Healthy gut is the key to a healthy life. Modern lifestyle has led to many digestive disorders in people and constipation is one of the most common digestive disorders that affects people of all ages. Constipation means that you’re not passing stools regularly or you’re unable to completely empty your bowel.Following are some simple, effective and pocket friendly ways to get rid of constipation-
- Eat neem and turmeric in the morning
- Eat Triphala before bed
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
- Keep a gap of 6-8 hours between meals
- Avoid drinking cold water and beverages
Before talking about these tips in detail, let us talk about constipation, its symptoms and how many people are affected by it.
Chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that leads to difficult, infrequent, or incomplete defecation. CIC affects daily life, increases psychological distress, and impairs health-related quality of life.Most noticeable symptoms of constipation are bloating, loss of appetite, feeling sick, stomach ache and cramps.
There can be several reasons that lead to constipation such as not eating enough fibre, insufficient intake of fluids, and eating a lot of processed foods. Certain medications can also cause constipation. Drinking a lot of tea, coffee or carbonated drinks is also a major reason for constipation.
Chronic constipation can lead to rectal bleeding due to a tear in anus, haemorrhoids (piles) or faecal impaction– which is where dried, hard stools collect in your rectum and anus.
Once you have faecal impaction, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to get rid of the stools naturally. Faecal impaction makes constipation worse because it’s harder for stools and waste products to pass out of your anus, as the path is obstructed.
According to the American Journal of Gastroenterology about 9-20% of the adult American population suffers from chronic idiopathic constipation. According to the National Institute of Health 16 out of 100 (16%) adults have symptoms of constipation. About 33 out of 100 (33%) adults aged 60 or over suffer from constipation.
Now that we know that constipation is a very common digestive disorder let’s explore our tips to help relieve and cure constipation.
- Eat neem and turmeric in the morning
In recent times, numerous studies have been done to find out the benefits of turmeric and it has been found that turmeric has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti -carcinogenic properties. Neem is well known in India for its remedial properties.
Consumption of neem and turmeric on an empty stomach helps the growth of good microorganisms in our gut while curbing the growth of harmful microbiota.When turmeric is eaten in combination with neem it is very effective for relieving constipation. You can consume these two herbs first thing in the morning as follows-
In a warm glass of water put ½ teaspoon of neem and ½ teaspoon of turmeric. Put a small amount of honey and lemon juice in it and stir. Drink this mix on an empty stomach. This mix will purge your digestive system so you might feel like you have diarrhoea, but do not worry your body will adjust to it in 1-2 days.
Turmeric can also be consumed as turmeric milk or turmeric tea. The best time to consume turmeric milk is right before bed time. Turmeric tea can be consumed at any time of the day, but it is best to start your day with it and it will keep you light and energetic the whole day.
- Eat Triphala with warm water before bed
Triphala literally means three fruits. It is a mix of harad or haritaki (Terminalia chebula) ,baheda or bibhitaki ( Terminalia bellirica) and amla ( Phyllanthus emblica) or Indian gooseberry. All the three plants are native to the Indian subcontinent.
Haritaki has anti-inflammatory properties and helps to cure digestive problems. Bibhitaki also has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda (ancient Indian system of medicine) to cure symptoms of diabetes and regulate blood sugar.
Indian gooseberry is a rich source of vitamin c ( 34 mg/ 100g) . It is also a great source of vitamin A and E and that is why amla is considered very good for eyes, skin and hair. Traditionally in Indian households young children are encouraged to eat at least one amla a day for immunity and healthy eyes. Amla has a very tart taste, so it is also pickled or dipped in sugar syrup to make it more palatable.
It is a well established fact in Indian families that triphala aids to keep our digestive system healthy by making excretion of stools effortless. Triphala also reduces intestinal inflammation and helps to repair intestinal damage caused by digestive disorders. In addition, triphala also helps to cure flatulence and aids in weight loss. To learn more about triphala’s benefits and limitations click on the following link-
The Best Ways to Take Triphala For the Most Potent Effects
To cure constipation, it is best to take one teaspoon of triphala with warm water at night before going to bed. You can take triphala as long as you wish as it does not have any side effects and does not cause dependency.
3. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.It is a well known fact that fruits and vegetables are rich in micronutrients that our body needs to repair and carry out different metabolic functions. According to the Canada Food Guide, 50% of our food should be raw fruits and vegetables.
