When you’re constipated and uncomfortable, it’s natural to look for solutions. One obvious approach, changing your diet, has a lot of merit. We live in an age where we eat highly processed foods. It’s time to modify our diet for the better.
Finding the foods that make you poop is pretty simple. Simply change your diet to high-fiber foods. Also, cut back on fatty foods, cheese, milk, and meats.
What is fiber?
Fiber is the part of the plant that humans cannot digest. There are two forms of fiber, soluble and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber absorbs water and adds bulk to stool in the colon. Adding bulk to stool helps elimination. Soluble fiber forms a gel by binding to fatty acids in the colon, forming a gel that softens stool. This also helps removal.
How much fiber?
For men under 50, it’s 38 g of fiber a day; for women, it is 25 years. For men over 50, it is 30 days; for women, it’s 21 a day.
Some high-fiber foods
Here’s a representative sample of high-fiber foods.
Vegetables
Legumes, which include beans, peas, lentils, and soybeans, are a wonderful source of fiber. For example, a cup of cooked navy beans provides 19 g. At the lower end of the scale, one cup of cooked edible peas in pods provides 5 g.
fruits and berries
Fruits and berries are good options. Just one medium pear provides 6 g of fiber; the same goes for half a cup of dried plums. Berries have a wide range of fiber content. A cup of strawberries contains 3 g, while a cup of elderberries contains 10 g.
Whole grains
As is well known, whole grains have a lot of fiber. A slice of whole wheat bread contains 2 g of fiber. A cup of cooked whole-grain spaghetti contains 6 g. A cup of cooked brown rice has 4 g.
walnuts
Walnuts again have a lot of fiber. Cashews have 1 g of fiber per ounce. Peanuts, Brazil nuts, and walnuts contain 2 g per oz. Almonds have 4g per oz.
vegetables
Two types of vegetables are loaded with fiber, green leafy vegetables and members of the Brassica family. Kale contains 5 g per cup of cooked vegetable. Spinach provides 4 g in a cup of cooked vegetables.
Members of the Brassica family include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts provide 6 g per cup of cooked vegetable. A cup of cooked broccoli or cauliflower has 5 g. A cup of cooked cabbage provides 4 g. And a cup of cooked kale has 3 g.
As you can see, there is a wide variety of options when designing a diet rich in fiber. The options are not boring and are quite delicious.
