Treatment may include: Diet modifications. A diet with 20 to 35 grams of fiber daily helps in the formation of soft, bulky stool. While adding foods such as beans, whole grains, bran cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables is helpful in adding fiber to the diet.
Hard stools are a result of your colon absorbing too much water. That can happen when food passes too slowly through your digestive system. This results in hard, dry stools that are difficult for you to pass.
In general, bulk-forming laxatives, also referred to as fiber supplements, are the gentlest on your body and safest to use long term. Metamucil and Citrucel fall into this category.
Try yogurt with probiotics, live bacteria that's good for your digestive system. It may help relieve constipation.
Try a combination of oatmeal and flax meal. Flax meal is ground flax seeds, which are extremely rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. You can further increase the fiber factor by stirring in some raisins. Dried fruit is very high in fiber too.
What to drink to make you poop? The following drinks can help relieve constipation: prune juice, lemon juice, apple juice, kefir, coffee, green tea, water or aloe vera juice.
“Bananas, when fully ripe, contain soluble fiber and thus can help treat constipation,” Lee says. “However, unripe, or green, bananas have high levels of resistant starch, which can be very binding and cause constipation.” Because of this, unripe bananas can be used to treat diarrhea, she notes.
You may think that cutting back on food will help “clear out” your colon. That's not the case. Do this: Eating, especially healthy whole foods that contain fiber, helps your body move stool.
Once Metamucil enters the body, it forms a gel-like substance in the stomach. It then travels to your intestines and acts as a source of soluble fiber. This helps your stool to absorb and retain more water. This makes your stool larger and softer, making it easier to go.
Polyethylene glycol (Miralax) is preferred over lactulose for the treatment of constipation because it is more effective and has fewer adverse effects. Linaclotide (Linzess) and lubiprostone (Amitiza) are more effective than placebo for chronic constipation.
Osmotic laxatives, including magnesium citrate and magnesium hydroxide, may produce a bowel movement in 30 minutes to 6 hours. Others may not take effect for 24–48 hours. Stimulant laxatives, such as Dulcolax and Senna, may take 6–12 hours. Stool softeners, such as Docusate, may take 24–48 hours.
Over-the-counter stool softeners are effective for some people. However, in controlled clinical trials, there is no evidence that they improve symptoms. While they only are intended for short-term relief of constipation, using a daily stool softener long-term probably is not harmful.
Eating a lot of high-fat meats, dairy products and eggs, sweets, or processed foods may cause constipation. Not enough fluids. Water and other fluids help fiber work better, so not drinking enough liquids can contribute to harder stools that are more difficult to pass.
In addition to being rich in fiber, pears are a natural laxative due to their higher fructose content and the presence of sorbitol, a sugar alcohol. Sorbitol is not well absorbed; it draws water to the colon, making stools soft and easy to pass.
Dairy products that may reduce constipation
Raw milk is considered by many natural health practitioners to be more easily digested than the more widely available pasteurised varieties, and may be helpful in relieving constipation and other digestive problems.
Insoluble fiber helps speed up the transit of food in the digestive tract and helps prevent constipation. Good sources of insoluble fiber include whole grains, most vegetables, wheat bran, and legumes.
Probiotics: The good bacteria can help you go.
Kimball says any yogurt — not just those that advertise they're good for gastrointestinal health — can be a good source of probiotics that help relieve constipation.
Cocoa, and therefore dark chocolate, contains fibre, which has a positive effect on intestinal transit. Fibre contributes to correct bowel function and helps both prevent and reduce constipation. To sum up, does chocolate cause constipation? No, if consumed in reasonable quantities.