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Natural Ways to Avoid Irregularity - How We
Eat & What We Eat
How and What We Eat
- Try to sit down
- Relax and enjoy your meals.
Hurried meals, skipped meals, certain weight-loss diets, and meals eaten on the
run can all contribute to or aggravate constipation. Try to sit down,
relax, and enjoy your meals in a leisurely manner. Family mealtimes are
probably not the best times to talk about subjects such as homework, who
scratched the car, or the latest credit-card bill that make family
members tense and nervous.
If we want to avoid constipation, what we
eat is important, too. And most important of all is to just include more
fiber in our diet. Found in many fruits, vegetables, and whole
grain breads and cereals, fiber helps your body develop soft, bulky
stools that are easy to pass. In addition to adding healthy fiber to
your diet, try to avoid over-processed foods with little fiber, such as
chips, pizza, ice cream, frozen dinners, and instant potatoes.1
If you decide to include more high-fiber foods in your diet, you may
want to increase your fiber intake slowly in order to avoid bloating,
gas, or unnecessary stomach upset. And remember: it usually takes a few
days before you will feel the positive effects of your new healthy
regimen.
References
- National Institutes of Health. The National Digestive Diseases
Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). Constipation. NIH Publication No.
07–2754. July 2007
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/constipation/
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