What is the best natural diet for constipation?

Juli London

What is the best natural diet for constipation?
*****************************************************
What fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, other foods are good for constipation ?

I would like to consume natural foods as opposed to high fiber processed foods like cereals.

But I do not know which fruits, vegetables etc are good for constipation.

Please be very specific if you can ( I read lots of articles on eating high fiber foods...but they
do not tell you which fruits, vegetables, beans etc. are the high fiber foods ?)

I hear that Olive Oil and Mineral Oil are good for constipation? Is that true ? any side effects of
fatty intake ?

Thanks Julie

Jacmac

"Juli London" <jlondon@usa.com> wrote in message
news:f1546f58.0302150943.302a1712@posting.google.com...
> What is the best natural diet for constipation?
> *****************************************************
> What fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, other foods are good for constipation ?
>
> I would like to consume natural foods as opposed to high fiber processed foods like cereals.
>
> But I do not know which fruits, vegetables etc are good for constipation.
>
> Please be very specific if you can ( I read lots of articles on eating high fiber foods...but they
> do not tell you which fruits, vegetables, beans etc. are the high fiber foods ?)
>
> I hear that Olive Oil and Mineral Oil are good for constipation? Is that true ? any side effects
> of fatty intake ?
>
>
> Thanks Julie

I have no medical background but I have found that even though oranges seem to be the chosen fruit
for constipation that that is not the one that works for me.The one that does without a doubt work
for me is Kiwi fruit.It not only works the day after but also for a few days after that. Perhaps it
is a process of elimination for each persons natural make up. Good luck jacmac

Jean P Nance

Yes, water is important. A good practice is to drink 8 ounces of luke-warm water (body temperature)
before breakfast every morning. Then of course, have fruit and juice and tea or whatnot with your
breakfast. Any fruit or vegetable you enjoy has fiber, you will get more fiber from a large erving
of a food you enjoy than a tiny serving of one you don't enjoy. I don't know how far you want to go
in eating "natural". Oatmeal or ground wheat or other simple grains, are natural as far as I am
concerned, and fine sources of fiber. Ask your doctor or a physical therapist for some exercises
that might help, to do after breakfast. A simple one, that we find useful, is to sit on the edge of
a chair, lean as far forward as you can, then lean as far back as you can. Great for the hips and
spine, and does seem to help with an after breakfast b.m.

Pbeyer

Juli London wrote:

> What is the best natural diet for constipation?
> *****************************************************
> What fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, other foods are good for constipation ?
>
> I would like to consume natural foods as opposed to high fiber processed foods like cereals.
>
> But I do not know which fruits, vegetables etc are good for constipation.
>
> Please be very specific if you can ( I read lots of articles on eating high fiber foods...but they
> do not tell you which fruits, vegetables, beans etc. are the high fiber foods ?)
>
> I hear that Olive Oil and Mineral Oil are good for constipation? Is that true ? any side effects
> of fatty intake ?
>
> Thanks Julie

Julie-- you've gotten tons of responses but good controlled studies have shown consistently that a
mixture of regular foods like fruits and vegetables consumed daily along with whole grain breads and
cereals (*unprocessed if you like*) are the best way to treat and prevent constipation in most
cases. Americans now average only about 14 grams of dietary fiber and what is recommended is closer
to 25-35 grams. Getting the fiber from foods helps provide vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds
that are not found in powdered fiber supplements. Exercise is very important and so is getting at
least the minimum amount of fluid (2 quarts or 2 liters) daily. If your constipation is resistant to
these measures then you should be evaluated for other causes. There is a long list of problems that
can contribute to constipation. Pete

Stop Imagining

x-no-archive: yes On Sun, 16 Feb 2003 17:33:05 +0000 (UTC), Jean P Nance
<jpnan@bluestem.prairienet.org> wrote:

> Yes, water is important. A good practice is to drink 8 ounces of luke-warm water (body
> temperature) before breakfast every morning.

It's best to drink the water on waking up. If you are lucky, this will induce a bowel movement.

I've noticed that cheese (especially a lot of pizza) will cause constipation for me. I've been told
by a reliable source, that if you eat a lot of pizza, caffeinated coke will help the digestion.

> Then of course, have fruit and juice and tea or whatnot with your breakfast. Any fruit or
> vegetable you enjoy has fiber, you will get more fiber from a large erving of a food you enjoy
> than a tiny serving of one you don't enjoy. I don't know how far you want to go in eating
> "natural". Oatmeal or ground wheat or other simple grains, are natural as far as I am concerned,
> and fine sources of fiber. Ask your doctor or a physical therapist for some exercises that might
> help, to do after breakfast. A simple one, that we find useful, is to sit on the edge of a chair,
> lean as far forward as you can, then lean as far back as you can. Great for the hips and spine,
> and does seem to help with an after breakfast b.m.

