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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask what I should eat for breakfast to combat constipation?

147 replies

Jelliots · 12/04/2025 14:21

I normally eat Greek yogurt with walnuts and blueberries but I’m thinking too much dairy is probably contributing to my terrible constipation. Any recommendations?

im now in agony from a big purple haemorrhoid so im pretty desperate (hence the AIBU) ill eat anything as i have no appetite so willing to try anything

OP posts:
Morningsleepin · 12/04/2025 16:10

Anything high fibre, like dried fruit, bran or flax seeds. A tablespoon of ground flax in hot water first thing in the morning is great and even tastes good

Outofthepan · 12/04/2025 15:42

Oh. And Greek yoghurt is good for your gut. So it won’t be that

StrangerThings1 · 12/04/2025 15:39

Jelliots · 12/04/2025 14:21

I normally eat Greek yogurt with walnuts and blueberries but I’m thinking too much dairy is probably contributing to my terrible constipation. Any recommendations?

im now in agony from a big purple haemorrhoid so im pretty desperate (hence the AIBU) ill eat anything as i have no appetite so willing to try anything

Yacult, take it every day and never constipated, used to get very constipated before that

Outofthepan · 12/04/2025 15:37

Oat milk smoothie with raspberries, banana, blueberries, and a tablespoon of oat bran.

YessandNno · 12/04/2025 15:32

Try adding high-fibre foods to all of your meals, not just breakfast, gradually building up the amount until you're eating at least 30g of fibre every day. Also, remember to keep drinking water throughout the day, as dehydration makes constipation more likely. Include some fermented foods as well.

Try chia seeds, butter beans (or any other beans that you like), chickpeas ground flax seed/linseed, nuts, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, Greek yogurt and so on.

Try to ensure that you are eating lots of different vegetables over the course of the week.

Cut down severely on, or completely eliminate, white and beige carbs. So, ideally no white bread, no white rice, nor breadcrumbed fish/chicken, cakes, pastries, biscuits, pizza or pasta. Instead have wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, wholegrain rice - and in modest quantities.

Try to avoid sugary foods and drinks.

In the mornings, a mug of strong black coffee might help things along as well.

I hope you get some relief soon.

Ellie56 · 12/04/2025 15:29

Porridge with chopped up banana, sultanas and raisins.

NameChange2589 · 12/04/2025 15:25

I take Magnesium citrate supplements now, means I don’t need lactulose or movicol anymore.

Vatsallfolks · 12/04/2025 15:22

Black coffee and a fag..works every time

Notgoodatpoetrybutgreatatlit · 12/04/2025 15:22

This thread is the perfect place for my Dad's annecodate.
I grew up on a farm in the countryside, my Dad taken very unwell with constipation visited his doctor. After going into detail the GP stared at my dad for an uncomfortable amount of time and then said "Why don't you eat some of those bloody pears you sold me?".
So you could try pears, we mostly grew conference but we also grew a lovely small sort of yellow and pink one. They might have been commice. Or I may have dreamt the name.

Jelliots · 12/04/2025 15:21

Thanks everyone, I’ve ordered -

Rolled porridge oats
Fresh orange juice with bits
chia seeds
apples, oranges and pears

… milk - do I go for Soy or Oat milk?

Sorry if I sound thick, I’ve not had any appetite for years (since Covid) so I stopped paying attention to what I was eating - basically lived on crunchy nut cornflakes, pot noodles and beige dinners. No fruit, very little veg. I’m having to completely relearn nutrition

OP posts:
OrangeBlossom28 · 12/04/2025 15:19

Oats daily with Greek yogurt, prunes and berries with this Linwoods mix sprinkled on top had helped me no end with constipation. For me it’s now a thing of the past.

To ask what I should eat for breakfast to combat constipation?
Spidey66 · 12/04/2025 15:14

Dried apricots.

Or a fag, but thats not really recommended!!!!

myplace · 12/04/2025 15:13

You need water, movement, insoluble fibre and soluble fibre.
So walk. Drink water.

Diet- Add fibre to your yogurt is the easiest way- a kiwi with the skin on (it’s fine with yogurt to soften the fur!), a teaspoon of chia and linseeds.
Vegetables or salad with every meal. Some grains- bread, brown rice etc.

I do all that, but still need a black caffeinated coffee.

MiL came off a lifetime’s medication with the advice from a nurse of two weetabix and some prunes for breakfast every day.

AlmosttimeforChristmas · 12/04/2025 15:13

Ps please don’t accept this as a normal part of life. It’s not. It means you’re eating the wrong things for your body

AlmosttimeforChristmas · 12/04/2025 15:12

Cut out all refined carbohydrates - no white rice, bread, pasta at all. Also cut out dairy til it clears. Animal fat honestly helped my constipation a lot, weirdly. Don’t know the science behind it but it’s definitely a thing. Maybe fat softens the poo? I swapped peanut butter on toast for bacon and eggs for breakfast and it helped a lot. Also ate plenty of fatty meat til it cleared . If it were me I would only eat fruit, vegetables and protein (non-dairy) til it cleared. Then reintroduce other things slowly so you can pinpoint what’s causing the problem. But if you’re over 40 the white carbs are always going to be a killer in my abd friends’ experience

LadyHexham · 12/04/2025 15:11

Stewed rhubarb can help

singlewhitetrashheap · 12/04/2025 15:10

Someone mentioned black coffee. It works like a charm for constipation.

SallyWD · 12/04/2025 15:10

Fruit followed by all bran.

Tulipsanddaffodils4 · 12/04/2025 15:10

SquidgibleDirigible · 12/04/2025 14:34

Beta glucan is a kind of fibre and also adds moisture to stools making them softer, and is generally good for gut health. Having a bowl of porridge for breakfast with some mixed seeds and plenty of water would be a great place to start.

I totally agree.
Also maybe eat some tangerines or oranges

Cakeandusername · 12/04/2025 15:09

I found aloe vera tablets helped.

Jelliots · 12/04/2025 15:08

BrickHedgehog · 12/04/2025 14:57

I have suffered from long term constipation for years , used to go once a week if I took bisacodyl . I’ve now found my ‘cure’ , I take one dulcoease pill in the morning and eat 1 Biomel Belgian chocolate/ hazelnut chocolate bar in the evening . I now have my bowels open daily with no issues . I’ve tried fibre supplements etc in the past and it never worked and prunes etc don’t work for me .

Omg this is exactly the same as me! Once a week movement but only with the aid of bisocodyl with means I’m glued to the toilet all day! I’ve got some dulcoease in but they don’t seem to work at all?

OP posts:
twistandscream · 12/04/2025 15:04

Eat a box of grapes through the evening

CanOfMangoTango · 12/04/2025 15:04

SquidgibleDirigible · 12/04/2025 14:29

Oats contain beta glucan which helps combat constipation (a gastroenterologist told me this when I saw her about my IBS).

Yeah porridge is good, I make it with soy milk rather than dairy.

Main thing for constipation is keeping yourself hydrated, do you drink much during the day OP?

GlumBear · 12/04/2025 15:04

Would recommend cutting out dairy for a while just generally, and follow some of the advice here re macrogol. I have IBS, issues with dairy too and I have one laxido a day to keep things moving. Improving gut bacteria via a probiotic would also be recommended.

BethDuttonYeHaw · 12/04/2025 15:04

Porridge