IMPORTANT: If you’re pregnant or have a pre-existing condition, consult your physician FIRST.
Constipated and not sure what to do?
You have a few options available to you (for instance, using baking soda!). However, not all options are equal when dealing with the relief of constipation. You can choose to head to the pharmacy and purchase an over the counter laxative, which can often result in pain, irritability, and dehydration, or you can try eating some of the following fruits that can gently, and naturally, cure most constipation issues.
Which Fruits to Eat When You’re Constipated?
Before you start…do this first:
One of the symptoms of not drinking enough water can be constipation
Most fruits (and vegetables) in general are packed with fiber. If you find yourself constipated one of the first things you should do is drink a big glass of water. Often times one might be constipated simply because they have forgotten to drink enough water for the past few days. Re hydrating yourself can often be the quickest method to cure prolonged constipation.
Prunes
Which fruit makes prunes? Plums!
Prunes have been used to cure stomach issues for hundreds of years, in addition to many other medical uses.
How Prunes Help You Poop
They are extremely effective at relieving constipation because they are packed with soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber slows digestion in order to help your body absorb more nutrients while insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool helping it pass through the digestion system easier.
Which Prunes Are Best for Constipation?
Go with organic dried prunes, without sulfur or any other preservatives. I like my prunes a bit chewy and not too dry, and Newman’s Own Organic Californian Dried Prunes is my weapon of choice.
Prunes: How Many to Eat for Constipation?
The taste of prunes can be difficult to get used to at first. I recommend eating 10-15 prunes to help clear up any constipation issues you are having. It typically takes around 8 hours for prunes to produce a bowel movement. Drinking prune juice is another option. If you simply can not bare to eat another prune you can try mixing 50% prune juice with 50% orange juice for a less pruney, much tastier natural way of relieving constipation.
How to Drink Prune Juice Without Tasting It?
If you really can’t stand prune juice, but it’s the only thing around, simply hold you nose while drinking. It will take away most of the taste!
Dried Apricots
Another super fruit!
Apricots work much in the same way that prunes do. They have an enormous amount of fiber per serving, typically ranging around 3 grams of fiber per cup.
Which Is Better, Apricot or Plum /Prune?
Most people tend to think that dried apricots are much more palatable than prunes. They are also typically less expensive and preserve longer than prunes because of how dry they are. Prunes, even when dried are susceptible to exposure because of their sticky surface. Both are effective though, and I would just go with the fruit that you prefer the taste of.
How Many Dried Apricots Should I Eat?
We recommend eating 15-20 pieces of dried apricot as soon as you start to feel the bloat that is often associated with constipation.
Which Apricot Brand is the Best?
Look for organic apricots that have no added sugar, sulfur dioxide or any preservatives. They usually don’t look as pretty pink-orange as non-organic ones, but you are sure you’re getting the highest quality without toxins. A great example are Gerb’s Dried Apricots, available on Amazon:
Nothing but great apricots – full power preserved
Papaya
Warning: do NOT eat papaya’s when you’re pregnant.
Why papaya’s are good overall
Papaya, and especially green papaya are fantastic for your digestive tract. Papaya has a large amount of fiber and is stuffed with a digestive enzyme called Papain. The greener the Papaya, the more Papain. These combined benefits of the large fiber count and the digestive enzyme make Papaya a perfect fruit for relieving constipation and straightening out your digestive tract.
How Much Papaya Should I Eat?
If you haven’t passed a stool in 24 hours or more we recommend eating 2-3 cups, or 1/2 of a large Papaya as soon as you can.
Which Papaya is best?
If you don’t have access to fresh organic green papaya’s, you could opt for organic dried papaya’s or a papaya supplement. Great choices are the Mavuno Harvest Fair Trade Organic Dried Papaya and the Original Papaya Enzyme supplement by American Health.
No additives, and Fair Trade
Which Foods To Avoid When You’re Constipated:
Fatty Foods: Fatty foods in moderate amounts are important to any healthy, well balanced, diet. However, when eating fat in excess it can cause some serious blockage in your digestive system. Fat is hard for your body to digest completely which is why people that often eat a lot of fat complain of “sticky stools”.
Too much fiber: We recommend making sure that you get enough fiber from foods like prunes and apricots but too much fiber can actually be a problem. The daily recommended amount of fiber is 25-30 grams of fiber from food. However, most of the United States population does not even come close that number typically topping off around 15 grams. When someone begins hitting 40-50 grams of fiber it can actually add so much bulk to the stool that it will not be able to successfully pass through the digestive system. Most people have difficult just getting the recommended daily amount of fiber so this shouldn’t be too much of an issue, however, it is something that everyone should be aware of.
Ninja tip: Quick Relief, Naturally
If you want some constipation relief that you can always keep in your house or take with you, there is a great alternative available by Garden of Life. It is an organic superfood powder that is specifically mixed for constipation:
My Recommendation: Organic wholefood supplement for constipation
Here’s why I love it:
- It is raw, vegan fiber with a whopping 9g of fiber per serving (36% DV) along with 7 grams of protein, probiotics, and omega 3 fatty acids for overall health
- It is made with 15 RAW organic superfoods, including sprouted seeds, grains and legumes
- All these ingredients support gut health, regular bowel movements and your overall health
- It also helps in healthy and safe elimination of toxins and balances out your blood sugar and cholesterol levels
- RAW, Certified USDA Organic, Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Psyllium Free with No Fillers, No Isolates, No Synthetic Nutrients, No Artificial Sweeteners, and No Preservatives
You can usually find this constipation supermix at your local health store, or have it delivered at your door by Amazon.
Something completely different….
Though you should really pay attention to the things you eat and drink, and other conditions that might make you blocked up, you could also look into the “mechanical” aspect of how you poop.
This is something I discovered when my son couldn’t poop. I read about sitting positions, and that it is better when your knees are higher than your bottom, it can help.
And then, the Squatty Potty
So first I started to experiment with books and wooden blocks under his feet. Which wasn’t ideal, but it really seemed to help. And then I heard about a squatty potty. from his Mensendieck therapist who specialized in pooping problems (what a job, eh?). With a squatty potty, your legs are at a perfect angle for bowel movements. Here’s how it looks:
Simple, but genius: the squatty potty for a natural squatting position
This stool worked wonders for my son, and he actually loves hanging out at the toilet now. To be honest, everyone in the family now uses it, and I really feel the difference when we “go” somewhere else. You can order the Original Squatty Potty here, and they also have a fancy wooden version, on Amazon as well.
I can’t leave you without sharing the hilarious Squatty Potty video, enjoy :)
Soften your stool with these 3 super fruits
