What has helped your constipation?

[Anonymous]

My bowels seem to function solely on what my hormones are doing these days. To top it off I take medications that causes constipation and I will be on them for a lifetime. I've tried stool softeners, citrucil, milk or mag. I also have IBS so I can't take anything thats like a stimulant laxative as the cramping for me is horrifically painful. What works for you?

[Anonymous]

I eat shredded wheat with bran, mixed with greek yogurt mixed with a little milk, every day. I add chopped walnuts and blueberries. Takes about a week. But daily is a must for me.

[Anonymous]

Lots of walking - everyday.
Cutting out down dairy significantly
either lunch or dinner is a salad

[Anonymous]

Also, lots of water and walking.

[Anonymous]

This has been scoffed at before but I eat 2/3 cup All Bran with Bran Buds (not regular kind) with kefir and 1% milk. Works for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My bowels seem to function solely on what my hormones are doing these days. To top it off I take medications that causes constipation and I will be on them for a lifetime. I've tried stool softeners, citrucil, milk or mag. I also have IBS so I can't take anything thats like a stimulant laxative as the cramping for me is horrifically painful. What works for you?

Prunes ( 2) chia seeds on my oatmeal, pear juice worked for my dd

[Anonymous]

Digestive enzymes changed my life.

[Anonymous]

Prebiotic fiber pills.
Flaxseed meal.
Plenty of water
Walking
Browsing gift shops
Being around plants

[Anonymous]

Miralax!! Works so well and is gentle. No cramping. But take it before you have a big problem.

[Anonymous]

Cutting out ultra-processed foods has really helped me. Though I still eat the occasional chip, etc.

I have recently tried to replace the occasional snack or dessert with prunes. Whole Foods has some pretty good ones (not WF brand).

Try getting some greens at breakfast. When I have the wherewithall, I scramble my eggs with spinach.

[Anonymous]

I have IBS-C. It is so much worse now that I am almost in menopause.

Diet, diet, diet. That's the first thing and also recognizing what foods really work for me and what work against me.

Dried apricots, blackberries, un-soaked beans and lentils, and bananas? Make things 100x worse.

I rarely eat dairy anymore.

Broccoli is often my go-to wonder drug. Add a couple - few apples/day and we're in business.

Beans and lentils can be great, but only if soaked for at least 8 hours before cooking.

Drink water only in between meals. And a LOT of it. After and durning meals, only very small sips of water.

Avoid carbonated beverages like they're the plague.

When all else fails:

Thorne mag citrate pills before bed. I take 4 to start. If nothing, then I'll take 5 - 7 the next night and if my nutrition is on target, they will work. If not, then I'll need to take something like Renew Life Cleanse More (non-stimulant, no cramping). It is magical how well it works, but when taken regularly will stain your colon (melanosis) but otherwise is 100% ok (and cleared by my gastro).

fwiw, I took Miralax for years as directed by multiple doctors. But this past year or so, it started burning my throat no matter what I put it in. Not sure why, but now I steer clear.

[Anonymous]

Dulcolax soft chews help me. My gastro said they are safe to use often. That plus a huge salad with an olive oil heavy vinegrette is really all that works.

[Anonymous]

My mother and husband are chronically constipated. My husband is Asian and eats a TON of fruit he gets from H-Mart (many exotic varieties). He ripens them at home, and makes fruit bowls for the family, but DD and I partake lightly as we tend to have the opposite problem!

My mother lives on cooked prunes and kiwi, both have a laxative effect. She can't have too much fiber from grains, they give her cramps.

[Anonymous]

Medication was causing me bad constipation problems (even ended up impacted twice, should have gone to urgent care but felt like that would be humiliating so dealt with it myself, which is a gross as it could be).

I've managed to handle the constipation with dietary fiber, with a focus on getting as much as possible at breakfast. I have Greek yogurt or skyr with berries (raspberry, blackberry or strawberries), 2-3 prunes, a couple spoons of seed mixture (chia, flax, and hemp), and nuts (at the moment it is hazelnuts -- got a big bag at Costco). Between the berries, prunes, seeds, and nuts, along with making sure to get at least some fiber at every other meal as well, I've been ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have IBS-C. It is so much worse now that I am almost in menopause.

Diet, diet, diet. That's the first thing and also recognizing what foods really work for me and what work against me.

Dried apricots, blackberries, un-soaked beans and lentils, and bananas? Make things 100x worse.

I rarely eat dairy anymore.

Broccoli is often my go-to wonder drug. Add a couple - few apples/day and we're in business.

Beans and lentils can be great, but only if soaked for at least 8 hours before cooking.

Drink water only in between meals. And a LOT of it. After and durning meals, only very small sips of water.

Avoid carbonated beverages like they're the plague.

When all else fails:

Thorne mag citrate pills before bed. I take 4 to start. If nothing, then I'll take 5 - 7 the next night and if my nutrition is on target, they will work. If not, then I'll need to take something like Renew Life Cleanse More (non-stimulant, no cramping). It is magical how well it works, but when taken regularly will stain your colon (melanosis) but otherwise is 100% ok (and cleared by my gastro).

fwiw, I took Miralax for years as directed by multiple doctors. But this past year or so, it started burning my throat no matter what I put it in. Not sure why, but now I steer clear.

What is the problem with carbonated bevs? I am pretty addicted to the fizzy waters (LaCroix, Bubly, Polar, etc) and figured I was doing myself a favor with a good water intake and 0 calories. But I've wondered if the gas in them is a problem.