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

[Jelliots]

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

Start the day with tepid water with a lemon squeezed in, and a black coffee. Then peanut butter on wholegrain or high fibre type bread and a couple of prunes. But it's the night before that gets you moving in the morning so look at dinner- lots of veg, lots of fluid, fruit and peanuts for a snack. A walk within 15 minutes of eating dinner too. There's some yoga poses that help as well if you Google.

You need more fibre in your diet, for every meal not just breakfast

I've found different things work for different people. I've had friends who swear by a strong cup of tea or coffee, others who can't look at orange juice without having to 'go', prunes or any other dried fruit... none of these have any effect on me. For me the only thing that really works is exercise.

It’s not my favourite breakfast, but weetabix daily helps. Flax seeds on yogurt too.

Different things work for different people.

I don't often get constipated, and that may be because I fend it off every day!

Breakfast is either weetabix or porridge depending on whether it's Summer or Winter. I crush the weetabix and add a good tablespoon or more of milled linseeds and chia seeds. Same with porridge, add the milled seeds (before cooking it) I use m/wave. For a change a few times a week I use Greek yogurt, again with the milled seeds + berries. And a cup of hot strong coffee!

I am almost never in this situation but Weetabix always triggers a visit if I need one. Chia seeds are good as they swell up when they’re mixed with liquid. Eat them sprinkled on yoghurt and they will swell inside you and help get things moving plus they are very nutritious. Have you tried a very cheap glycerine suppository? DD found these helpful when she got bunged up. They are small but work quite quickly. Bought in Morrisons.

A strong espresso every morning is normally followed by the loo. I don’t eat breakfast but like to go to the loo before I leave the house and this does the trick. I also eat lots of fruit and veg and whole grains.

When did you start it? Lactulose was amazing when I was pregnant. Took a day or so to get going though.

Weetabix and coffee is my recommendation though. Really moves things.

If you're taking lactulose you need to be upping your water intake too.

Mix a teaspoon of chia seeds in to your yoghurt - you need to leave it for a while for the chia seeds to soak/absorb though. You can make it ahead like overnight oats.

small glass of prune juice before every meal - is like a miracle

A small glass of keffir works for me. Don't like the taste but it gets things moving

Lactulose didn’t work well for me. I would go for prunes or prune juice.

MiraLax needs to be added to your shopping list.
It’s a powder that gently (no cramps bloating or gas) makes your stool softer. It’s not fast acting (24 hours at least).
BREAKFAST: 30 gms of chia seeds soaked with 1/2 cup of vanilla flavored almond milk (mix well and mix on and off over a 30 minute period) add fruit. No dairy high fiber.

Porridge

Lactulose is pretty useless. As a poster said above, you need a macrogol, such as movicol or laxido.

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 .

a low fibre breakfast isn’t enough to cause constipation and haemorrhoids. Are you drinking enough water, getting enough exercise, and eating at least a pound of vegetable or fruit matter every day?

If so and you are still constipated then you should go back to the GP.

in answer to your original question, a couple of tbs of all bran or grape nuts will go well with your yogurt. And try Actimel or Activia ( other brands of probiotic are svailable) to make sure that your gut flora are tip-top.

Some of the things that work for me …

Dates! Three or four medjool dates a day work much better than prunes for me. These have worked when other things haven’t

Plenty of water.

Be wary of weetabix which just turns into solid wallpaper paste if not combined with enough liquid.

Glycerin suppositories.

Flaxseeds on cereal for breakfast

Probiotic

Being active

Magnesium supplement. There is a particular one that is good for this

My late dad, who was a lifelong sufferer of dreadful constipation, sweared by a large bowl of all bran each morning. If on any day the issue persisted, which it often did, he would eat a handful of dried apricots. He used to say that if he went down the dried apricot route then satisfactory results would happen within the hour.

Growing up with all bran in the house, I used to love it. A bowl with a handful of sultanas is still my idea of heaven!

Kefir, and chia seeds with whatever fruit

Three things work for me -

Prunes (10+)
High fibre cereal
2.5L of water (3L if breastfeeding).

The water is the most important. No point in having lots of fibre if there is no water to push it through, it will make things worse.

Good luck.

Magnesium citrate before bed.

Porridge

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.

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?