. It is likewise helpful in reducing cholesterol levels. It is also useful in controlling diabetes due to the fact that it helps in regulating the absorption rate of glucose. This form of fiber is soluble in water and forms a gel-like material when dissolved in water. Soluble fiber is found in peas, oats, beans, citrus fruits, apples, carrots, barley, prunes, brown rice, oats and rice bran, Brussels sprouts, and psyllium. This alleviates rapid variations in blood sugar levels.

Insoluble Fiber

This is another type of dietary fiber that assists in regular waste elimination and preventing constipation. It increases stool bulk and allows the movement of material through the digestive system. In other words foods with insoluble fiber are foods that help you poop! Therefore, it is of benefit to individuals struggling with irregular stools or constipation. When waste is ejected from the body constantly, the period that harmful substances stay in the colon is reduced. According to nutritional research, insoluble fiber helps in the reduction of estrogen level in the body and therefore becomes beneficial in preventing breast cancer. Some good sources of insoluble fiber include beans, wheat, bran, artichokes, and figs. There are many other great foods that help with constipation – see list below.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER

1. It Normalizes Bowel Movements

Dietary fiber expands the size and weight of your stool and mollifies it. When your stool is bulky, it is easier to pass thereby reducing constipation chances. If by chance you experience watery and loose stools, the fiber may help in solidifying your stool because it adds bulk to stool and absorbs water.

2. Helps Maintain Bowel Health

Your chances of developing small pouches in your colon or hemorrhoids may be reduced by eating high fiber foods on a daily basis. Some amount of fiber is fermented in the digestive colon.

3. Reduces Cholesterol Levels In The Body

Soluble fiber found in oats, beans, oat bran, and flaxseed may help reduce blood cholesterol levels by reducing bad cholesterol levels, or low-density lipoprotein. Research also has proved that high-fiber foods may have other cardio-vascular benefits, such as inflammation and reducing blood pressure.

4. Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels

Soluble fiber can help improve blood sugar levels and slow down sugar absorption especially in people with diabetes. A healthy diet including insoluble fiber may also alleviate the risk of developing a form of diabetes known as type-2 diabetes.

5. Aids In Achieving Healthy Weight

High fiber foods tend to sustain the body longer than low fiber foods, so you are probably going to eat less and remain satisfied for a longer time. Also, high fiber foods tend to take a longer duration to eat and are less dense in terms of energy, which implies that they contain fewer calories for a similar volume of food.

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Foods that Help with Constipation:

This list of high fiber foods below is a great list to have handy when looking for foods that help you poop, or foods that help with constipation. We’ve added to amount of grams of fiber per serving.

How much fiber should you have daily? It is recommended that adult males have about 38 grams a day, and adult females have about 25 grams a day. Or, you could also follow this rule – per every 1000 calories of food you have, you should eat 14 grams of fiber.

1. Avocados: Total Dietary Fiber-10.5 grams/cup
2. Asian Pears: Total Dietary Fiber- 9.9 grams of fiber/ medium fruit.
3. Berries: Raspberry Total Dietary Fiber-8 grams of fiber/cup
4. Coconut: Total Dietary Fiber- 7.2 grams /cup
5. Figs: Total Dietary Fiber- 14.6 grams of fiber in 1 cup dried figs
6. Artichokes: Total Dietary Fiber:-10.3 grams of fiber / medium artichoke
7. Peas: Total Dietary Fiber- 8.6 grams/ cooked cup;
8. Okra: Total Dietary Fiber- 8.2 grams/cup
9. Acorn Squash: Total Dietary Fiber-9 grams of fiber/ baked cup
10. Brussels Sprouts: Total Dietary Fiber:-7.6 grams of fiber/cup
11. Turnips: Total Dietary Fiber-4.8 grams of fiber/ half cup
12. Black Beans: Total Dietary Fiber- 12.2 grams of fiber/ cup
13. Chickpeas: Total Dietary Fiber: 8 grams of fiber/ cup
14. Lima Beans: Total Dietary Fiber-13.2 grams of fiber/ cup (cooked)
15. Split Peas: Total Dietary Fiber-16.3 grams of fiber per cup (cooked)
16. Lentils: Total Dietary Fiber: 10.4 grams of fiber per cup (cooked)
17. Almond Nuts: Total Dietary Fiber-0.6 grams of fiber/ 6 almonds
18. Flax Seeds: Total Dietary Fiber-3 grams of fiber/ tablespoon of whole flax seeds
19. Chia Seeds: Total Dietary Fiber-5.5 grams/tablespoon
20. Quinoa: Total Dietary Fiber- 5 grams of fiber / cup cooked

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

• Always eat the foods that help you poop! (listed above). You will have regular daily bowel movements and will feel so much healthier and have better health in the long-term.
• Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water daily. {CLICK HERE TO READ HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD DRINK DAILY} This will help with constipation tremendously. Water keeps you hydrated. Hydration is one of the keys to having healthy bowel movements daily.
• Avoid iron supplements or antacids – these both have been show to cause constipation.
• Low carb diets have been shown to cause constipation since they lack in high fiber foods. Low fiber foods are foods that cause constipation.
• High fat diets have been shown to cause constipation because fats take the longest to digest; therefore they slow the passage of food going through small intestine and colon. High fat foods such as chips, fried foods, donuts, etc are some of the major foods that cause constipation.
• Dairy products are foods that cause constipation. Skip them, or eat in moderation. They are high fat, which take the longest to digest (see above bullet point about high fat foods and high fat diets).
• Unripe, green bananas can cause constipation! However, if your banana is ripe, yellow and spotty it will be great for helping with constipation because these are high in soluble fiber and help push the waste through the digestive tract. Strange, but true.

Hope this guide to fiber is helpful in understanding what are the foods that cause constipation, foods that help with constipation and which are the foods that help you poop! Any questions? Reach out to me anytime. You can email me privately if you’d like – kelly at HealthyHappySmart.com

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