Issues with constipation & healthier diet

[Relish in Chaos]

I am here with an admittedly immature request for advice on healthy eating. The reason I claim it is immature is that...well, I don't really like fruit and veg all that much. As in, the only fruit I can stomach is banana (as a child, I found apples hard and subsequently difficult to chew, and I almost vomited trying to eat grapes), and while I'm better in regards to vegetables (i.e. carrots, stir fry, gherkins, lettuce), it still doesn't seem to be enough.

It's gotten to the point that I've been constipated for around the past two weeks. I'm not sure whether it's more to do with my diet or my stress - I have an insanely low stress tolerance due to my OCD and generalised anxiety disorder that even the things I plan to do for relaxation can cause me anxiety - but my mother thinks it's purely down to me refusing to eat the healthy things I buy for her, so over the past couple of years, she mainly buys the healthy stuff for herself when she knows I won't eat it. When I was younger, my mum did encourage me to eat healthy food regularly, even after I would pick out the vegetables in my rice and put them in the bin, but she kind of gave up as I became an adolescent, and now I'm 18.

So I've been trying to eat a banana every day with my lunch, include lettuce in my burger, and drink herbal tea instead of plain tea or milk in the evenings, but I'm still finding it difficult to try new things and cut out the foods that seem to be giving me the constipation issues in the first place. Like, if my brother says he's going to order pizza for him and I, I feel I would be kicking myself for saying no and that I should at least allow myself treats. So please, what do I do? Because, needless to say, it's quite uncomfortable and even moreso knowing that it's probably my fault and I might just be fooling myself into believing I'm doing what I can to improve yet it's not enough.

 

[manic_depressive13]

Just eat a salad man. Get a bowl of lettuce, cabbage, cucumber and tomato and put some salt and olive oil on it. Do this daily if possible.

Your taste preferences change depending on what you're used to eating. I disliked vegetables until I became a vegetarian and acquired a taste for them. I've tasted meat a few times since then and I didn't find it nearly as appealing as I once did. If you just bite the bullet and force yourself to eat more healthily, you'll be surprised by how quickly your tastes will adapt and how much better you'll feel for it. Otherwise yeah, you're going to be constipated a whole lot. That's what happens when you don't eat fiber.

 

[TheWiseScarecrow]

There's no reason to stop eating pizza or burgers just order salad with them. As manic_depressive13 pointed out, you'll get a taste for it. Oh and don't bother with friut if you don't like it. Start sancking on the vegetables you like? And seeing a doctor would be wise.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

There are also things like shake mixes (for nutrition, not just for bulking up) that can provide fiber and other nutrition. My wife and I use some that tastes kind of like cake mix, and then we add some fruit to it, or peanut butter and chocolate. It's pretty awesome.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Hmm...okay. It's just that...it's so hard. It feels like I can never do enough. I haven't had a packet of crisps in a week, and I've been eating more wheat and cutting down on the junk food, but I'm still constipated. And I'm not sure whether it's more my fault or, potentially, me having an anxiety-sensitive gut.

And I don't eat treats every meal. I used to, before I started to cut down. It's just that those kinds of meals seem to be some of the most prevalent and convenient in my house. It would be nice if I enjoyed healthy foods more than unhealthy foods, but my taste-buds just can't take the texture. I can literally imagine myself trying to eat a strawberry or something, and then throwing up because the taste is too otherworldly for me.

As for seeing a doctor, I have an appointment with my cognitive behavioural therapist on Thursday, so I'll talk to him about this. I mentioned it briefly to him in our last appointment a fortnight ago, and he recommended constipation medicine and stuff like that, but my mum said that the problem should go away if I eat more foods with fibre and if the problem persists still, then I should see a doctor.

 

[Kricketz]

If you find yourself constipated a lot, adding more fiber to you're diet can help. Specifically, insoluble fiber which is normally found in whole grains, Carrots, Beans, brown rice, and a few other things. Brown rice practically tastes the same as white rice. Also, Multi-grain/Whole Grain bread is preferred over wheat bread.

You should stop eating as many bananas because they can actually cause constipation. If you don't like fruits and veggies, then buy a blender and make some smoothies. That's what I do. Sometimes it's easier to force yourself to drink rather than eat and chew. You can find tons of great recipes online. Also try steamed veggies, like broccoli and cauliflower. I'm not a big salad person but I tend to eat either a broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mix or a potato/green bean mix with my meats. If seasoned properly, they can be delicious. I'll add Broccoli to my Mac and Cheese.

Sometimes you just gotta get creative. Also, you're much better off seeing a medical doctor. I'm not saying your therapist doesn't know what their talking about, but a medical doctor can do a more thorough examination. It's better to go as soon as you can rather than waiting and seeing if the problem will go away. I used to have a nasty habit of doing that.

I hope you feel better.

