You might hear people tell you that it’s healthy to have a bowel movement at least once a day. While that may be true for some people there actually is no “right” number of bowel movements a typical person should have. Everybody is different and just needs to figure out your body’s normal number of bowel movements. There are many factors that determine this such as the type of food you eat, how much you exercise, how stressful your life is, etc.

At one time or another, almost everyone gets constipated. In most cases, it lasts for a short time and is not serious. When you understand what causes constipation, you can take steps to prevent it. If you have IBS with constipation you probably already know how important fiber-rich foods are to your comfort.

The major cause of constipation is unhealthy eating habits and you’d be surprised how quickly you’d have a bowel movement after changing your diet for a few days. Fiber foods are also important in helping to reduce the cholesterol levels in the body. They are not easily digestible by the intestinal tract hence putting them in the position of bulk forming enhancers and enable the feces to pass easily.

If you don’t already include foods like bran, wheat, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your daily diet it’s time to start now. In short, all high fiber foods are part of the foods that relieve constipation.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends you eat 20-35 grams of fiber a day but in order for a high-fiber eating plan to work its magic, you have to do three things:

• Reach the higher-fiber target (of 20-35 grams of fiber a day) almost every day.
• Spread your high-fiber foods throughout the day so it works better on your bowels.
• Drink plenty of water and other non caffeinated, noncaloric liquids/beverages throughout the day as well. Fiber works better in the intestines if there is plenty of water to go with it.

For me, I found my solution by learning from someone else who has lived with constipation for many years. She travels three times a month (and probably just like you and I), her constipation was worse on the road. After reading her step-by-step e-book and learning her techniques, I was able to prevent my constipation in the future. I’ll include a picture and link to her e-book below if you’re interested in getting a copy.

Now I usually start the day by waking up and drinking a large glass of water and then eating a bowl of Raisin Bran or Fiber One. Just make sure to pick a cereal (or oatmeal) that has a lot of fiber and ideally low sugar. Look at the side of the box when you’re at the grocery store for the number of grams of fiber it contains. Having this for breakfast helps me have a bowel movement usually right after lunch or on a good day a few hours after breakfast. I also eat lots of green vegetables and drink green tea. The green tea helps in more than one way and is a natural way to help cleanse the body.

To help relieve constipation in the fastest and most painless way possible, try following some of these tips which have worked well for me:

• Change your diet and start eating more fiber on a daily basis. I’m not asking you to drop all junk food and just eat spinach but instead try something like a bowl of high fiber cereal in the morning, 1 to 2 slices of whole-grain bread with peanut butter & a banana for lunch, and steamed vegetables with brown rice and a meat dish.
• Drink water regularly and other liquids such as fruit and vegetable juices and clear soups. At least 6 glasses of water a day would be very great and therapeutic. Large amounts of water aids quick digestion and enables easier bowel movement.
• Get regular exercise which will help your digestive system stay active and healthy. You don’t need to become a great athlete. A 20 to 30 minute walk every day may help. I personally go to the gym 2-3 times a week which also helps me reduce stress.
• Add fiber supplements to your daily intake. Products like Fiber Choice, Metamucil, Konsyl, FiberCon, or anything basically containing psyllium husk powder will do the trick. You may get gas the first couple of days while your body gets used to the additional fiber but give it a week and the gas will pass (no pun intended).

I hope these tips help you as they’ve certainly helped me with my constipation and diarrhea as well. Bulking up your stool by eating fiber really helps push out and clean your bowels so besides feeling better, it’s a healthy way to live.

If you’ve got any questions or comments, please add them below. As you can see, I’ve added direct links to the fiber supplement products I mentioned above. You can order them from Amazon.com without having to make an embarrassing trip to the grocery!

Oh, and that constipation e-book I was talking about before….it’s well worth buying a copy. I would’ve paid $100 bucks for it (or more) if I knew about it sooner. It really changed my daily lifestyle and for only $30, it was a steal. When it comes to my health, I don’t like putting things off and when you can instantly download a book online, it can save you from an embarrassing in-person purchase.

