Nearly everyone at some time in their lives has had problems with the bloating, discomfort and even gas that can come with constipation. The digestive tract can be affected by many things such as diet, physical activity levels, amount of water consumed daily and even certain medications. However, there are natural ways to help treat this problem. Aiming for 64 ounces of water a day can help and also trying to get at least 25 to 35 grams of fiber. Also, avoiding the five foods below – all which can cause or worse constipation – is a good idea as well.
Chocolate
This might be hard to read if you love Hershey bars, but chocolate can indeed have a negative impact on the bowels in regards to constipation. The precise reason for this is not known, but many researchers suspect that the high fat content in the chocolate slows down the muscles contractions in the digestive tract and thus delays the movement of food through the bowels.
Dairy
Especially if consumed in large quantities, milk, cheese and other dairy products can exacerbate constipation problems and also cause bloating and gas for those who have a sensitivity to lactose, the sugar found in milk and milk-based foods. Again the reason for this is not known, but one study out of Iran recently showed that children who were prone to constipation and eliminated dairy from the diet reported significant improvement in bowel function.
Red Meat
There are many good reasons to cut down or eliminate red meat from the diet, but one of them is that is can constipate you. There are three main reasons for this. Firstly, it has a high fat content and this can make it take longer for the body to digest it. Secondly, it has tough protein fibers that you stomach may find difficult to break down. Thirdly, it is high in iron and while this is an essential nutrient, it can also cause constipation just by itself.
Bananas
While most fresh fruits are good for treating constipation, bananas are a notable exception. This is especially true when they are green, as they tend to be higher in starch at this stage and starch is hard for the body to digest. They also have high levels of pectin, a kind of fiber which draws water from the intestines and if someone is already dehydrated, this can make the constipation even worse.
Caffeine
While caffeine is a stimulant which can actually help the bowels to move sometimes, you also need to be careful of it: too much coffee during the day without drinking enough water can cause dehydration, which worsens nearly any case of sluggish bowels.
So if you are concerned about keeping your bowels regular and want to achieve this naturally, be sure to eat a high fiber diet, exercise regularly, drink plenty of water and limit your intake of the foods above which can often only make the problem worse.
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