Katra

Agreed. :-)

Eat onions.

K.

Gym Bob wrote:
>
> The best fruit for constipation is NO WHEAT.
>
> "Juli London" <jlondon@usa.com> wrote in message
> news:f1546f58.0302150943.302a1712@posting.google.com...
> > What is the best natural diet for constipation?
> > *****************************************************
> > What fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, other foods are good for constipation ?
> >
> > I would like to consume natural foods as opposed to high fiber processed foods like cereals.
> >
> > But I do not know which fruits, vegetables etc are good for constipation.
> >
> > Please be very specific if you can ( I read lots of articles on eating high fiber foods...but
> > they do not tell you which fruits, vegetables, beans etc. are the high fiber foods ?)
> >
> > I hear that Olive Oil and Mineral Oil are good for constipation? Is that true ? any side effects
> > of fatty intake ?
> >
> >
> > Thanks Julie

--
>^,,^< Cats-haven Hobby Farm >^,,^< Katra@centurytel.net >^,,^<

"There are many intelligent species in the Universe, and they are all owned by cats!" --Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISA...ms&userid=katra

Katra

Gym Bob wrote:
>
> add to those good suggestions:
>
> Careful how you mix the consumption of your foods.
>
> Fruits go by themselves. Starches do not go with proteins.

Agreed. Don't eat sandwiches.

K.

>
> "Dr. Dickie" <dr_dickie@chembench.com> wrote in message news:3E4F680D.208A0C22@chembench.com...
> >
> >
> > Juli London wrote:
> > >
> > > What is the best natural diet for constipation?
> > > *****************************************************
> > > What fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, other foods are good for constipation ?
> > >
> > > I would like to consume natural foods as opposed to high fiber processed foods like cereals.
> > >
> > > But I do not know which fruits, vegetables etc are good for constipation.
> > >
> > > Please be very specific if you can ( I read lots of articles on eating high fiber foods...but
> > > they do not tell you which fruits, vegetables, beans etc. are the high fiber foods ?)
> > >
> > > I hear that Olive Oil and Mineral Oil are good for constipation? Is that true ? any side
> > > effects of fatty intake ?
> > >
> > > Thanks Julie
> >
> > First and foremost, chronic constipation can be a sign of more life threatening problems, make
> > sure that you see a doctor to eliminate physical gastro-intestinal problems.
> >
> > Pretty much all or any fruit and/ or vegetable works to help constipation. The more of them you
> > eat, the better you are. A particularly good fruit seems to be (IMHO) plums (of course prunes
> > are like concentrated plums--dangerously good at loosening stools). As far as beans, again, they
> > are all good. Eat the ones you like. I eat black, red, lentil, pinto, black-eyed peas. I rotate
> > them around with a couple of good sized sweet onions thrown in during the cooking (buy them
> > dried, and cook yourself- they are cheap and damn good for you.) One other thing that I have
> > found to truly help constipation is to make sure that you are getting enough to drink. Try
> > upping your water consumption, this can have tremendous results (again, my opinion-- I am not a
> > medical doctor). Good luck, and I was serious about seeing your doctor if the constipation is
> > chronic.
> > --
> > --------------------------------------------------
> > Dr. Dickie Skepticult member in good standing #394-00596-438 Poking kooks with a pointy stick
> > --------------------------------------------------
> > "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
> > A. Einstein

--
>^,,^< Cats-haven Hobby Farm >^,,^< Katra@centurytel.net >^,,^<

"There are many intelligent species in the Universe, and they are all owned by cats!" --Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISA...ms&userid=katra

Brad Sheppard

Julie,

If you were on my diet I guarantee no problem! I eat 40 g of fiber a day, the usual rec. is 30 g.
All whole grains have lots of fiber. A simple solution is bite-sized shredded wheat. Better
(fiber-wise) is Ry Crisp (has corn bran added) - 100 calories has 6 g fiber. Strawberries and
blueberries have lots of fiber. Acme brand fiesta veggie mix has 30 g fiber per pound, I eat 1/2
pound with dinner. The veggie mix has lots of beans - a very high fiber food. You should eat lots of
fiber from whole grains and veggies and fruit to prevent heart disease, hemmoroids, and
constipation. Finally, oatmeal has 4 g fiber per serving. Really, if you stick to whole grains,
fruits and veggies you HAVE to get a lot of fiber. For better info go to
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutriti...e/pyramids.html and search for fiber.

