Let’s find out how to fight constipation with natural remedies and with the intake of an adequate diet. Many people claim they suffer from constipation , but we are sure that it is for everyone
Not being able to evacuate every day does not necessarily mean suffering from it. Constipation is an alteration of the hive characterized by the infrequent and difficult emission of low quantities of stools of excessive consistency. We speak of constipation only when we are faced with one of these two conditions:
- evacuations occur less than 2 times a week;
- although bowel movements are more frequent, two or more of the following disorders occur in at least 25% of cases:
- goats or goats;
- feeling of incomplete evacuation;
- considerable evacuation effort;
- requires the use of manual maneuvers;
- bowel movements less than 3 times a week.
Constipation is not a condition, it is a symptom of something that is not working perfectly. When constipation is present in the absence of pathological conditions or anatomical alterations, we speak of ” constipation due to slow intestinal transit “. The main causes can be physical inactivity , the habit of repressing the stimulus and an incorrect diet .
Dietary factors affecting constipation
Dietary fibers
Eating low dietary fiber is a predisposing factor to constipation. For dietary fiber we mean the set of edible carbohydrates, but not digestible and absorbable by our small intestine. They arrive almost unchanged in the colon where they are able to improve intestinal function . Their presence, added to that of the water they are able to trap, creates an improvement in the consistency of the fecal mass and an increase in its volume .
Thanks to this, the intestinal wall is stretched and muscle contraction is stimulated, thus allowing the reduction of the transit time of the stool.. In addition to triggering this mechanism, dietary fibers also exert their beneficial effects for the intestine through interaction with the microbiota . That is, the set of bacteria and other microorganisms that populate our intestine, capable of fermenting the fibers, producing beneficial components for the body.
Foods naturally rich in fiber belong exclusively to the plant kingdom. There is no meat, egg or dairy product that contains them. The main sources of dietary fiber are whole grains , legumes , fruit and vegetables . For adults, a consumption of at least 25 grams of dietary fiber per day is recommended.
To reach this altitude it would be sufficient to adopt these simple habits:
- replace refined grain products (such as pasta and white bread) with their wholemeal versions;
- eat at least one portion of vegetables for lunch and one for dinner;
- consume 2-3 fruits per day;
- choose legumes as the protein source of the meal at least 3 times a week.
The different types of dietary fibers are not equally distributed in plants. Therefore – to combat constipation with natural remedies – it is important to vary your food choices as much as possible in order to be able to take on the greatest variety of these precious nutrients.
In association with this type of diet, the use of natural supplements , such as the Le Dieci Erbe line , can give a strong help to even the laziest intestines. Thanks to the mixture of the dry extract of aloe, cascara, senna, alpine rhamnus and rhubarb, these natural supplements promote the regularity of intestinal transit, maintaining a high concentration of water in the intestine, stimulating intestinal mobility and the expulsion of feces. While the extract of the plants of fennel, licorice, gentian, dandelion and horehound acts on the stimulation of digestive functions .
Water
Dietary fibers, if not adequately hydrated, do not perform their beneficial function, but on the contrary they can hinder intestinal transit. It is for this reason that drinking the right amount of water is essential to regulate intestinal transit and fight constipation. The consistency of stools is highly correlated with their level of hydration .
There is no fixed value of water that we should take daily, the same for everyone and in all circumstances, because our water needs depend on many factors, such as age, sex, sports activity and climatic conditions of the place where we live. Obviously , water can also be taken from food . Both through those that naturally contain it and through all the recipes that require and retain water, such as soups or broths.
We can say that on average the daily intake of 2 liters of water for women and 2.5 liters for men (to which add up to 1 liter for each hour of sporting activity) is sufficient for most people. Always keep in mind that it is important to drink properlydistributed throughout the day , so that our body is always hydrated. Forcing ourselves to drink large amounts of water at once to try to take the right amount daily does not guarantee that we will be adequately hydrated during the rest of the day.
