There are quite a few foods that cause constipation and eliminating this problem from your life may require a bit of a change in the way you eat as you will have to add in more fiber as well as avoid the foods that content to bind you up.
The biggest cause of constipation is a lack of fiber in the diet. That combined with eating high-fat foods, not getting enough exercise and dehydration from not drinking enough water all contribute to lack of movement in your bowels. So if you really want to get things moving again you'll need to take some action.
Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and especially those high in fiber such as pears, peas, broccoli and apples with the skin on will certainly help as they will add fiber to your diet. This fiber turns into a gel like substance when combined with water in your body and passes through the intestines adding bulk which helps make stools softer and easier to pass.
But how much fiber is enough?
The recommended daily amount Is 25 to 35 grams and I think if you do the math and look at all the food you eat during the day you'll probably see that you are getting somewhere between only five and 14 g which is what the average American gets each day. No wonder there is such a problem with constipation in America in such a glut of laxatives and fiber products on the market!
Now if you can't fit 35 grams of fiber and via fruits vegetables and whole grains you can try a fiber supplement. If you do, however, be sure that you drink enough water along with the supplement in during the day so that It can do Its thing. of course, it's best to get your fiber the natural way into either way you want to make sure to drink plenty of water as this will help to make softer stools.
In addition to adding fiber to your diet there are some foods which can contribute to constipation and if you have a problem in this area you should probably avoid them. These foods include:
Meats
Ice Cream
Cheese
Snacks like pizza and chips
Processed foods (most anything that comes in a package!)
In today's fast-paced society, everyone in adults and children included even way too many refined and over processed foods. these foods have had not only all the nutrients stripped out but the fiber stripped as well.
You go to the grocery store take a look at a few of the packages and see what the fiber content on some of these foods is - how much of these foods we do have to eat to get your 35 g of fiber a day? So you can see why constipation is such a problem today.
So if you want to get things moving again and have a satisfying bowel movement every day ( or two or three times a day) then you want to avoid the above foods that cause constipation, stop eating processed foods and start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables which will give you the necessary fiber as well as nutrients that are vital to your overall health.
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