Food to get the bowels working again

dortilolma

Not the nicest conversation topic but this is something that is beginning to bother me.
I know it's normal for one to become a little less regular when starting a diet but I've gone from once a day to about twice a week.

I started drinking coffee because it's the only thing that gets things moving but I don't want to become reliant on it.

I was wondering if anybody has any other food suggestions?

Apples used to be good for this but they don't seem to be doing it for me any more and I'm not really a fan of prunes.

marilandica

Drink more water. Lots and lots of water. Prunes are not the only high fiber dried fruit -- dried apricots can be even more effective. I assume you're consuming lots of fiber in whole grains, fruits and vegetables? A little fat can also help things along once in a while. Oh, and exercise. Take a brisk walk.

sezzafatty

Try to drink plenty of water and eat fruit veg. I found exercise helped things along. Never a good thing

jlshea

I've had friends who have said that Activia yogurt works well for them.

evileen99

Berries, lentils, and beans are all very high in fiber.

Also, Quest protein bars have 15 grams of fiber.

dortilolma

Thanks everyone. I know exercise is supposed to help - I run pretty much everyday.

I drink a lot of herbal and green tea - I've been counting this toward water intake but I think I might just try and drink more water as well.

MinnieInMaine

I'd suggest adding fiber to your food diary so you can keep an eye on it. Looks like you're eating a good balance but it can be hard to tell for sure without that info right in front of you.

I also see you're getting a pretty good intake of fat most of the time - that's usually why some folks get stopped up.

My only other suggestion is to make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Not just the recommended 8 but at least 12 cups, especially on the days you're exercising.

There's some tea a friend of mine loves to use for days like that called Smooth Move - I think you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells teas.

angiemartin78

Drink more water and eat more raw veggies.

bermudamel

If you're eating healthier your body has less junk to process and filter out! Don't worry about sounding gross. lots of Water, fiber and exercise like everyone has suggested seems to do the trick.

hiba_84

Dried fruits. Dried figs work very well for me.

Or else, I normally have a big salad bowl before breakfast and do some walking. 15 minutes and I would normally run to the bathroom.

motivatedmartha

Adding Linseed can help - I add it to my porridge (oatmeal) either made hot or fridge porridge. Protein and helps things along a bit. Increasing fluids and exercise helps too.

bcattoes

Fiber, water and fat. Plenty of the first two and not too little of the third.

A daily probiotic may also be helpful.

SmallMimi

Sunflower seeds do it for me

snowflake954

Looked at your diary and you seem to be eating enough fruits and vegetables. I have luck with kiwi. You could try that instead of your evening apple.

melplautz

Watermelon daily!!

jeralank

Not the nicest conversation topic but this is something that is beginning to bother me.
I know it's normal for one to become a little less regular when starting a diet but I've gone from once a day to about twice a week.

I started drinking coffee because it's the only thing that gets things moving but I don't want to become reliant on it.

I was wondering if anybody has any other food suggestions?

Apples used to be good for this but they don't seem to be doing it for me any more and I'm not really a fan of prunes.

Everyone has been mentioning food, which is what you asked, but I'm going to jump out of the box and make a suggestion. Yoga... The twisting poses in yoga are designed to "wring out" the digestive system, and get things moving in the proper direction... Just a few minutes of meditation a day in those poses could work wonders for flushing things through... I know they've never failed me...

Super_Amy

Fiber, water and fat. Plenty of the first two and not too little of the third.

A daily probiotic may also be helpful.

I've had the same issue which thankfully is now resolved. You want lots of fiber, water, good fat and I took a daily probiotic as well. (I took Acifophilus tablets which are pretty inexpensive.)

skhny

I have struggled with this as well. My doctor recommended senokot as needed and said it was not "addictive". I drink plenty of water and have been exercising almost daily (87 day streak, yay!!) in the last week or so things have been improving (almost like my body has adjusted to all the changes). Berries have been the only thing to really make a difference in the last few months.

