Most of us looked for solutions to treat constipation at home – from trying herbal remedies to ayurvedic medicines to using foods to treat constipation.
However, most of us haven’t been successful because we seldom understood the mechanism of it. How and why constipation happens is the key to understanding why certain foods constipation.
Many believe foods that cause constipation are to be avoided to solve this annoying problem and to trade with this misconception we regularly indulge in knowing do bananas/milk/eggs/apples/peanuts/chicken/rice cause constipation. However, all these frantic efforts are of no use if you don’t understand how constipation happens and what foods cause constipation.
So, let decipher the critical problem.
Why & How Constipation Occurs?
Constipation is a bowel movement or a digestive problem that causes less than 3 bowel movements in a week resulting in dry hard stools that are painful to defecate. It is a common digestive symptom in most diseases and usually lasts for a short while. It’s not a specific disease but symptoms of diseases especially bacterial and viral infections.
Like a fever, constipation is a common symptom or a defense mechanism in illness. However, unlike fever, constipation usually involves problems in the gut especially the healthy beneficial bacteria living in our intestine that help in proper digestion.
Generally, this health problem arises if you don’t include fiber in your diet or have any gastrointestinal disorders or taking some specific medicines. This makes it clear why certain foods cause constipation and why people regularly suffering from this are always on the lookout to know if they are eating fruits that cause constipation.
However, as we know the reason behind we are better suited to treat constipation naturally.
Foods that Cause Constipation
Before trying to treat constipation at home we need to first enlist the products that are causing it. It might be due to disease but ingesting foods that cause constipation might make the matter even worse.
So, let first take a look at the foods that cause constipation.
1.Dairy Products
Dairy products like milk, cheese, etc often hasten the process of constipation and if you are facing this issue regularly then it’s better to avoid dairy products or take probiotic versions of it that will help in digesting properly.
2. Ready-Made Meals and Fast Foods
Fast foods and ready-made meals are low fiber content foods that cause constipation. If you are someone who heavily relies on these ready to cook meals then you better avoid them or find out ways to add fibers to your diet in order to treat constipation at home.
3. Gluten Products
Research shows that some people can get constipation from the gluten protein found in grains like wheat, barley, etc. It’s also problematic for gluten intolerant people and vegans. So, the best way to treat constipation at home for these people is to indulge in gluten-free products or take alternative versions of these sources of food.
4. Processed Grains
Processed whole grain options aren’t good for you as they leave out the healthy fiber-containing portions of the grains like rice etc. The bran part of the grain is rich in fiber and a high fiber diet has been proven effective to treat constipation at home.
5. Red Meat
Red meat has low fiber content and is rich in fat which makes it hard to digest, ultimately resulting in constipation. People consuming more red meats in their diet may be prone to constipation and needs to balance it with seafood and poultry in order to treat constipation at home. However, if you are hell-bent on eating that red meat then try to compensate it by adding proteins lentils, peas, beans, etc
6. Eggs and White Bread
Eating eggs and bread for breakfast regularly? Well, they may be the reason you are constipation. Both white bread and eggs have low fiber. So people heavily relying on these foods might tend to be constipated. If you are suffering from this then switch your white bread to brown bread variety and try to add high fiber options like spinach, tomatoes, etc. while preparing your eggs.
7. Alcohol
Last but not least is the ill effect of alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates your body making it hard to digest the food that you have taken, which ultimately makes you constipated. In order to treat constipation at home, always drink enough water while drinking heavily.
Foods that Relieve Constipation
Foods to treat constipation are quite abundant as most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber. So, to treat constipation at home you simply need to add these high fiber fruits and vegetables which will make your diet a healthy fibrous diet fulfilling your daily fiber intake need.
1. Kiwi
Generally, fruits are high in sugar along with fiber making it problematic for other digestive issues like gas. But Kiwi is a win-win situation that evades such a scenario as they are high on fiber but low on sugar. A single cup of kiwi contains 5 grams of fibers and vitamin C which makes it an ideal candidate for foods to treat constipation. A medium-sized Kiwi has 2.5 grams of fibers so eating 1-2 kiwis a day is enough to get all the fibers you need.
2. Spinach & Tomatoes
Next in line are high water and fiber content vegetables like spinach and tomatoes. These vegetables serve the twin purpose of supplying water and fiber along with essential vitamins into the body which is crucial for proper digestion. Hence, they are the perfect solution to treat constipation at home. In fact, spinach forms the basic Indian diet solution to treat constipation at home. Now you know why your mother stresses eating spinach at home?
You can use it in a range of cooking options like spinach or tomato soup, spinach parantha, spinach pasta, sandwiches, salads, and many more.
3. Popcorns
Popcorns are a healthy low-calorie high fiber snack that you can benefit from when suffering from constipation. 3 cups of popcorns contain 3.5 grams of fiber which is quite good to treat constipation at home.
4. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes especially the skin of it are highly fibrous. A medium-sized sweet potato has 3.8 grams of fiber which gives you ample opportunity to use it to treat constipation at home.
5. Flaxseeds
Often known as the do-gooder food, flaxseeds are quite the rage among healthy people. Well, its health benefits let you treat constipation at home. This easily used food contains 2 grams of fiber per teaspoon and that’s quite a good deal if you know how to use it properly. You can virtually use it in anything – from coffees to smoothies to salads to curries. It’s the easiest way to add fiber to your diet.
6. Rice
As we can see from studies gluten-containing grains might be the reason for constipation. However, there are grains like rice which has shown to have lowered the risk of constipation in some studies. A cup of white rice contains 1 gram of fiber while a cup of brown rice contains 4 grams of fiber. So, eating rice as your staple food takes care of the necessary fiber needed to treat constipation at home.
7. Beans
Beans are often the go-to solution for constipation. The reason behind this is its starch resistant fiber content which makes food easily digestible in the stomach as it helps in bacterial action in the gut that fosters this digestion. So, beans are the perfect element to your diet to treat constipation at home.
In fact, the age-old rajma chawal solution is an ideal meal to treat constipation at home. You can simply replace kidney beans with other varieties of beans and white rice with brown rice to enhance the fiber content per meal.
8. Nuts and Seeds
Last but not the least, add nuts and seeds to your diet in order to treat constipation at home. 1 ounce of nuts contains as much as 3 grams of fiber. Nuts especially walnut are high in fiber. Just 12 halves of walnut will give you 2 grams of fiber. An ounce of pumpkin seeds provides 5 grams of fiber while a teaspoon of sesame seeds 1 gram fiber. So, imagine what you can do by adding a little amount of these in your diet.
Apart from this, there are a range of foods that treat constipation raspberries, oranges, pears, watermelons, turnips, prunes, lentils, seafood, chicken, yogurts, etc you just need to remember to eat fibers that all.
So, there you go the ultimate solution to treat constipation at home. Just follow your instinct and use this guide to conjure up a fiber-rich meal that works for you.
FAQs
1.What food relieves constipation fast?
Food that is high on fiber but low on sugar like spinach, tomatoes, kiwi, etc. helps to treat constipation at home as it works faster than other natural treatments.
2. What should I eat to avoid constipation?
To prevent and avoid constipation the best solution is to eat spinach, kiwi, beans, and rice.
3. Does eating quickly cause constipation?
Constipation has nothing to do with how you eat but it dwells on what you eat. To treat constipation at home you must include high fiber foods like beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, chicken, etc in your diet and supply your body with plenty of water so that it can work to digest the food.
4. Should I keep eating if constipated?
You should be eating healthy high fiber foods along with water to treat constipation at home. If you stop eating it won’t help in treating it. You have to replenish the fibers and let the digestive system work.
