Help?

[hikasu2]

Hi. I have been struggling to go to the toilet for a while now, but I drink eat least 2 litres of water a day, I eat plenty of fiber and prunes, coffee, bread, and I exercise regularly but I rarely pass waste and when I do, it is hard. What should I do?

[Zest]

Hi Lucy,

Welcome to the Healthy Eating forum. There is a page about constipation here in the NHS Choices website, and I hope you find it helpful:

nhs.uk/Conditions/Constipat...

Zest

[hikasu2 in reply to Zest]

Hi. I have had a look at this and I do all those things anyway (to do with lifestyle). Is there anything else I can try?

[Anne76 in reply to Zest]

Try flax seeds with lots of water three times a day, has helped my husband

[BadHare]

Try eating kefir, or a good quality yoghurt. Add a tablespoon each of linseeds & chia seeds & leave it to soak for a while which will make it very thick as the seeds absorb the fluid. You can add some fruit if you're not keen in the taste. It makes a nice breakfast if soaked overnight. Some people soak the linseeds in orange juice, then drink it, but I prefer kefir for the probiotics & vitamin K2. You could even add the seeds to oats for porridge, & eat cooked or raw.

If this doesn't work, try cutting out things that might be making you constipated. I have an issue with wheat, especially pasta, so rarely eat it. Sourdough bread is not so bad, but I'll only eat it once or twice a month.

My digestion also improved when I became fully vegetarian, & started to eat more lentils & beans, & other wholefoods. My evening meal is usually 300-400ml of organic kefir, 30g of seeds, & 75g of nuts. Lots of good fats, at least 20g of protein, & only 1 minute preparation an hour before, & about 5 minutes to make my kefir every 4 or 5 days.