DebbieLyn63

Avocados!
Seriously, one quarter a day will keep things moving along. Many people cut too much fat from their diets when they attempt to lose weight, and end up with this problem. A good level of healthy fats combined with high fiber and lots of water will definitely help.

AsaThorsWoman

Super Dieter's Tea for a quick fix.

Probiotics in the long term.

cebreisch

Lots of water, and lots of fiber.

I'm with you on the prunes....BLECH!!! The way I get my fiber in is to have Chocolite protein bars (www.healthsmartfoods.com). They have about 10 g fiber, about 10 g protein, about 100 calories, and are sugar free and gluten free. I usually have 1-2 of those a day.

mkwongh

I've tried everything for this issue... and came down to a few things that seem to help

1. juicing beets - it will turn everything red, but it is working well for me.
2. Probiotic - What originally got me started was Align - I had bowel issues for months and came across align

Dieter's tea will work...BUT if taking it for long periods of time, your body will adjust to only going when you drink it, so be careful. (this happened to me)

I ended up having to see my doctor over this, since I started having the issue 9 months ago, and finally became regular. He prescribed me a senakot and a stool softener, I declined to take them regularly, since I did this when i first starting having the issue, but would not be able to poop unless i took it, so i no my body became used to using to go

lambchristie

I have the same issue and do all the things suggested above. Eat more fats/protein/fruits/veggies, exercise six days a week, drink between 12-14 glasses of water a day and still only have a bm a couple times a week. Frustrating how our bodies deal sometimes with normal everyday stuff.

GothyFaery

Apple juice and lots of it. I used to keep several juice boxes on hand in case I needed some help. Try drinking 2 cups of apple juice (that's 16 oz) all at one time. After a few hours if nothing is moving, try another cup or two. That should get anyone moving!

ETA: Once things are moving more regularly, you can back down to just one cup a day.

dortilolma

Wow! Some fantastic advice!
Thank you everyone!

zoquo

I found that quinoa works well for me. Also its very healthy, I add it to salads to bulk them out a bit its a complete protein so i use it to ensure i get enough when working out.

Kixshots

I find oatmeal helps , lots of fibre
I also heard ripe bananas are really good

hyphenbobbit

Adding Linseed can help - I add it to my porridge (oatmeal) either made hot or fridge porridge. Protein and helps things along a bit. Increasing fluids and exercise helps too.

Definitely vouch for the linseed - tastes good mixed into natural yoghurt too

Slinky_BraveHeartBunsOfSteel

All-bran

AwMyLoLo

I'd suggest adding fiber to your food diary so you can keep an eye on it. Looks like you're eating a good balance but it can be hard to tell for sure without that info right in front of you.

I also see you're getting a pretty good intake of fat most of the time - that's usually why some folks get stopped up.

My only other suggestion is to make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Not just the recommended 8 but at least 12 cups, especially on the days you're exercising.

There's some tea a friend of mine loves to use for days like that called Smooth Move - I think you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells teas.

PLEASE do NOT use laxative teas. I drank Senna Tea once a week for a couple of months and it caused horrible stomach problems for me for 6+ months. I literally did not have a bowel movement for 6 months, went through many many tests, even a colonoscopy at 24 years old, in which the colonoscopy prep barely caused any movement. I could not even pass gas. I was diagnosed with IBS-C because all tests came back normal. The doctor did blame the tea, but did not believe that I was using it once a week, he thought I was abusing it to lose weight. PLEASE stay away from laxative tea.

tennisdude2004

You could always do what the accountants do...............(just joking).

It sounds counter intuitive, but try cutting back on the grains (insoluble fiber) - see link below.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23326148

Concentrate on the soluble fiber - like oatmeal (FODMAP link below).

http://www.ibsgroup.org/brochures/fodmap-intolerances.pdf

increasing your fat intake can also help.