what do you use for constipation

[aGirlLikeJesamine]

i was eating a load of dried apricots yesterday and drinking lots of water
i have a satsuma for my pudding

what tips do you have, non medication

I like the actimel products. The yoghurt tends to work ok or the drinks.

I just want to say to everyone that suffers with constipation that I had it most of my life until my forties and then it suddenly got better.
This means that you won’t necessarily have it forever. These days, my morning coffee has to only hit my stomach before I need to go.
i mostly put this down to having more time in the morning and my diet. I have a mostly healthy semi vegetarian diet but I have a love of puddings.

Plenty of fruit and vegetables, water and senna.

Regular meals and a daily serving of greens (kale, chard, mixed leaf salad etc) and beans (fibre, protein and carb). Might do as a salad, stir fry, soup so lots of possibilities and helps up my intake of vegetables
edit - I drink a lot of water 3-5 litres a day; I know seems a lot but I’ve done that for decades. It was diet that made a difference.

This is going to sound too good to be true. But 1 apple per day without fail. I always have the pink lady variety - no idea if that makes a difference. I’ve tried loads of methods, been to dieticians etc but this is what works for me.

i have only recently started constipation - i believe helped by the menopause, and leaving for work earlier!

I was told by a bowel health nurse that 3 pears 🍐 a day will promote excellent bowel habits. Sadly I loathe pears.

i had a coil fitted four months ago. I’m now everyday regular without any changes to my diet and have fewer acid reflux episodes. I think the progesterone tablet on hrt was slowing my bowels down.

@mamakoukla
i agree,
it is making time that helps

Chia seeds and kombucha (not together). But the best are glycerin suppositories

Prunes! They work every time.

My constipation cocktail….
a few spoons of live Greek yogurt
inulin powder in my first and last cup of tea
magnesium tablets
this every day. Works wonders!!
ps go easy on the inulin when you start it.

Long term low carb and intermittent faster, keeping regular is a bit of a focus for me, as I now avoid the dried fruit esp prunes, porridge and chocolate that I used to rely on.

At least one meal a day will include a good portion of (in increasing order of effectiveness) raw cabbage, spinach or celeriac, followed by an espresso work reliably so long as I have drunk plenty of water and done some gentle exercise ,ten minutes walking and and I am in my ‘home’

please look away now if you are squeamish, in a new place, everything completely closes down. There is always a moment in a new office, after a few days or weeks depending on how often I visit when I notice that I feel ‘at home’ there.

when away it takes senna pods tea last thing at night and having plenty of time the next day.

this is a big focus in my life … constipation really is horrible

Prunes are very helpful - Aldi has packets of soft prunes which are really quite nice, and other supermarkets will have similar. Psyllium husk can also help, but you need to make sure you drink a lot of water when you take psyllium.

I recently started eating thinly sliced kiwi, with the skin left on. At the moment I am trying to lose weight, so that isn’t helping. If things get bad, I have to take bisocodyl tablets

I just bought some kiwi specifically

A smoothie every morning, it has a banana, kiwi with skin, a pear, frozen summer fruits, a tablespoon kefir yoghurt, a spoon of manuka honey, a little oat/coconut milk, chia seeds, flax seeds and some omega seed mix, and spoon of jumbo oats. Shared between two.

I recently saw a colorectal surgeon as I had been suffering for ages, I’d started having this and had ‘cured’ myself, he was impressed.

Dread to think how many calories it is, but i go to the loo twice a day now.

I use Laxido. But psyllium husk is good if you prefer something more natural.

Magnesium works for me but you might need a suppository to get things moving and everything else to keep it moving

I also have gluten free nut bars from aldi if you get desperate the sugar free sweets work but give you cramps

VSL3 probiotic if you can afford it.

1tbsp chia seeds soaked in glass of water for 20-30mins (stir occasionally) down it, don’t think of it like frogspawn and you’ll be fine!! Also a small bowl of all bran every morning - i need a tsp of sugar on it to help it not taste like mushy cardboard. Just realising how unappealing they both sound!! They are currently working for me!!

Cachew nuts work for me..I love them but if I eat more than half a pkt I'm sat on the loo for 2 days constant.

Have you monitored exactly how much fibre you're eating daily @aGirlLikeJesamine ?

There is no specific one food that will work on its own (maybe bar a bowl of prunes!) but for long term constipation it's really about getting as much fruit, veg and wholegrains in every day as well as fluids and exercise.

What's your normal intake like?

Chia seeds in milk and a poo stool. If its really bad though, you'll need Laxido sadly, up to 12 sachets daily until it works.

I'm being utterly serious here. I get constipation and am through menopause I think.

Without fail, nearly every time, I go food shopping with a trolley in Asda/Aldi and I'm by myself, I suddenly need to go for a no. 2 💩

Not sure if the weekly grocery shop is relaxing... I wouldn't think so. Maybe the prices are shocking the shit out of me lol