1. Drink more Earl Grey Tea
If you are already a fan of Earl Grey tea, you may not know that the medicinal properties in your favorite cup of tea may help your chronic constipation problem. Earl Grey tea has a reputation for helping digestive disorders including infections in the intestines and issues caused by worms. Earl Grey tea may also help lessen the ill effects of acid reflux disease.
Note that some brands of Earl Grey tea do not contain natural bergamot oil. If you want to drink an excellent brand of Earl Grey tea, try drinking Bigelow Earl Grey tea with real oil of bergamot. I prefer the taste and quality of Bigelow Earl Grey tea. Plus, I like the fact that the most recent label on a box of Bigelow Earl Grey black tea states that the tea contains "real oil of bergamot from Calabria, Italy."
2. Drink Six to Ten Glasses of Water Every Day
If you are constipated, home remedies for constipation include drinking more water each day. Depending on your weight, you should drink six to ten glasses of water every day. Try to drink natural spring water instead of tap water. If you insist on drinking tap water, install a water purification system to remove chlorine and lead from the water. Keep your spring water bottles on a shelf instead of in the refrigerator to ensure that the water is not too cold.
3. Coffee May Help Your Constipation
Another remedy is to drink one or two cups of warm coffee first thing in the morning. The warm liquid stimulates your digestive system, which, in turn, results in having a good bowel movement. Coffee helps the muscles in your colon work better. However, some experts warn that drinking too much coffee can cause dehydration. For this reason, ensure that you are also drinking plenty of water each day.
4. Supplement Your Diet With Natural Probiotics
The best way to include probiotics in your diet is to eat plain, nonfat yogurt several days a week. You can also drink plain, nonfat kefir containing live, active cultures. Do not buy sweetened yogurt or kefir because the added sugar can eventually lead to diabetes. Instead, sweeten your yogurt with unsweetened applesauce, a small amount of natural wildflower honey and fruits. Add a handful of unsalted almonds or hazelnuts (filberts) for additional fiber. Mix plain kefir with apple juice or pineapple juice to create a delicious beverage. Natural probiotics regulate your digestive system by adding beneficial bacteria into the colon.
5. Supplement Your Diet With Natural Prebiotics
Now that you know about the health benefits of consuming yogurt and kefir products containing live, active cultures (probiotics), your constipation problem may also benefit from consuming prebiotics. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are not added cultures. Prebiotics include foods that already contain fructooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides proven to benefit the digestive system. Prebiotics include garlic, onions, artichokes and bananas.
6. If you need to take antibiotics, eating natural yogurt or kefir may prevent a yeast infection while protecting your digestive system from any ill effects. When you buy yogurt or kefir, the label should state "live and active cultures." Some brands only feature the words "live cultures." Unfortunately, live cultures are not necessarily active. Check the label to ensure that the product contains an ample amount of calcium. For instance, some Greek yogurt brands are deficient in calcium. Supplementing your diet with natural sources of calcium may prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
7. If you want to go on a low FODMAP diet, it is important to remember that the diet was designed for patients who suffer from known medical conditions that include irritable bowel syndrome, functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID), fibromyalgia and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).[1] Do not go on a low FODMAP diet unless you have been diagnosed with one of these disorders because the diet is too restrictive on a long-term basis.
When on a low FODMAP diet, you are not permitted to eat apples, pears, peaches, raisins, garlic, onions and cauliflower. In addition, you are restricted from eating other foods. If you decide to try the low FODMAP diet as a way to cure your chronic constipation problem, you should not go on the diet for more than eight weeks. After the diet ends, you can gradually reintroduce high FODMAP foods.
8. Prunes and Prune Juice
Traditional home remedies for constipation include eating prunes and drinking prune juice. However, you should not consume prunes or drink prune juice on a daily basis because your intestines may grow to rely upon the prunes in order to have bowel movements. You can eat prunes and drink prune juice a few days per week to help your chronic constipation problem.
9. Eat Whole Grains and Legumes
Another way to relieve constipation is to introduce whole grains and legumes into your diet. Adding lentils, split peas, pinto beans, black beans and kidney beans to your diet may at first cause gas and bloating. However, your body will gradually adjust when your digestive system becomes used to the whole grains and legumes. Research shows that an adult needs to ingest a minimum of 25 to 38 grams of fiber each day. So, count the number of fiber grams occurring in every item you eat to determine whether you are consuming enough foods rich in fiber. When you eat plenty of fiber-rich foods, you may find that your constipation problem improves in a remarkable way.
If you suffer from chronic constipation, try eating specific foods and drinking helpful beverages, including Earl Grey tea with real oil of bergamot,
to alleviate your symptoms. In addition to eating distinct foods to help
your constipation problem, exercising for 30 minutes a day may help
your condition. If you go for a daily walk, make an effort to walk at
a good pace. If you still suffer from constipation after experimenting with natural home remedies and daily exercise, you should pay a visit
to your doctor. Some side effects of constipation include colon
cancer, bowel obstruction and an anal fissure.
