Food to reduce constipation but not cause wind!

[Holidayshopping]

TMI alert-i am not a poo troll, just a bit desperate!

I have had (forever) stomach issues. Very noisy stomach/bowels to the point where it’s embarrassing (borborigmi I think it’s called). I don’t feel constipated but think I have a slow transit (don’t go regularly) and when I do it’s litttle pellets (not ideal on the Bristol scale!) though it’s not painful. I think it’s that which causes the wind-I think it must gurgle around between the tiny poos!!

I’ve got a good diet-not overweight. I’ve been to the GP who was awful. He pretty much laughed at me (lots of smirking and sniggering when I told himabout the noises-I was so embarrassed) and just prescribed Fybogel. This hasn’t helped and I don’t know what to do.

What can I eat to give me normal ‘transit’ time and to bulk things up without causing more wind?

This is what I was struggling with, have always eaten tonnes of fruit and veg but makes no difference. I've been seeing the GP recently, and I've got to take Senna long term. Says I've got a slow bowel. Thing is I've got terrible wind with it, (makes me poo brilliantly tho). I'm not sure if you can change your transit time just with food, if you have problems anyway?

I put mine down to having inflammatory arthritis.

Do you have any health conditions?

Any intolerances?
I had excessive wind (though only realised in hindsight) before I worked out I had a gluten intolerance.
Lots of water helps constipation too.

Your GP sounds crap (bad pun!). You shouldn't be embarrassed to see another one. They see bowel issues all the time. I have chronic constipation with slow transit time due to medication, and fybogel increases insoluble fibre (bulk), but what is helpful is to increase insoluble fibre.

This draws water into the bowel to help move things along. You can do this through food - porridge, linseeds/chia seeds etc, apples are really good - or things like laxido/movicol if you need something stronger. Drinking plenty of water is helpful too. I take mebeverine before meals (I think you can get them as IBS relief tablets over the counter to try) which helps with wind.

I used to have this - so embarrassing, I really feel for you. I went to a naturopath who used herbal tinctures to improve my digestion. He also told me to avoid dairy & wheat & processed, sugary food for six weeks to see if it made a difference (it did, and I still have to go very easy on all these things). Drinking a lot of water, especially in the mornings, also helped as well as more exercise and probiotics (the good quality ones you have to keep in the fridge).

Thank you for the replies. The Fybogel just seemed to make my stomach swell up, I felt very uncomfortable and the noises got twice as bad-I just can’t do that again! Goodness knows what people I work with say behind my back :(

So, insoluble fibre is the way to go, maybe? I’ll try porridge for breakfast and see how that goes.

OP, I was recommended a Digestive Enzyme (from all good Health Food shops or good Chemist) and it made a difference in Five days.
You could also consider using a good Microbiotic

I find that drinking kefir has really helped my digestion. I've made my own as it's so much cheaper, but you could try some ready-made from a health food shop. I've seen it in supermarkets, but not sure how good it would be.

That sounds interesting-can I ask what the digestive enzyme was called?

Try going lactose free. Constipation from lactose intolerance isn't listed as one of the frequent effects, but it certainly was an issue for my DS. 8 years of medications and the problem has completely gone away by swapping to lactose free milk.

What does lactose free milk taste like?

Lactofree milk tastes just like normal milk.

I've found cutting gluten completely out of my diet and most sugar have reduced my "windiness" a lot, I'm also not bloated.

What is lactose free milk-Is it soya milk or something else?

I have wondered before if it’s a wheat/gluten issue, but worry what I’d eat for breakfast and lunch if I gave up bread!!

I use milled flax seed. You can get it in the supermarket. I either sprinkle it on cereal or yoghurt. Or usually I just eat a teaspoon of it followed by a large glass of water.

Have you kept a food diary to see what makes it worse? Porridge is good as it is soluble fibre. I have been diagnosed with IBS, and I also take Pysillium husk (I think that's what is in Fybogel but it's much cheaper by the kg from Amazon!), just a teaspoon or two in water most days, and it works wonders to normalise things. It took me a while to work out the best time of day to take it , which for me is about 5pm, at least an hour before dinner. Also have ground flax seed on cereal in the morning (Aldi and Lidl sell it), or often overnight chia and oat cereal. Lots of water too.

Have you tried prunes? 6 prunes a day increases bone density as well as being full of fibre.

Lactofree milk is just regular milk with the lactase enzyme added - it tastes the same. You can just buy (from health food store or online) the lactase enzyme in capsules and take these when you have milk/dairy. The lactofree milk is expensive and this might be cheaper.

I hadn’t thought of prunes! Do dried apricots work as well-I like those?

Increasing fibre loads, lenti, chickpeas, will increase wind short term but if you continue the wind should settle

I used digestive enzymes for a while too, and would also recommend them. I used Udo's which are plant-based.

Yes dried apricots or mango will help! Don't eat too many though otherwise it may make you fart loads!
If your poo is like pellets, maybe drink some more water? It could be that you are slightly dehydrated, this can make your poo hard and fibre and water actually work together to move food through the digestive system.
It's usually like pellets when it's moving too slowly, the noise (and possibly bloating) could be caused by this.

OP do make sure you are drinking plenty of water if your poos are hard. For me, making sure I never wear anything tight round my waist has been a gamechanger (like tights for instance, or a tight waistband on a skirt - I either make sure they are loose or wear on hips). A gastroenterologist put me onto that 20 years ago and it's made a huge difference. Also, do you get plenty of exercise? Walking in particular really helps promote quicker transit.

Yes dried apricots or mango will help! Don't eat too many though otherwise it may make you fart loads

See, that’s the worry. The things I need to eat to bulk things up and get it all moving (to stop the pockets of wind) CAUSE wind.

It’s difficult to know what to do for the best .

THE WInd should get better after a few week of consistently higher fibre

ALso firmly massage your tummy clockwise just south of belly button, I get a hold up on my left hand side which can be helped that way

Re the lactose free milk, I just buy a week's worth of long life lactofree milk and store it in the cupboard. It tastes a little sweeter than normal milk, and is a touch thicker in cooking so for things like pancakes I have to dilute with a bit of extra water. But it's been a game-changer. He was on movicol for about 5 years, then moved to a maintenance dose of sodium picosufate for 3 years. Changing to lactose free milk has totally eliminated the need for any of it.

Sorry not rttt but got 2 mins while baby is not crying.

Try kiwis. I had about 6 after a week of no pooing after I gave birth. Worked a treat.

Extra water. When I've had a wee first thing in the morning I have a large glass of water straight away, really helps things along.