The 6 Best Ways to Deal with Occasional Constipation
How often do you go to the bathroom to pass a bowel movement? Occasional constipation happens to about 16% of adults from time to time. (That’s defined as having a BM less than three times a week, passing stool that’s hard, dry, lumpy, difficult or uncomfortable, or having a BM that feels incomplete).
Tempting as it might be to reach for a stimulant laxative (like senna, castor oil, etc.) to get things moving, there are other ways.
If occasional constipation happens to you sometimes, here are some ways to deal: Drink more water — your body will borrow water from your GI tract if it doesn’t have enough. That can lead to hard, dry stool that’s harder to pass.
- Fill up on fiber, the part of plants humans can’t digest. Soluble fiber forms a gel that supports digestion, while insoluble fiber “bulks” up stool by drawing water in, which can make it easier to pass. When we don’t eat enough dietary fiber, it can impact BMs. Not getting enough fiber? Consider boosting your daily intake, such as with Fiber+ Cookies or Fiber+ Gummies, each with 5 grams per serving.
- Stick to your routine when you can. Travel or changes in your schedule can confuse your body into thinking it’s not time to go. If you’re busy or on the go, you might also forget about those healthy habits like fiber-rich meals and drinking plenty of water.
- Consider having a morning coffee. Coffee has been shown to stimulate the distal end of the colon in some people, even when it was decaffeinated. However, research focused only on black coffee, so skip the cream and sugar.
- Take a walk. Light exercise, such as yoga or a walk, can help you stay regular. If you’ve been less active than usual, your body might slow down your digestion — including elimination.
- Give kiwifruit a try. New Zealand green kiwifruits provide fiber, nutrients and a unique digestive enzyme called Actinidin. This combination is potent – and provides benefits not only for digestion but also for regularity and microbiome health.* Our Kiwi Regularity Chews are formulated for daily bowel movements — to relieve occasional constipation and reduce occasional gas and bloating.*
- The dietary fiber found in kiwifruits retains more water than other common sources of fiber. It can also swell up more! It takes on three times its original volume. That’s a whopping 12 times more than wheat bran, six times more than apple fiber and 150% more than psyllium. When it comes to water retention, kiwifruit fiber also has twice the capacity of apple fiber and four times that of wheat bran. This is what allows green kiwifruits to help maintain normal bowel movements.* Learn more about kiwifruit and regularity.*