jlondon@usa.com (Juli London) wrote in message
news:<f1546f58.0302150943.302a1712@posting.google.com>...
> What is the best natural diet for constipation?
> *****************************************************
> What fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, other foods are good for constipation ?
>
> I would like to consume natural foods as opposed to high fiber processed foods like cereals.
>
> But I do not know which fruits, vegetables etc are good for constipation.
>
> Please be very specific if you can ( I read lots of articles on eating high fiber foods...but they
> do not tell you which fruits, vegetables, beans etc. are the high fiber foods ?)
>
> I hear that Olive Oil and Mineral Oil are good for constipation? Is that true ? any side effects
> of fatty intake ?
>
>
> Thanks Julie

Rita

On 18 Feb 2003 08:36:30 -0800, Brad@sheppardsoftware.com (Brad Sheppard) wrote:

>Julie,
>
>If you were on my diet I guarantee no problem! I eat 40 g of fiber a day, the usual rec. is 30 g.
>All whole grains have lots of fiber. A simple solution is bite-sized shredded wheat. Better
>(fiber-wise) is Ry Crisp (has corn bran added) - 100 calories has 6 g fiber. Strawberries and
>blueberries have lots of fiber. Acme brand fiesta veggie mix has 30 g fiber per pound, I eat 1/2
>pound with dinner. The veggie mix has lots of beans - a very high fiber food. You should eat lots
>of fiber from whole grains and veggies and fruit to prevent heart disease, hemmoroids, and
>constipation. Finally, oatmeal has 4 g fiber per serving. Really, if you stick to whole grains,
>fruits and veggies you HAVE to get a lot of fiber. For better info go to
>http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutriti...e/pyramids.html and search for fiber.
>
I enjoy shredded wheat and found some (Post brand) that has bran added. Even tastier than
the original.

All of your suggestions on fiber are good. The best method is to find some foods from the list you
enjoy, and then make sure you have them always on hand for daily consumption.

Katra

"Moosh" wrote:
>
> On Sun, 16 Feb 2003 14:47:38 -0600, Katra <Katra@centurytel.net> wrote:
> >
> >Bowel hypomotility seems to be primarily a food sensitivity problem.
>
> What mechanism do you propose? Does the food anaesthetise the motility? I assumed a sensitivity
> would stimulate by irritation.

I'm not really sure how or why it is that way, just that it is. Chronic constipation followed by a
day or two of cramping and diarrhea. Bowel cramps were often bad enough and painful enough to come
close to making me faint...

Bread/pasta/wheat seems to have been the worst offender. I did some research on that, and discovered
that 20%, 1 in every 5 persons, statistically are sensitive to wheat proteins! Not just gluten, but
the wheat itself.

>
> Did you use a lot of laxatives when you were a child?

No. The best laxative in the world is a can of spinach. :-)

>
> >Results may vary so keep a food log for about 1 year, and see what you have to rule out. My MD is
> >actually the one that told me to do this. Duh. It worked.
>
> I'm just wondering why you are hypomotile when not irritated by a food sensitivity (is that how
> you figure it?) but perhaps the smooth muscle has been desensitised by all that hyperactivity, or
> you were just born like that.
>
> Moosh

You would think that irritability would cause diarrhea, but OTOH it could be the hypomotility is the
actual problem contributing to the food sensitivities.

Too much fiber actually will make me sick. I don't tolerate hard fiber foods such as brocolli,
carrots, etc. Foods high in cellulose. Yes, I know that ANY plant food will contain cellulose, it
seems to be "dosage" related. Foods higher in soluble fiber are tolerated better.

The food log is really the key to controlling it. Turns out, a healthier diet is the key. :-) Not a
bad thing....

K.

Brad Sheppard

Rita is absolutely right here. Fiber supplements don't give you the benefits of fruits and veggies,
whole grains and nuts and seeds. A suggestion - give up white flour and other refined grains and
give up sugar - replace with the above list. Your risk of diabetes and heart disease will drop.
Also, one study showed that people on a high (natural) fiber diet did not gain weight with age. My
breakfast this morning: one pound of frozen strawberries + one cup of lite yogurt + one ounce of
baked oats + one banana - all mixed together. Total calories 500. Yummy.

