Constipation - Self-care

Eating When you Have Constipation

Try these things to relieve your constipation:

• DO NOT skip meals.
• Avoid processed or fast foods, such as white breads, pastries, doughnuts, sausage, fast-food burgers, potato chips, and French fries.

Many foods are good natural laxatives that will help you move your bowels. High-fiber foods help move waste through your body. Add foods with fiber to your diet slowly, because eating more fiber can cause bloating and gas.

Drink 8 to 10 cups (2 to 2.5 L) of liquids, especially water, every day.

Ask your health care provider how much fiber to take each day. Males, females, and different age groups all have different daily fiber needs.

Most fruits will help ease constipation. Berries, peaches, apricots, plums, raisins, rhubarb, and prunes are just some of the fruits that may help. DO NOT peel fruits that have edible skins, because a lot of the fiber is in the skin.

Choose breads, crackers, pasta, pancakes, and waffles made with whole grains, or make your own. Use brown rice or wild rice instead of white rice. Eat high-fiber cereals.

Vegetables can also add fiber to your diet. Some high-fiber vegetables are asparagus, broccoli, corn, squash, and potatoes (with the skin still on). Salads made with lettuce, spinach, and cabbage will also help.

Legumes (navy beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, soybeans, and lentils), peanuts, walnuts, and almonds will also add fiber to your diet.

Other foods you can eat are:

• Fish, chicken, turkey, or other lean meats. These do not have fiber, but they will not make constipation worse.
• Snacks such as raisin cookies, fig bars, and popcorn.

You can also sprinkle 1 or 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 mL) of bran flakes, ground flax seeds, wheat bran, or psyllium on foods such as yogurt, cereal, and soup. Or, add them to your smoothie.

Laxatives, Stool Softeners, and Other Products

You can buy stool softeners at any pharmacy. They will help you pass stool more easily.

Your provider may prescribe a laxative to relieve your constipation. It may be a pill or liquid. DO NOT take it if you have severe stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting. DO NOT take it for more than 1 week. It should start to work in 2 to 5 days.

• Only take a laxative as often as your provider recommends. Most laxatives are taken with meals and at bedtime.
• You can mix powder laxatives with milk or fruit juice to make them taste better.
• Always drink plenty of water (8 to 10 cups, or 2 to 2.5 L a day) when you are using laxatives.
• Store your laxative medicine safely in a medicine cabinet, where children cannot get to it.
• Do not take any other laxatives or medicines before talking with your provider. This includes mineral oil.

Some people get a rash, nausea, or a sore throat while taking laxatives. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children under age 6 should NOT take laxatives without the advice of a provider.

Bulk-forming laxatives such as Metamucil or Perdiem can help pull water into your intestines and make your stools more bulky.

When to Call the Doctor

Call your provider if you:

• Have not had a bowel movement in 3 days
• Are bloated or have pain in your stomach
• Have nausea or throw up
• Have blood in your stool

References

Camilleri M. Disorders of gastrointestinal motility. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman's Cecil Medicine. 25th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 136.

Koyle MA, Lorenzo AJ. Management of defecation disorders. In: Wein AJ, Kavoussi LR, Partin AW, Peters CA, eds. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 144.

Lembo AJ. Constipation. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 19.