Constipation 🚽

More and more in my clinics, I have had patients come forward with Gastrointestinal issues related to Constipation. Talking about bowel movements may embarrass a few but bowels patterns and behaviors can be detrimental to your health; bowel movements affect every person on the planet - whether you like to talk about it or not!

Constipation is a common digestive disorder which effects 1 in 7 adults in the UK. It is defined by irregular, difficult or painful to pass and a dry, hard stool consistency.

Signs of constipation include:

• having a poo less than three times a week

• difficulty and pain when having a poo

• having to strain a lot when having a poo

• poo that is like small hard pellets

• feeling that you haven’t been able to get all the poo out.

Women are more at risk of suffering from constipation more than men – mainly due to pregnancy and it’s much more common in old age. Constipation can occur if there is not enough fluid in the poo and this can be harder to pass.

The good news is that there are many things you can do to help!

One of those things is to increase your fibre through your diet; fibre can help your bowels by absorbing water into your bowel and helping it to pass easier. A lot of people don’t eat enough fibre in the UK; the daily recommendations are 25-30g Fibre a day; but most people only manage 18g.

So lets break it down: there are 2 types of fibre which can help with constipation; Soluble and Insoluble

Insoluble fibre which helps to provide bulk to the stool and is often called ‘roughage’. It is found in foods such as wheat bran, vegetables and whole grains.

Soluble fibre dissolves in water and helps slow down how the food goes through our body, which means it gives us energy for longer. This fibre is found in:

• oats, barley or rye

• fruits such as apples, pears, blueberries and citrus fruit

• vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, sweet potatoes, avocado and onions

• seeds and nuts, such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds and most nuts

• flaxseed, linseed and chia seeds.

Increased fibre intakes can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, T2DM and lowers the risk of bowel cancer.

Tips to eat more fibre; Aim to get fibre from different foods to help you have a balanced diet. You can do this by swapping some of the food you usually eat to foods with more fibre. Some simple swaps could be:

1. Swap to a high fibre breakfast cereal such as oats, bran flakes and full fibre wholewheat or whole grain biscuits

2. Choose high fibre snacks such as a portion of fruit, a handful of nuts, biscuits/crackers/vegetable sticks with dips

3. Choose whole grain or high fibre bread

4. Swap to wholegrain carbohydrates such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice, wholewheat noodles and wholewheat or seeded bread.

5. Add beans, pulses and seeds to your main meals such as minced meat dishes, curries or salads.

6. Aim for at least one third, but try for one half, of your plate to be made up of vegetables and/or salad.

7. Add one tablespoon of linseed/Flaxseed into cereals, smoothies, yoghurts or soups and increase fluid intakes alongside this.

It is very important to increase your fluid alongside increasing your fibre; this helps soften your stool and allows it to pass easier. Most people need ~8-10 glasses of fluid a day.

If you are still struggling with constipation after these tried and tested alternatives; please get in contact for personalized 1 - 1 advice via the link on my website above