Home Remedy for CONSTIPATION

HOME REMEDY -- CONSTIPATION

For a healthy and fit lifestyle a person should have his food

with the required calories and nutrients daily. He/she should

evacuate his bowels daily. But in some cases this is not so. And

when it is not so we say that this person is suffering from

Constipation. Constipation is no fun. Some times it can be pain_

ful. But the cause of constipation is not easy to find. It may

include lack of fiber in the diet, insufficient liquid intake,

stress, medications, lack of exercise and bad bowel habits. The

foremost thing to be considered as the cause of constipation is

to check your diet and your daily liquid intake. But how much

fiber and liquid do you need? Let's start with liquid. A minimum

of 8 glasses of liquid should be a part of every adult's diet.

While any fluid will do the trick but the best fluid is water. A

daily consumption of 20 to 35 grams of dietary fiber for all

adults and at least 30 grams for those suffering from constipa_

tion is a must. Where does this fiber come from? Top sources of

fiber are legumes, fruits, whole grains and vegetables. It is not

difficult to get 30 grams if fiber in your daily diet, if you

choose your food carefully. eg. A half cup of cooked kidney beans

(rajma) will give 9 grams, half cup of cooked dals will give 5.2
grams, a bowl of bran cereal will give 13 grams, 1 sweet potato

will give 3.4 grams, 1 apple will give 3 grams, 1 large pear will

give 6.2 grams, etc. Others rich fiber foods include prunes,

figs, raisins popcorn, nuts, strawberries, carrots and cereals.

If your fiber intake has been low, build it up gradually so as to

avoid gas attacks. Think about the oil slick in your stomach and

match it with the one in Alaska. It will give you cramps if the

same was in your stomach. Eliminate oil from your diet such as

liquid vegetable oil, soy oil or olive. It's not the oil but

eating in it's free state that causes constipation and many other

digestive problems. These oils form a film in the stomach which

makes it difficult to digest carbohydrates and proteins there and

in the small intestine. Adequate digestion is delayed which

causes putrefecation, gas and toxins. But oils eaten in their

natural form, locked up in whole nuts, avocados and corn are

released slowly into the body so that no oil slick occurs to

block digestion and create constipation. Regular exercise tends

to combat constipation faster. One of the best exercise is walk_

ing. Good body tone, good bowel tone. Exercise strengthens the

body, relieves stress and calm your irritable bowel.If you sus_

pect stress and tension is one of your reasons for constipation

then avoid it. Relax and listen to relaxation music. Do not

strain during constipation. Because straining raises your blood

pressure and lowers your heartbeat which results to blackout and

a fall in the toilet. Instead of chemical laxatives try the

"natural" or "vegetable" laxatives. Isabghol is a superconcen_

trated form of fiber and hence is non-addictiveand safe. But they

should be taken with a lot of water. Juices are also beneficial.

Juice of spinach, carrot or a mixture of juices of potato, cucum_

ber and apple. One can also have juices of fig, guava or orange.

The body is well cleansed if lemon juice mixed warm water and

honey is taken on an empty stomach early in the morning. This

will releive you from constipation. It's tough to be serious

about flatulence, though we may try to without invoking laughter.

If you are adding fiber to your diet start with a small dose so

that bowels get used to it. That lessens the increase of flatus.

Activated charcoal tablets are effective in eliminating excessive

gas. It's not only what we eat but also how we eat. Digesting a

lot of food eaten all at once over stimulates the digestive

system. That is why it is much better to eat frequent smaller

meals than infrequent larger meals. And always remember that

"AFTER LUNCH NAP A WHILE AND AFTER DINNER WALK A MILE"