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Food recommendation to um...get things moving

I seem to have a problem with constipation. What do you recommend to eat or drink to get "regular". Is there any food that acts as a quick laxative? I'm drinking lots of water already.

Mon. Jul 17, 8:01pm

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OP here - Need I say that I am looking for low cal recommendations? Bran muffins have too many calories!

Monday, July 17, 2006, 8:03 PM

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Eat a few plums :-) or prunes for that matter (although i prefer plums)... Corn will get ya going because it's rather greasy, but I don't think you really want to go that route. Most fruit will help in this area, but some types are more effective than others. I've found plums and cherries have a 'relaxing' effect on me ;-)

Good luck!

Monday, July 17, 2006, 8:32 PM

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I drink apple juice and eat alot of apple.
Helps me!

Monday, July 17, 2006, 9:07 PM

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Fiber one cereal, Kashi, lots of fruits and vegetables

If you've just started eating healthy and this is happening, it will probably just be a couple of weeks for your body to adjust.

Cut back on cheese (binds you up), increase fruits and veggies. Fiber One cereal is low-cal and a little goes a long way. Kashi is higher calorie, but very high fiber - many people (on WEight watchers especially) mix the two.

I'd say to eat some beets, too, but that could fix things a little too well.

Monday, July 17, 2006, 9:23 PM

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i drink Super Food by Odwalla. its like a 100% fruit smoothie that has whole fruit in it so it also has fiber and natural sugar that loosens everything up. it works pretty quickly too and you dont have to drink that much maybe a cup or two. it looks kind of weird because its very green but it tastes pretty good

Monday, July 17, 2006, 9:35 PM

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Fiber, fiber, fiber...

As mentioned above, fiber will do it. I eat bran flakes cereal with skim milk or oatmeal for breakfast and lots of fruit and veggies. The cereal and oatmeal are very healthy and low cal. :)
Also, make sure you are not cutting all the fat out of your diet. You should still be getting in healthy fats like good oils and those in fish. This will help keep you regular as well. If you drop your fat intake too low, it can cause a traffic jam too just like low carb/low fiber diets.

Monday, July 17, 2006, 9:51 PM

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Benefiber is easy to add to drinks or soups, you can also mix it into your foods as you cook...It has no real taste or texture once it's blended in ( try mixing with yogurt!)

Kashi Go Lean Crunch (not the flakes) tastes good, but watch the calories and be sure to chew thoroughly or it will give you ferocious gas!

I agree that a fruit smoothy may also help, as will eating raw apples or bananas....

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 1:06 AM

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Oatmeal is great. Cold cereals high in bran are good too - no need for muffins.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 4:40 AM

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1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed a day will do the trick. You can add it to your cereal, or on top of ice cream, or add to a smoothie.

Another trick is to eat 1/2 a serrano pepper a day. Add it to your:
breakfast: egg salad or scrambled eggs,
lunch: chicken or tuna salad,
dinner: casseroles

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 5:49 AM

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If you're prone to diverticulitis (?), then flax seed might not be a good idea (or any seeds for that matter)


Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 8:29 AM

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Trader Joe's hi fibre mini muffins

Trader joe's does 2 varieties of hi fibre mini muffins:
- apple cranberry bran muffins (15g fibre, 80 cals)
- blueberry hi fibre muffins (9g fibre, 80 cals)

Both kinds are only 80 calories a muffin (they are mini size) and both are filling.
The apple cran variety tastes like soggy allbran, but the blueberry kind is really good. I think these have more fibre per calorie than the larger varieties...

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 10:26 AM

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Rum Runner

Have you ever noticed that after a night of heavy drinking, it's like you've liquified your intestines? I had this conversation with my mother recently and she calls rum-n-apple juice a "Rum Runner" (she's not a boozer, I promise!). I know it's not the healthiest option and certainly not something to do on a regular basis, but I've used it successfully as a "last resort" maybe twice in the last 3 years. You just have to drink enough to get buzzed, not falling-down drunk.

Shot of rum + 4oz apple juice + ice = 110 cals

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 1:24 PM

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Re: Rum Runner

maybe a bit too high in calories!!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 1:33 PM

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haha a night of drinking will definetly do the trick!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 1:37 PM

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Vegetables! If you eat a salad, or veggie soup, or some veggie side at every lunch and dinner, you shouldn't have any problems.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 1:42 PM

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lentils and brown rice...

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 3:50 PM

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Second the Fiber One!

The original has only 60 calories per half cup serving with 14 grams of fiber! I'd also go with the fruits and veggies, anything that requires good chewing like apples, carrots, beans. However, you'll also need to increase your liquid intake when you increase your fiber, or you'll be even more clogged than before!

Good Luck

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 5:50 PM

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sugar free metamucil will work too.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 10:00 PM

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natural laxative foods

caffeinated beverages, yogurt, high fiber cereal, apricots

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 8:45 AM

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Apricots and raisins work like magic for me.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 9:38 AM

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coffee

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 2:04 PM

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Actually, I have found that running makes me more regular. I have not changed my diet a whole lot, and the running has definitely helped my digestive issues. Just a thought - maybe it's just me.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 4:56 PM

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Not just you above poster - exercise literally does 'move things' and regular exervie helps regulate your body in more ways than one. Just need to make sure you're drinking adequate water.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 5:07 PM

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I have the same problem. Hubby got me to drink 1 cup of coffee in the morning now I go everyday. I still hate the taste of coffee never drank it before.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 5:48 PM

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OP here, thanks for all the great advice! I've noticed that a cup of coffee on Monday mornings get's me running to the bathroom, but I don't get that result everyday. I never paid any attention to my fiber intake before, but now I know to shoot for 25-25 mg/day. I do exercise 3-4 time a week.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 6:29 PM

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Activia yogurt, has a special enzyme in it that helps regulate your digestive track. It's high in protein. I tend to eat one for breakfast, if not a snack in the afternoon. I have found that it really helps.
My boss has serious constipation problems on a regular basis. Since she started eating the Activia and also eating a flax cereal, she has no problems.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 8:08 PM

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Three words: Cracklin Oat Bran. Works every time and tastes awesome.

I'd eat more if it wasn't for the, um, well ... fiber.

Link

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 8:17 PM

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1. stir-fry garlic spinach (oil in pan, throw in chopped garlic, throw in spinach, push around a minute, salt, eat)

2. stir-fry bokchoy or baby bok choy (oil in pan, throw in bok choy, push around a minute, salt, eat)

Simple but yummy! Be sure to chew thoroughly.

Thursday, July 20, 2006, 10:28 PM

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All-Bran cereal

Thursday, July 20, 2006, 10:42 PM

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Only downfall of garlic is the dreaded Garlic Burps and Garlic Farts (Sorry for the explicit details...

Friday, July 21, 2006, 12:19 AM

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Take some psyllium fiber caps! Very low cal and very easy on the system. Not sure if that was said already

Friday, July 21, 2006, 7:40 AM

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strawberries

Friday, July 21, 2006, 10:03 AM

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