Constipation can be really frustrating! There are many people around who face difficulties in pooping every morning. In fact, spending hours in the toilet and still not feeling lighter is something that can ruin your mood for the whole day. If you have been facing such an issue for some time now, then dear reader, it's time to address it. Health experts suggest checking on your gut health - a poor digestive system is considered the major reason for constipation. And this can easily be reversed with a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet. To help you with the same, we got some useful tips, suggested by nutritionist Shikha Gupta, to deal with constipation. Let's take you through.
Also Read: Constipated On A Vacation? These Tips Will Help You Poop
How Food Plays A Major Role In Preventing And Worsening Constipation?
It is rightly said that you are what you eat. And gut issues like constipation are probably one of the best instances of the adage. According to a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, some dietary components are helpful for constipation, and some are harmful. In other words, what you eat defines your digestive health which further regulates bowel movement. For instance, sugary products, sodium intake and higher energy intake are correlated with higher risks of constipation. Hence, Nutritionist Shikha recommends that it is important to get to the root cause of the problem to nip it in the bud.
"Constipation is a condition of Gut Dysbiosis, where the bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract get imbalanced," she explains, adding that making certain basic tweaks in your everyday diet can help prevent the problem.
Also Read: 10 Daily Habits For A Healthy Gut And Regular Bowel Movement
4 Nutritionist-Approved Steps To Prevent Constipation:
Step 1. Understand The Root Cause:
In today's fast-paced world, poor lifestyle choices often lead to uncomfortable digestive issues like bloating and constipation, indicating that our intestinal tract might be out of balance. While a healthy diet regime can help with most of it, Nutritionist Shikha suggests understanding the specific cause to address the issue properly. According to a report by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, some of the major causes of constipation are medications, lack of exercise, not enough liquids, not enough fibre in the diet, irritable bowel syndrome, ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement, changes in habits or lifestyle, such as travel, pregnancy, and old age, problems with intestinal function and abuse of laxatives.
Step 2. Include Enough Soluble Fibres:
A basic search on the internet with bring forth a list of recommendations to soften your stool, with 'increase fibre intake' being at the top of the list. And that is where most of us go wrong, states Nutritionist Shikha. According to her, it is important to know which kind of fibre to consume for better results. And the answer to it is soluble fibre. "Soluble fibre holds water and adds moisture and bulk in stools than insoluble fibre, which can make it dry and solid," she explains. Click here to learn more about the foods that fall under soluble and insoluble fibre groups respectively.
Step 3. Consume Magnesium:
According to the expert, magnesium helps to increase the amount of water in the intestines, which further promotes healthy bowel movements. While magnesium supplements are easily available at drug stores, we suggest including natural sources of the nutrients in your regime to keep up a balanced lifestyle. Click here to learn all about the magnesium-rich foods you can add to your daily diet.
Step 4. Rely On Probiotics:
By now, we all know well about the healthy relationship between probiotics and gut health. They help produce a healthy gut microbiome that aids digestion, metabolism and a healthy gut. The expert explains that probiotics help increase short-chain fatty acid production, which further reduces the pH levels of the colon and increases metabolism. All these factors further help regulate bowel movement. Click here to learn about the daily foods enriched with probiotics.
Implement these steps in your overall regime and enjoy a healthy bowel movement every day. Eat healthy, and stay fit!
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.