Sorry to bring this up, but I'm constipated...

I'm normally a very regular person, but since I've started eating more healthfully, I've been constipated. I am drinking a ton of water daily, eating more fruits and veggies than usual, and exercising. Aren't all of these things supposed to "help things along"? Could it be that I've cut down on fats??? Do I have to start eating prunes?

Fri. Jan 20, 10:19am

I get constipated when I eat white grains, like a bagel, etc. Are you upping the carbs b/c you're cutting the fats? Just a thought...

Some fats are good for you - you need them for your body to operate correctly, and they keep you full for longer, so you don't feel like a hungry dieter. And lots of "fat free" foods are also very high calorie - as high cal as the full-fat versions, so watch for that too. (I apologize if this is something you already know; I don't mean to talk down to you, just trying to help figure out the problem.)

Oh, just to throw this out to other low-fat dieters: 1 Snackwell's Devil's food cookie has the same number of calories as 1 oreo (50 cals), yet many low-fat dieters will eat like 8 (or more) of those cookies at a time, whereas they wouldn't consider eating 8 oreos!!

Friday, January 20, 2006, 10:28 AM

I had the same problem when I first changed my eating habits. Since I already had a doctor's appointment I brought it up. She said that often our bowels become "lazy" after eating highly processed and fatty foods for a period of time so when we DO start eating well, the colon isn't quite sure what to do at first with all the fibre. It takes a bit of time for it to adjust and to start eliminating things on a regular basis again. So that might just be what you're going through...I guess if you continue to have problem you might check with a doc.

Friday, January 20, 2006, 11:17 AM

Drink lots and lots of water.

Friday, January 20, 2006, 11:24 AM

metamucil

I take metamucil on a regular basis. In "Eating for IBS" (see link), the author makes a distinction between soluble and insoluble fiber -- they're all "good" for you, but the soluble fiber coats your intestines and smoothes stuff along, whereas lots of insoluble fiber (fruits w skins, whole grains), can be kinda rough on you (trust me, I overdid the amt of whole grain cereal once and will never forget it!) You can help IBS symptoms by starting a meal with soluble fiber (ie a little white rice, applesauce) rather than the insoluble fiber (a salad). Just have the salad later in the meal.
Even if you don't have IBS, metamucil does the trick, and is an easy way to get your daily fiber for various health reasons. And I don't think you're going to "abuse" metamucil! The other psyllium based brands I've tried weren't ground as fine as metamucil, so that's why I mention the brand name.
Also -- prunes can be pretty good! Just buy a new pack of a good brand (I like Sunsweet "dried plums", they are soft and juicy) and eat them before they dry out.

-- soluble fiber is recommended for IBS (see link), and it of course keeps you regular and is

Link

Friday, January 20, 2006, 12:05 PM

To the poster above me,
HAve you tried BeneFiber? I find it is much more pleasant than metamucil-- you can even mix it with water and you barely notice any taste or texture at all! I usually will mix it in with some oatmeal or a hot tea... Seems to work well.

Regarding eating to much fiber, I live the GoLean cereals, but found that they gave me too much gas... Well, it turns out that once I learned to THOROUGHLY CHEW the cereal, the gas went away-- in other words, many people "gulp" their food without properly chewing... That leads to digestion problems, gas, etc... Try it the next time you eat a piece of fruit---chew it thoroughly to break it down before swallowing-- I think you will find that it will help you digest things better. :-)

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 12:34 AM

Cereal

I was also a person who never went everyday. Sometimes I would go for 3 or 4 days before going. Ever since I started eating a cereal with fiber in it I go almost everyday now. Doctor also told me wheatgerm sprinkled on your food also helps.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 2:59 PM

To the last poster of Friday the 20th thank you for the link. I was just diagnosed with UC and was looking for books about food and other recommendations.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 3:00 PM

To 3 above: thanks for the benefiber suggestion, I will try that. Not entirely happy with metamucil actually, because its too sugary. But the plain psyllium I got at TJs was too grainy. And that's funny about the chewing thing, nice to hear a simple solution :)
To 1 above: 2 things I like about Heather's site: she seems to have struck a nerve-- all these women were getting blown off by their doctors, told it was all in their head, and suffering, and not being diagnosed properly or getting help... and she has truly helpful suggestions, so pretty empowering. Second thing is she will send you emails that include recent research refs, so I think she has a good mix of down to earth folk wisdom and also paying attention to the science. Sorry about the UC, but sounds like you're on the way to feeling better -- good luck!

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 4:30 PM

taking flax oil can help.

How people can only go once a day never ceases to amaze me... food in, food out.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 8:45 PM

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