Constipation is a common issue that occurs when a person experiences pain while passing stool or less than three bowel movements in a week. One of the major culprits behind this is our eating habits. This means that we should do ourselves a favor and check out our diet which may be lacking high fiber content.
So, for those who want to feel some relief from constipation, try replacing the following foods with high fiber choice.
Fried Foods
These include french fries, onion rings, doughnuts, heavily breaded fish and other greasy fried foods. These foods can bind us up and take a long time to digest thus causing constipation. Avoid these foods as they can slow our normal gastrointestinal movement. Opt for other cooking methods such as steaming and broiling.
Dairy Products
A person should avoid consuming dairy products if suffering from constipation.
Results of a study showed that infants, toddlers, and children appear particularly at risk of constipation, possibly due to a sensitivity to the proteins found cow’s milk.
Moreover, in a review of studies conducted over a 26-year period, researchers have found that some children with chronic constipation experienced improvements when they stopped consuming cow’s milk.
White Rice
White rice lacks fiber. It sits in our digestive system instead of passing the stool easily. So, if you feel constipated, it would be better to eliminate white rice.
Red Meat
Red meat contains too little fiber that helps the stools to move along. It takes the place of higher-fiber options in one’s diet thus indirectly reducing a person’s total daily fiber intake. This means that instead of filling up on fiber-rich veggies, legumes, and whole grains, a person opts to fill his plate with a large portion of meat during a meal. Lastly, red meat contains higher amounts of fats that are hard for the body to digest.
Unripe Bananas
Unripe bananas contain more resistant starch, a compound that is harder for the body to digest. Aside from this, they also contain more tannins which are thought to reduce the speed at which foods pass through the gut. Consumption of unripe bananas can make our body hold stool and get us more severely constipated. On the other hand, ripe bananas can help relieve constipation.
Chips
Potato chips replace a snack or side dish that is richer in fiber. They contain high fats that delay digestion, leading to a ‘too-full’ feeling that mirrors constipation. For constipation relief, look for reduced-fat snack foods that contain whole grains to increase fiber intake.
Frozen Dinner
Though these meals in a box are convenient, they rarely contain nutritional benefits and increases our risk of constipation.
Tammy Lakatos, RD, CDN, CPT, a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer in New York and one-half of the duo known as the Nutrition Twins, says:
“Frozen dinners are almost always low in fiber and often high in fat, Also, they are usually high in sodium, which ties up water to dilute the salt, keeping it from pushing waste through the body.”