In addition to being rich in nutrients, fruits and vegetables are also rich in fiber that helps in digestion and smooth movement of food in our digestive system. Fiber adds bulk to the stool and makes it easier to pass. If you have watery stool, fiber absorbs excess water and helps to solidify the stool. So, it is an integral part of our diet.
Some fruits that are high in fibre are – apple, banana, guava, raspberries and mangoes. Dark coloured vegetables like carrots, beetroot and broccoli are also rich in fibre. Cucumber and radish are also aids in digestion because of their high water content. Keep following things in mind when eating fruits and vegetables-
- It is best to eat fruits and vegetables raw, Make sure to wash them properly and thoroughly before eating. MAke sure you wash them before peeling because otherwise water soluble nutrients that is vitamin B and C will be lost.
- If possible eat fruits like apple with peel because most of the fibre is present in the peel.
- Best time to eat fruits and vegetables is in the morning. If you choose to eat neem and turmeric in the morning, wait for 30 min – 1 hour before eating anything else.
- If you eat fruits and veggies with your meal, first eat fruits, then vegetables and then any other cooked food items (grains and protein).
- Avoid eating fruits with tea or coffee, as tea/ coffee hinders the absorption of nutrients. There should be a gap of at least one hour between tea/ coffee and eating fruits/ veggies.
- Also, avoid eating fruits, especially sour fruits with milk because they are antagonistic in nature.
Fibre also helps you to feel full for longer so helps you to avoid eating again and again after short intervals and this is directly linked to the next suggestion on our list.
4. Keep a gap of 6-8 hours between meals
Our digestive system is responsible for the digestion of foods that we eat. During digestion, our digestive system takes the nutrients that our body needs, breaks them down so that they are ready to be used in our body, absorbs and assimilates them. The waste is excreted out of the body.
Depending on the food that we eat our body takes different time to digest different food. Raw fruits and vegetables are the easiest to digest. It takes 6-8 hours for these food items to pass through our digestive system while meat takes about 72 hours.
For food to be digested and absorbed properly, make sure you leave a gap of 6-8 hours. When you leave the recommended gap,your system is fully ready to digest the new food that you eat, and is not working on the food that you have eaten earlier. If there is a gap of less than 5 hours between meals, the food is not digested properly, and the nutrients are absorbed poorly by your body. When you keep stuffing your gut with food frequently, it is filled with food that is poorly digested thus leading to digestive problems.
Sometimes we feel it is hard to keep a gap of 8 hours. It is hard, but it is achievable. Make sure to have a lot of fibre rich foods in your meal ( fruits, veggies and grains). Also make sure you have recommended amount of protein in your diet. Fibre adds bulk to our food so it keeps us fuller for longer duration. Protein digest slowly and release energy slowly keeping you full and energised for longer duration.
Avoid using sugary and highly processed food, as they release energy quickly and pass through the digestive tract quickly making you feel hungry after a short while. Personally, I have experienced that when you eat neem and turmeric in the morning, it helps to curb hunger.
If possible,practice fasting every 15 days or every month. During the fasting period, the body starts to use the extra fat and then toxins (autophagy), in the body to meet its energy requirements, thus helping to detoxify the body. It also helps the digestive system time to rest and repair itself.
5. Avoid drinking cold/chilled water or beverages
Drinking cold water has an adverse impact on our body and digestion. According to Ayurveda, jatharagni (literally means stomach fire), is crucial for proper digestion of food. When we drink chilled water it slows down the jathargni, thus slowing down the digestion of food.
If we drink chilled water it disturbs the thermoregulation of our body, so the body has to shift its focus from digestion to regulating the body temperature, thus disturbing the digestion. Chilled water also constricts the blood vessels and solidifies the fats in the food thus making them hard to break down and absorb. So, it is best to consume warm water with food.
It is also best to avoid a lot of water during meals. Water dilutes the acid (hydrochloric acid) in our stomach, thus hindering the digestion. It is okay to drink some sips of water during a meal, but you should wait at least an hour before drinking a significant amount of water after the meal.
If you are constipated and want instant relief, drink a spoon of castor oil with warm water or milk. It will make your body push the stored stool to pass and cleansing the digestive system. It might cause you to use the washroom 3-4 times, but do not worry, castor oil is cleansing the body.
Initially you can do it twice a week. When you feel your system is in better shape, then reduce the frequency to once every 15 days or a month. Always use this remedy in combination with the tips discussed above and your gut will thank you!
To conclude, by making some minor dietary and lifestyle changes it is possible to achieve and maintain optimal gut health that will help you achieve your other health goals. Make sure to leave a comment if you find these tips helpful.