How To Alleviate Chronic Constipation
Things To Avoid
So, it starts with avoiding all the things I speak about all the time that TCM + nutrition just don’t like in general: -
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Dairy
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Meat rich foods
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Alcohol
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Refined white carbs (white pasta/rice/bread)
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Fried food (including e.g. swapping fried to poached eggs).
Other things you might not have thought about to avoid:
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Foods with baking soda/powder
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Yeasted breads (bagels, challah, pretzels), instead go for wholegrain sourdough
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NSAIDs (painkillers like ibuprofen) slow down the stools and cause us to produce less mucus in the gut in general (leaving it susceptible to damage)
Things To Do
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Drink 1.5-2L room temp or above water (filtered preferably, NEVER COLD)
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Have a hot breakfast/ hot food in general over cold
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Exercise regularly
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Soaking everything!
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Chew more/better & generally eat more mindfully.
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Separate out meals, less snacking - leave significant time between meals. The intermittent fasting I spoke about here may also help relieve constipation.
Additional Therapies To Try
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Flax seeds/flax-meal/ flax oil - soaked, (up to three tablespoons once/twice daily)
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A bit of apple cider vinegar before each meal (as always, raw, unpasteurised, WITH the mother). Also a note that it’s high in histamine so if you have any allergies/hay fever maybe skip this one
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Aloe vera works as a laxative (but its v.cooling so be careful)
Teas Are a Good Idea
They up your liquid content if you’re bad at drinking water too:
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Digestive herbs (can be had as teas, supplements or added to food): dandelion or liquorice root, oregano, dill, caraway, mint
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Other good teas include carminative teas, which help with bloating/distension/constipation, these include: Anise, Fennel, Peppermint, Lemon balm, Chamomile, Rosemary, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Coriander, Cumin, Fenugreek, Orange peel.
In general we want to do three things with our nutrition:
- Lubricate the intestines: spinach, banana, sesame seed/oil, honey, pear, prune, peach, apple, apricot, walnut, pine nuts, almonds, alfalfa sprouts, carrot, cauliflower, beets, okra, seaweed
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Promote bowel movements: cabbage, papaya, peas, coconut, sweet potato, asparagus, figs, wheat/rice/oat bran
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Replenish the gut microflora: i.e. all probiotic foods will help as already discussed (as long as no SIBO)
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Constipation always takes us onto FIBRE. The recommended amount is 35g of fibre per day.
Lots of love,
Cassie x
As always, for more information or to book a nutrition consultation you can find me at:
Instagram: @vale.of.health
Website: https://valehealth.co.uk/
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