I have been diagnosed with IBS today, but I don’t really know what it means! Of course I understand the medical side, but I don’t really understand how it is going to affect my life if at all.

I have always been incredibly regular, but this changed after visiting Cambodia (3 months ago). My doctor has checked for parasites etc and has made the diagnosis of IBS. He thinks the travellers diahorea I experienced on holiday has brought to light my IBS. My boyfriend is really pleased that I don’t have parasites. He said having parasites would be serious but that IBS isn’t.

I am really confused though! I am currently living in Japan and have a doctor who doesn’t know me.The information I have on the internet says I should change my diet. However, one website says eat insoluble fibre but another say eat soluble fibre! All I know is that I have lost weight, feel tired and am spotty.

I have found the IBS Network but instead of making me feel better I now want to cry!

Please help!

abbiedarlin1 asked:

I have irritable bowel syndrome. In my form, i have lots of diarrhoea throughout the entire day most days. It’s at random times and not at the same times each day. Wondering if all this diarrhoea from IBS makes my contraceptive pill less effective? If it does, by how much?

My stomach has been very weird since I was stationed in VA.
I saw a show about Celiac Disease and swore up and down that I was going through the same things.

I am always tired, I have constipation/diarrhea in alternation, sometimes I’m bloated, my allergies change (one minute I’m allergic to wheat and can eat dairy and then I am lactose intolerant and can eat wheat), my body really shuts down at times,…

It’s not so bad now but I begged my doctor to test me for Celiac and he told me I was overexaggerating and it’s just lactose intolerance. I wanted to smack him because I don’t even eat a lot of dairy products and I knew it was the wheat doing those things to me. Ironically, some months later, dairy products tore me up but the symptoms weren’t the same.

I had a colonoscopy, everything and all my test results came back negative. SO, how can you REALLY tell whether it’s IBS or Celiac?

I am looking for something to help with IBS that you may be able to order over the internet.

ograynoldaz asked:

I’ve been dianosged with Ibs and I’m unsure of what types of foods I should and shouldn’t eat, as well what are some tips or things I should know when preparing for meals
tips and suggestions appreciated
thank you =)

cranky_gut asked:

I have had IBS for 3 years. If I did not have kids I would cut out my own colon. I’m that desperate. I have eliminated everything from my diet. (I survive on toast only and yes i eliminated toast for over a week so it can’t be that.) I want to find a doctor to give me a colostomy. My kids are 8, 6, and 4 year old twins. Don’t blame the kids. I wonder if the ob did something wrong when the twins were born by c-section because my back hurt for a year after they were born. As soon as my back stopped hurting my IBS started. I have tried everything, medicines, natural remedies nothing works. I have given up on doc’s. Don’t say it’s stress. IBS is my only stress factor. I’m happy and calm as long as I’m not spending the day in the bathroom. By the way I have diarrhea about 5 days a month. (down fron 20 two years ago) and I’m never constipated. Please help.

I’m also a strong believer in principle #6 which has to do with getting off your butt and exercising. Now I go to the gym 3-4 times a week for two reasons. First off, it’s good for me and I enjoy staying fit and secondly and more importantly it reduces stress so I’m less likely to have an IBS stomach issue.

Here’s the full list tummyblogger has put together on the blog:

Principle 1 – Never eat on an empty stomach
Principle 2 – Get actively involved in food shopping
Principle 3 – Read all food labels in the store
Principle 4 – Start with an elimination diet
Principle 5 – Emphasize fruits and vegetables for added foods
Principle 6 – Move and grow
Principle 7 – Add these to your new diet

If you haven’t tried exercise and/or a strong fiber diet, I highly recommend you start there first. It will take a week before you really notice a difference but you’ll be glad you did. I also drink green tea which has helped as well. Soda and coffee don’t get along well with my stomach which I figured out by doing an elimination diet (principle #4).