Just about everybody is aware that prunes and fiber-rich cereals encourage regularity, but the foods that cause constipation aren?t as well known. What are the foods that cause constipation?
In people who have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the nerves in the lining of the bowel react to lectins, or identifying proteins, in certain foods. The lectins make these foods have the same effect on the bowel as a medication containing opium, such as paregoric. Common foods that cause constipation in IBS include wheat, dairy products, beef, pork, and lamb.
People with a sensitivity to the gliadin or gluten protein in wheat, barley, and rye can experience alternating constipation and diarrhea, along with varying degrees of intestinal inflammation, weakened immunity, and chronic headaches. These symptoms can be relatively mild but still caused by celiac disease.
When the problem is celiac disease, the answer is eliminating ALL gluten protein from the diet. Other foods do not aggravate condition.
What about the rest of us? For most people, constipation has more to do with not drinking enough water or not getting enough exercise, taking too many laxatives or avoiding trips to the bathroom.
There are, however, foods that can cause constipation in nearly anyone.
Some foods cause constipation if you don?t drink enough water, but are foods that relieve constipation if you do. Foods containing inulin (a starch not to be confused with insulin), such as bananas, chicory, leeks, and onions, provide food for the helpful bacteria that live in the gut.
These bacteria form a mass that makes the stool easier to move, provided there is enough water available to soften it. When there is adequate hydration, inulin helps the lining of the colon absorb calcium. And when the colon absorbs calcium, the risk of colon cancer is reduced.
Even fiber, incidentally, can be one of the foods that cause constipation. Fiber-rich foods and fiber supplements to treat constipation can cause constipation if you don?t drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day.
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