When you are constipated, don’t get the wrong diet plan or else it won’t help to relieve constipation. Although constipation is not a disease, but if you don’t concern about it, it may make you easy to get angry, irritability and anxiety. Constipation may cause you become fat and growing acne too.
What foods to eat when you are constipated?
There are foods that for constipation relief and help you improve your bowel movement. If one year old babies are constipated, 80-90% of them are functional constipation. Possible their bowel movement are weaker or their large intestine absorb too much water, therefore their stool became dry and hard to poop.
Consume apple puree, dragon fruit puree, avocado and drink enough water may help to soften their stool. Consume porridge that mixed with blended spinaches, carrots, walnuts and sesame oil because dietary fiber may increase stool bulk and bowel movement.
For adult are constipated. What food to eat?
1. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes have different colors of flesh, there are orange, yellow, white and purple. Sweet potatoes contain carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Sweet potato cultivars with dark orange flesh have beta-carotene. Beta-carotene arrive in human body will convert to vitamin A. Vitamin A is very important for keeping healthy eyes. Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber cannot be digested but can absorb large amount of water to increase the stool bulk and accelerate the intestinal peristalsis.
How to eat sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potatoes can cook with rice and become sweet potatoes rice or porridge.
- Baked sweet potatoes.
- Steam or boil sweet potatoes.
- Fried sweet potatoes with flour.
- Red bean and sweet potatoes soup.
You can have red bean and sweet potatoes soup during weekend.
Ingredients: red bean 80g, sago 20g, sweet potatoes 100g, rock sugar/brown sugar 30g
COOKING METHOD:
- Wash and soak red bean overnight
- Put 800ml water, red bean, sago and rock sugar into pressure cooker, cook for 40 minutes.
- Peel sweet potatoes skin and cut into diced sweet potatoes.
- Boil or steam sweet potatoes.
- Finally, mix sweet potatoes with red bean soup.
Red bean contains iron, eating more red bean can help to enrich the blood and the circulation of blood. At the same time it has the function of relieving menstrual pain. The foremost thing is red bean also help to moisten intestine to relieve constipation.
2. Sweet potato leaves
Sweet potato leaves is known by Hong Kong as ”vegetable queen”, Japan recommends as ”longevity vegetable” and the United State of America list it as ”space food”.
Sweet potato leaves provide great source of vitamin K, A, C,B6,B3,B5,B2,B1, minerals, protein and carbohydrates. Compare to other leafy greens, it possesses more dietary fiber and cholesterol free.
The great source of vitamin K is an anticoagulant. It helps the body to recover fast from cuts, maintains the calcium in our bones and lowers the chances of bone fractures in post-menopausal women.
The intake of sweet potato leaves can help to relief from constipation. 100g of sweet potato leaves provide 5.3g of dietary fiber. It is equal to 19% daily value. The fiber help to stimulate the bowel movement. It is really the good vegetables for constipation sufferer.
Edible methods
- The people only will take the young leaves of sweet potato. It has delicious taste after fried. You can fry the leaves with fermented bean curd and small chili as well. It is delicious.
- Intake of sweet potato leaves juice. Half-boiled 100g of sweet potatoes, then blend it becomes juices and drink. You may take it before breakfast or lunch.
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is named as crown of vegetables. Broccoli is rich of vitamin C compare with chili and tomato. It also contains dietary fiber, protein, vitamins A, B group, E, K and minerals (calcium, potassium, phosphorus etc. )
The intake of broccoli can reduce cholesterol, good for heart health, prevent cancer, enhance the power of immunity and help constipation relief (100g of broccoli provide 2.6g of dietary fiber which enhance the intestinal peristalsis).
How to eat broccoli ?
- You can eat broccoli by boiling, steaming, roasting or stir frying. Add some ginger, salt, black pepper and sesame oil as well.
- You can make delicious broccoli salad too.
4. Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn contains carbohydrates, fat, dietary fiber, protein, vitamins A, B, C and minerals. It is one of the finest sources of dietary fiber. 100g corn kernels carry 5% of daily requirement of dietary fiber which help to stimulate intestinal peristalsis and prevent constipation.
Edible methods:
- You can steam or boiled sweetcorn in salt water and served with butter.
- Cooked sweetcorn sop with some diced carrot, tomatoes and potatoes.
- Sweetcorn corn kernel can be used for fried rice, porridge, salads, pasta, pizza, etc.
5. Chia seeds
Chia seeds are little, oval-shaped seeds and come in black and white. Chia seeds contain carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein, fat, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids and minerals( manganese, thiamine, magnesium, etc.)
Eating chia seeds may lower blood pressure by up to 11mm Hg for those with high blood pressure. Chia seeds also help stabilize blood sugar levels. Moreover, chia seeds contain high fiber that help to relieve constipation.
