Constipation Advice

Eat more of these to move the bowels

• Add a tablespoon of olive oil to salads, vegetables and pasta. Add a little flax oil to porridge or smoothies.
• Fruit two to three portions especially berries, pears and prunes.
• Lots of water or diluted natural squash such as Rocks.
• Cook fibrous vegetables, beans and pulses well.
• Soak grains before eating such as museli and don't have too many grains.
• Dried fruit compote with flaked almonds or chopped walnuts is a good breakfast or dessert, but watch as too much dried fruit can upset blood sugar levels.
• Rice and pasta should be brown, well cooked and served with olive oil to prevent constipation.
• Try Oatcakes and Rice cakes instead of bread.
• Relaxation is very important for bowels. Being uptight and stressed can hinder the bowels, which leads to constipation.
• Exercise is good to keep the bowels moving. Brisk walking or jogging and yoga can be good.
• Removing intolerant foods can make a big difference. Experiment with temporarily removing wheat and dairy which are the two biggest offenders. If you remove dairy eat more greens, nuts and seeds to replace any calcium, and try sheep or goat yoghurt which is often well tolerated. When removing wheat, have otacakes, oats, brown rice and rye bread.

Supplements

Probiotics replace the good bacteria that may be reduced due to stress, the Pill or antibiotics. FOS is a sweet powder that boosts the number of good bacteria. Take both!

Linseeds or flaxseeds help lubricate the bowels. Between a teaspoon and tablespoon per day, or morning a night, can be taken off the spoon followed by a large drink, or soak overnight in water or juice and drink the liquid and seeds the following morning.

Magnesium relaxes the bowel and is a general relaxant useful to take at night.

Aloe Vera juice can soothe an irritated gut and is gently laxative. Try Aloe Gold from Nutrigold.

Molasses, olive oil and lemon with hot water are all good for the bowel.