Rita <starcatcher@nyc.rr.com> wrote in message news:<p1q65v89qar21r62vg5trd1v68u4kckhu6@4ax.com>...
> On 18 Feb 2003 23:13:11 -0800, chuckfrasher@yahoo.com (Chuck) wrote:
>
> >Rita <starcatcher@nyc.rr.com> wrote in message
> >news:<68o45vsd0hgj1i0lek711mgvmrk5rt5pqo@4ax.com>...
> >> On 18 Feb 2003 08:36:30 -0800, Brad@sheppardsoftware.com (Brad Sheppard) wrote:
> >>
> >> >Julie,
> >> >
> >> >If you were on my diet I guarantee no problem! I eat 40 g of fiber a day, the usual rec. is 30
> >> >g. All whole grains have lots of fiber. A simple solution is bite-sized shredded wheat. Better
> >> >(fiber-wise) is Ry Crisp (has corn bran added) - 100 calories has 6 g fiber. Strawberries and
> >> >blueberries have lots of fiber. Acme brand fiesta veggie mix has 30 g fiber per pound, I eat
> >> >1/2 pound with dinner. The veggie mix has lots of beans - a very high fiber food. You should
> >> >eat lots of fiber from whole grains and veggies and fruit to prevent heart disease,
> >> >hemmoroids, and constipation. Finally, oatmeal has 4 g fiber per serving. Really, if you stick
> >> >to whole grains, fruits and veggies you HAVE to get a lot of fiber. For better info go to
> >> >http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutriti...e/pyramids.html and search for fiber.
> >> >
> >> I enjoy shredded wheat and found some (Post brand) that has bran added. Even tastier than the
> >> original.
> >>
> >> All of your suggestions on fiber are good. The best method is to find some foods from the list
> >> you enjoy, and then make sure you have them always on hand for daily consumption.
> >
> >Take about 3 grams of choline bitartrate.
>
> And why would this be a better solution than a diet high in fiber? Quick fixes are not the answer
> -- eating fiber rich foods on a daily basis is generally recommended.

Chuck

Rita <starcatcher@nyc.rr.com> wrote in message news:<p1q65v89qar21r62vg5trd1v68u4kckhu6@4ax.com>...
> On 18 Feb 2003 23:13:11 -0800, chuckfrasher@yahoo.com (Chuck) wrote:
>
> >Rita <starcatcher@nyc.rr.com> wrote in message
> >news:<68o45vsd0hgj1i0lek711mgvmrk5rt5pqo@4ax.com>...
> >> On 18 Feb 2003 08:36:30 -0800, Brad@sheppardsoftware.com (Brad Sheppard) wrote:
> >>
> >> >Julie,
> >> >
> >> >If you were on my diet I guarantee no problem! I eat 40 g of fiber a day, the usual rec. is 30
> >> >g. All whole grains have lots of fiber. A simple solution is bite-sized shredded wheat. Better
> >> >(fiber-wise) is Ry Crisp (has corn bran added) - 100 calories has 6 g fiber. Strawberries and
> >> >blueberries have lots of fiber. Acme brand fiesta veggie mix has 30 g fiber per pound, I eat
> >> >1/2 pound with dinner. The veggie mix has lots of beans - a very high fiber food. You should
> >> >eat lots of fiber from whole grains and veggies and fruit to prevent heart disease,
> >> >hemmoroids, and constipation. Finally, oatmeal has 4 g fiber per serving. Really, if you stick
> >> >to whole grains, fruits and veggies you HAVE to get a lot of fiber. For better info go to
> >> >http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutriti...e/pyramids.html and search for fiber.
> >> >
> >> I enjoy shredded wheat and found some (Post brand) that has bran added. Even tastier than the
> >> original.
> >>
> >> All of your suggestions on fiber are good. The best method is to find some foods from the list
> >> you enjoy, and then make sure you have them always on hand for daily consumption.
> >
> >Take about 3 grams of choline bitartrate.
>
> And why would this be a better solution than a diet high in fiber? Quick fixes are not the answer
> -- eating fiber rich foods on a daily basis is generally recommended.

I didn't mean to imply that it was a *better* idea. I think it may be another approach in addition
to a high fiber diet. Sometimes a high fiber diet is not enough.

Moosh:)

On 19 Feb 2003 08:08:54 -0800, Brad@sheppardsoftware.com (Brad Sheppard) wrote:

>Rita is absolutely right here. Fiber supplements don't give you the benefits of fruits and veggies,
>whole grains and nuts and seeds. A suggestion - give up white flour and other refined grains and
>give up sugar - replace with the above list. Your risk of diabetes and heart disease will drop.

Only if you lose body fat.

Best to do that by cutting out refined and excess fats you may be consuming. Of course, ALL
over-refined foods should be cut out.

>Also, one study showed that people on a high (natural) fiber diet did not gain weight with age. My
>breakfast this morning: one pound of frozen strawberries + one cup of lite yogurt + one ounce of
>baked oats + one banana - all mixed together. Total calories 500. Yummy.

Sounds good. What's the "baked oats"? Sort of muesli?

Moosh