Recommended taking 10-20 grams of chia seeds per day.
Let check the price in Amazon
How to eat chia seeds?
- Eat chia seeds with oat, almond milk, yogurt and berries.
- You can make chia seeds biscuits.
- Prepare lemon, honey and chia seeds juice.
Method : squeeze the lemon, put 2 teaspoons of honey into lemon juice. Mix them with 3 teaspoons of chia seeds and 900ml water. ( can add ice cube if you want )
6. Black soybean with green kernel
100 gm of black soybeans contain protein(36%), fat(20%), carbohydrates(30%), dietary fiber(37%), vitamins A, B group, C, E, K, and minerals that benefit human health. The majority of black soybean carbohydrates can be classed as belonging to dietary fiber.
Consumption of black soybeans may reduce the risk of heart disease, maintaining healthy bones, help to relieve constipation and facilitates regular defecation.
Recommended taking 30g of black soybeans per day.
Edible method
- You can prepare black soybean soup.
Cooking method : a) soak black beans overnight first. b) add some diced carrots, some lotuses root and black dates c ) cook for 45 minutes by using pressure cooker.
2. You can make black soybean milk.
3. Brownies black bean. (refer to wellandgood.com)
7. Lady’s finger or okra
Lady’s finger or okra contains carbohydrates, protein, negligible in fat, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Consumption of okra regularly may help to prevent diabetes, reduce cholesterol, protect the stomach wall and improve bowel movements. Okra is one of the best remedies for constipation. It has great amount of mucilage that soothes the gut. Its fiber increasing bulk in stool and improve constipation.
How to eat okras ?
- You can fry okras with tomatoes, raw mango powder and red chili powder.
- Fried okras with eggs.
- Prepare okras and apple juice.
Ingredients: 1 apple, 3 okras, 2 slices celery, 120cc water, 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions: Cut the ingredients into small pieces. Then put them into blender/juicer with 120cc water.
Blend them become juice. Finally, add in honey.
This is one of the best juice for constipation relief.
8. Apple
There are varieties colour of apples i.e. red, yellow, green or pink. Some of them are a little sour but mostly sweet, very juicy in general.
Intake an apple everyday boosts immune system, may reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, constipation and promotes emotional well-being as well.
Apple contains large amounts of pectin and malic acid that can stimulate bowel movement and increase stool viscosity which help to improve constipation.
You are recommended to take apple on an empty stomach after drinking 3 glasses of water in the morning ( provided you are not a gastric patient).
Edible method:
- You can eat apple raw.
- You can make apple soup with rock sugar and lemon grass root. ( 1 apple cut into small pieces, 1 lemon grass root and smashed it, add 500ml water, 1 rock sugar and cook for 1/2 hour)
9. Avocado
Avocado is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed. It has a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped or spherical.
Avocado contains carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Consumption of avocado will bring you a lot of health benefit include decreasing risk of diabetes, improving healthy cholesterol level, avoiding from depression etc. The fat and dietary fiber of avocado helps to improve the bowel movement and relieve constipation.
Avocado is a good choice for children and old people in order to relieve constipation.
How to eat avocado?
- You can use avocado as jam instead of spread butter or mayonnaise on bread.
- You may consume avocado with yogurt or blend them become smoothie.
- Prepare avocado salad. ( avocado, cherry tomatoes, mint leaves, lettuce leaves, cooked chickpeas, lemon juice )
10. Almond
Almond has a shape which is a part way between a triangle and an ellipse. It is available in many forms, such as whole, sliced(flaked, slivered) and as flour.
Almond contains carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Consume almonds regularly may reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and control blood pressure.
1 ounce of almonds contain 3.5g dietary fiber which can help for constipation relief. Almonds are calorie-rich foods. Therefore, daily consumption of almonds should not more 40 grams.
How to eat almonds?
- Almonds can be eaten by raw or toasted.
11. Water
Although you have take enough dietary fiber as suggested ( adult man is 30g and adult woman is 25g ) but intake of enough water with proper time is also important.
- After wake up, drink 750ml-900ml of warm water on an empty stomach.
- Every 2 hour drink a glass of water.
- Before sleep, drink a glass of warm water that mix with 15ml of vinegar (apple cider vinegar or others brand).
Vinegar is one of the best natural remedies that help to stimulate peristalsis and relieve constipation. I personally use Hongcho vinegar which is fermented.
You can check the price from Amazon.
Conclusion
There are many foods for constipation relief. The mentioned 10 foods are highly recommended for your daily or weekly meals in order to help you to poop easily. Have you ever tried any of these foods to relieve constipation? Let me know your comments.