Is it difficult for you to go to the bathroom? The 10 best foods against constipation

Fiber from plant foods forms a gelatinous mass in the intestine (soluble fiber) or traps water and bulks up the stool (insoluble fiber). Both facilitate evacuation and its inclusion in the diet is essential. Without a doubt, fiber is an essential element when it comes to alleviating the causes of constipation, but it is not the only one and there are many foods that can help us go to the bathroom thanks to other factors.

The diet has almost all the leading role in the treatment of constipation.

If fiber, mainly vegetable, is so useful, it is because, although it has no apparent nutritional value, stimulates intestinal transit on its way through the digestive tract until completely eliminated in feces.

Apart from foods with fiber (fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts), there are other effective foods against constipation thanks to the fact that they contain substances, in some cases still to be investigated, that exert a moderate laxative effect. Among these most recommended foods are plums (fruit or dried), figs, kiwis or grapes.

In this video we highlight some of the foods that you should not take if you suffer from constipation, since there are some contraindicated fruits for constipation:

The foods richest in fiber

We can find a large amount of fiber in all kinds of natural foods:

Legumes. Lentils, chickpeas, white beans.Vegetables. Leek, celery, cardoon, asparagus, borage, cauliflower, potato, sweet potato, green bean, fresh pea, pumpkin, zucchini, pepper, aubergine, cucumber, tomato.salad leaves. Escarole, lettuce, spinach, watercress, chard, artichoke (raw hearts), endive, chicory.Cereals. Whole wheat, rye or flaxseed bread.Fruit. Kiwi, plum (fresh or dried), fig, grape (or raisin), orange, peach, dried apricot, pippin apple, or other sour apple.Seeds. Almond, walnut, pistachio, pine nut, flax seeds.Algae. Hiziki, kombu, wakame, nori, agar-agar…Fermented and probiotics. Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut.

A menu to combat constipation

We can combine these foods throughout the day to favor intestinal transit with each meal and avoid constipation. An example menu would be:

Breakfast: Apple, orange or seasonal fruit. Almond milk or tiger nut milk. Bread with marmalade.Meal: Salad with sauerkraut. Brown rice with vegetables and seaweed. Almond dumplings. Apples or sweet fruit in season.Dinner: Chard with potatoes, raisins, pine nuts. Agar-agar flan, with almond milk.

Benefits of eating whole grains

Several observational studies have shown that a low-fiber diet is associated with a higher frequency of constipation; on the contrary, the high fiber diets they increase the volume of stools and accelerate intestinal transit. One of the best diets in this regard is vegetarian..

The efficacy of a vegetarian diet to regulate intestinal transit and reduce other diseases related to poor nutrition has been demonstrated.

The fiber supplements of 25-30 g/day have long been recommended in patients suffering from constipation. This measure is more effective in people who follow low-fiber diets as long as they do not lack movement in the colon or suffer from pelvic floor disorders.

When using high-fiber foods to gain mass, the typical recommendation is to take half a cup of a whole grainand increase the dose to a cup and a half after several weeks. Whole corn is more effective than whole wheat, while whole oats are less irritating and absorb fat better.

For best results, a sufficient amount of fluid should be ingested next to the cereal

On the other hand, rather than taking wheat bran, wholemeal bread made with mother yeast is recommended. This facilitates intestinal transit, while does not prevent the absorption of calcium and iron produced by the phytates of the bran, since fermentation with said yeast transforms these phytates.

Foods that help a good intestinal transit

Take note of these 10 constipation remedies that you will find in your pantry: