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Real Life Diet Questions Answered

Angela Dowden
Nutritionist

Posted 14 Sep 09

Constipation - please help!

Help please, I have been really good since coming on to this site, I've eaten more yoghurts, fruit, healthy food etc etc, loads of water and have cut back loads on my alcohol. BUT I'm really constipated - I am so bloated and I have no idea what to do about it. Any suggestions?? Many Thanks Debs

Our expert says...

Hi Debs, First of all, well done on the changes that you have made - they are all going to aid weight loss and being healthier. However, these changes may have upset your digestive system, especially if you have changed your diet quite radically and suddenly.

Anyway, these are my tips for avoiding constipation, which you may find helpful:

Sprinkle flaxseeds (also known as linseeds) onto cereal or other foods. Try to have a dessert spoonful each day

Eat plenty of high fibre foods, especially vegetables (5 -8 portions a day if possible

Brown wholegrains are much better for you than white e.g. wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta and noodles

Include brown rice in your diet 3-4 times a week. This can be cold with a salad or hot with an evening meal

Regularly eat pulses: beans (e.g. kidney beans); pea (e.g. chick peas); and lentils

Include oats in your diet for their soluble fibre

Eat the skins on jacket potatoes - a great source of fibre, vitamins and minerals

Eat 3-4 portions of fruit a day, varying the varieties eaten

Good dried fruits to eat are prunes and figs. A good recipe is to poach figs in fresh orange juice and puree them for adding to yoghurt, muesli etc or make a dried fruit compote, blend and add to porridge

Drink at least 1½- 2 litres of water over a day

Eating a lot of meat and milk products can make constipation worse, so check your diet for these. If you are eating a lot of yogurts, maybe cut back for a week or two and see if this helps. It also helps to avoid constipation if you eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.

And finally, exercise is really good for getting the bowels moving. Even walking for 30 minutes a day can be beneficial and, of course, this will help with the weight loss too!

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