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Suffering from constipation?
Read on for some simple dietary changes that may help..
What is constipation?
If it hurts to go to the toilet (to do a poo or pass a stool), or if you need to strain hard, and it hurts, you may be constipated. You can look at the Bristol stool chart to see what an ideal poo should be like - type 3 or 4 is ideal, and 1 or 2 is more like constipation.
When you are very constipated, sometimes people can also soil themselves by accident, this happens when the bowel gets overfilled and blocked with hard stool and then loose or watery stools can squeeze past.
Persistant constipation can cause you to feel irritable, feel sick, and not eat much. The pain can make you frightened to go to the toilet, making the problem worse.
Some people pass stool 3 times a day, and others only every other day, or less often. If you don't strain, are not in pain and your poo is soft, there is no need to worry.
If you suddenly become constipated for no reason, or you start going less or more often with no apparent reason, you should visit your family doctor for advice.
What causes constipation?
1. Not drinking enough fluids
2. Not eating enough fibre containing foods
3. Witholding - when you deliberately hold in stool regularly
4. Some medicines
5. Some uncommon medical causes
Steps to help combat constipation
1. Drinking lots – aim for 6-8 cups a day such as water, diluted squashes and juices. Having drinks after meals and snacks is best so as not to ruin your appetite. If you find it hard to drink more, try foods with lots of fluids in such as gravy, sauces, soups, custard, jelly, ice lollies, fruit, vegetables and salad. In young children limit milk to 1 pint a day – encourage other drinks instead.
2. Have a regular eating pattern – aim for 3 meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner, with small snacks in between.
3. Gradually eat more fibre – see the tips further on on this page. Fibre is a part of food that can't be digested by the body, but passes through the gut, absorbing water to make the stools softer and bulkier.
4. Sit on the toilet regularly – give yourself plenty of time to sit on the toilet at the same time every day – in the morning after breakfast is often a good time
5. Get active – being active encourages your bowel to be more active. It is recommended for general health that children do some activity that makes them slightly out of breath for at least an hour every day e.g. dancing, walking, kicking a ball around, playing, cycling or swimming
Did you know? Fibre is a part of food that can’t be digested by the body, but passes through the gut, absorbing water, and making poo soft. Fibre is an important part of a healthy diet for all the family
What foods are high in fibre?
* Wholemeal, granary or high fibre white breads, like Mighty White, or Hovis Best of Both
* Chapattis, naan and pitta breads made with wholemeal flour
* Wholegrain breakfast cereals e.g. Weetabix, Bran Flakes, Fruit ‘n’ Fibre, Shreddies, Porridge Oats, Shredded Wheat, Weetos and similar supermarket own brands
* Wholemeal scones and muffins
* Wholegrain or brown rice
* Wholegrain pasta
* Cakes and pastries made with wholemeal flour
* Wholegrain cereal and muesli bars
* Digestive biscuits, Flapjacks, Oatcakes, oat biscuits such as hob-nobs.
* Lentils, dahl, beans, chick peas and other pulses – try adding to casseroles, soups and curries
* Fruit, particularly those that can be eaten with the skin on, such as peaches, plums, apples, pears and grapes
* Jacket potatoes with the skin on
* Dried fruit – raisins, apricots, figs, dates and prunes
* Vegetables, particularly peas and sweetcorn
What about bran?
Don’t add unrefined bran to foods – it can stop the body absorbing important nutrients and may make constipation worse. (Bran flakes are fine though)
High fibre breakfast ideas
* Cereal with milk topped with dried fruit or chopped fresh fruit
* Cereal bar and a piece of fruit
* Wholemeal toast
High fibre lunch ideas
* Yoghurt, a piece of fruit and a wholemeal roll, pitta, or sandwich with
canned fish and sweetcorn or egg and salad or ham or turkey and tomato
* Baked beans on wholemeal toast
* Vegetable pizza (homemade with wholegrain flour) and salad
* Lentil soup with wholemeal bread / roll
High fibre main meal ideas
* Fish fingers, mashed potatoes and peas
* Bean casserole with wholemeal pitta bread
* Jacket potato and beans
* Chilli con carne with brown rice
* Spaghetti bolognaise with wholemeal pasta
* Stir fry chicken and vegetables with rice / noodles
* Meat casserole with vegetables and jacket potato
* Sausage casserole with mashed potato and beans
* Fish, chips and beans / peas
High fibre snack ideas
* Fresh fruit
* Dried fruit
* Vegetable sticks
* Digestive biscuits or other high fibre biscuits
* Fig rolls
* Wholemeal scone
* Flapjack
* Fruit cake
* Malt loaf
* Bowl of cereal with milk
Medical help
Sometimes doctors prescribe laxatives to help clear out hard stool, to help you get back to a better stool pattern. Once your bowel is unblocked, you may be advised to continue taking them for several months to get back into a better toilet pattern. Laxatives come in two basic types:
* stool softeners - help by making the stool softer and more slippery e.g. Lactulose syrup. They can take a few days to work.
* stimulant laxatives - help by making the bowel squeeze more strongly, speeding up the production of stools e.g. Senna. These work quite quickly e.g. if they are taken at night they would cause the urge to pass stool the next morning.
Page first published: September 17th 2006; last updated: February 24th 2008.