The current pace of life is very demanding and causes us to constantly accelerate, causing our mind and body to maintain different rhythms. For their part, stress and diet are also factors that increasingly cause our body to become more out of phase, causing difficulties and pathologies such as, for example, severe constipation.
What is severe constipation
It is estimated that 15% of the population suffers from severe constipation, being more common in women (more during pregnancy) and in people over 65 years of age.
Severe constipation is defined when the frequency of going to the bathroom is less than three times a week and the stools are hard and/or bulky. In addition, there is difficulty when defecating, as well as a feeling of incomplete evacuation and intestinal obstruction.
Causes of your severe constipation
It must be taken into account that depending on the patient, the causes of suffering from constipation will be very diverse among them. Although the most common are the following:
- Not eating enough fiber
- Sedentary life
- Stress
- The urge to go to the bathroom is contained
- Diet changes (routine changes)
- Poor coordination in the muscles to expel feces
- Anal problems that cause pain when defecating
- Problems in the final part of the intestine
Possible solutions to go back to the bathroom normally
- Foods with fiber: introducing more fiber to your diet will help the volume of your stool increase and help it retain more liquid, therefore, it will have the shape and weight necessary to move through the colon. Foods that contain fiber and at the same time a large amount of water, such as raw carrots, avocados, as they will help there be more water in the colon during digestion and therefore will help relieve and prevent constipation by making things flow a little better.
- Be well hydrated: drink plenty of water and caffeine-free drinks. It will help keep stools soft, while preventing bloating and gas that can occur from increasing fiber in the diet.
- Exercise: Doing regular physical activity will help the transit of feces through the colon. It would be ideal to exercise most days of the week.
- Bowel habits: don’t avoid the urge to go to the bathroom, try to follow a schedule.
- Food supplements: a supplement that contains probiotics , live microorganisms, have a benefit for our health and are increasingly used to reduce the symptoms of constipation, since it has been shown that certain probiotic bacteria help reduce intestinal transit time and frequency and consistency of bowel movements.
Diet for severe constipation
If you suffer from severe constipation, the most important thing will be to maintain a balanced and varied diet, with foods that contain fiber, and above all, be very well hydrated.
Some of the best sources of fiber are whole grains, such as bread, whole wheat pasta, oats, and cereals. Legumes such as lentils, black beans, kidney beans, etc. Fruits such as berries, peeled apples, oranges and pears. Vegetables such as carrots, broccoli and collard greens. And also nuts, such as almonds, peanuts and pecans.
As we have said before, staying well hydrated is also an important factor if you suffer from constipation, as it will help the fiber consumed work better, so that the stools become softer and easier to pass.
What should be avoided completely if you suffer from constipation or even to prevent it are processed foods, fast food, fried foods, since they will not provide us with any fiber and are not beneficial for our body either.
Natural solution: Regulator of intestinal transit
At Vitae we care about your health and that is why we try to offer the best of us, providing valuable ideas for your daily life. Next, we bring you one of our proposals, to combat constipation.
A 2019 review found that taking probiotics for 2 weeks can help treat constipation, increasing stool frequency and consistency.
IntestVita Transit is a natural food supplement that helps promote digestion, facilitate intestinal transit, normal intestinal function and regenerate beneficial intestinal flora. It is formulated based on:
- Mixture of bacteria: ( Lactobacillus gasseri ks-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1, Bifidobacterium longum MM-2 ) that improve the balance of the microbiota and generate postbiotics .
- Digestive enzymes: (protease, lipase, amylase, lactase) that improve digestive capacity in the short term.
- Orange fiber : hydrolyzed with a probiotic effect , it increases motility and the size of the fecal bolus, favoring defecation.
- Sea buckthorn : contributes to the functionality of the intestinal mucosa and has a regenerative effect on the mucous membranes.
- FOS : improves the growth atmosphere of the microbiota and increases the frequency of pristaltic movements .
If you do not find improvement, at Vitae we always recommend going to a specialist so that they can provide you with the best solution for your situation.