 

[Batou667]

Different people have different food intolerances and triggers, but generally constipation is due to not getting enough fibre.

If you don't like eating fibrous foods, here is my trifecta of stuff to help regularity: (the trifecta of defecation, heheheh)
1) Linseeds. Buy them from a health food or whole foods shop. A spoonful stirred into a glass of juice should do.
2) Prune juice.
3) Peppermint tea.

If those don't help then you could have a dietary intolerance or an IBS-type condition, in which case you should ask your doctor for advice.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

OK, so I've been regularly drinking more smoothies and peppermint tea, and I just had an appointment with my therapist. Although he advised me to see my GP, he said it'd be fine if I took some fibre supplements. So I bought 'Fybogel Hi-Fibre Orange' (with isphagula husk or something like that) - I'll be taking 1 sachet each morning and evening, after meals.

Now, the reason I'm here asking this instead of somewhere else on online (the answers I'm finding online aren't giving me definitive or more specific answers, my GP's surgery is closed now, and my therapist isn't in his building either) is that I want to know how long I should take these sachets. The box said that if there's been no bowel movement after 3 days, I should consult my GP, but the box contains 30 sachets. So should I take the Fybogel for just 3 days? A week or 2? A month, judging by the 30 sachets? Or just until I get better?

Please answer soon. The uncertainty is killing me.

 

[Jamieson 90]

OK, so I've been regularly drinking more smoothies and peppermint tea, and I just had an appointment with my therapist. Although he advised me to see my GP, he said it'd be fine if I took some fibre supplements. So I bought 'Fybogel Hi-Fibre Orange' (with isphagula husk or something like that) - I'll be taking 1 sachet each morning and evening, after meals.

Now, the reason I'm here asking this instead of somewhere else on online (the answers I'm finding online aren't giving me definitive or more specific answers, my GP's surgery is closed now, and my therapist isn't in his building either) is that I want to know how long I should take these sachets. The box said that if there's been no bowel movement after 3 days, I should consult my GP, but the box contains 30 sachets. So should I take the Fybogel for just 3 days? A week or 2? A month, judging by the 30 sachets? Or just until I get better?

Please answer soon. The uncertainty is killing me.

Short term if you're worried about constipation then a good old enema will work as will stool softener laxatives.

Long term - if you're not too keen on fibre rich diets then just take supplements along with other multi-vits.

Also try not stress or worry about it. Straining or trying to force it can cause other issues like bleeding or even hemorrhoids.

If you're still heavily constipated after all that though then I'd consider going back to your doctor as it could be a sign that something more serious is going on.

 

[Batou667]

how long I should take these sachets.

As long as you need them. You can't technically overdose on fibre, so no harm in continuing to take them! If you find you return to normal regularity, or if things swing the other way and you get diarrhea, try easing off the dosage or stopping them. It's all about understanding your body and how it reacts to what you're putting in it.

I guess the box mentions "no movement in 3 days" because that would be cause for concern, i.e. it would suggest that you have more severe medical problems than just constipation. But in general these kind of fibre supplements are designed for regular use.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

OK, so I've been regularly drinking more smoothies and peppermint tea, and I just had an appointment with my therapist. Although he advised me to see my GP, he said it'd be fine if I took some fibre supplements. So I bought 'Fybogel Hi-Fibre Orange' (with isphagula husk or something like that) - I'll be taking 1 sachet each morning and evening, after meals.

Now, the reason I'm here asking this instead of somewhere else on online (the answers I'm finding online aren't giving me definitive or more specific answers, my GP's surgery is closed now, and my therapist isn't in his building either) is that I want to know how long I should take these sachets. The box said that if there's been no bowel movement after 3 days, I should consult my GP, but the box contains 30 sachets. So should I take the Fybogel for just 3 days? A week or 2? A month, judging by the 30 sachets? Or just until I get better?

Please answer soon. The uncertainty is killing me.

Short term if you're worried about constipation then a good old enema will work as will stool softener laxatives.

Long term - if you're not too keen on fibre rich diets then just take supplements along with other multi-vits.

Also try not stress or worry about it. Straining or trying to force it can cause other issues like bleeding or even hemorrhoids.

If you're still heavily constipated after all that though then I'd consider going back to your doctor as it could be a sign that something more serious is going on.

Right, yeah, I've been taking some fibre supplements after each morning and evening meal (that'd be after breakfast and dinner). I'm on the second day now, and it seems to be improving somewhat now, I think.

how long I should take these sachets.

As long as you need them. You can't technically overdose on fibre, so no harm in continuing to take them! If you find you return to normal regularity, or if things swing the other way and you get diarrhea, try easing off the dosage or stopping them. It's all about understanding your body and how it reacts to what you're putting in it.

I guess the box mentions "no movement in 3 days" because that would be cause for concern, i.e. it would suggest that you have more severe medical problems than just constipation. But in general these kind of fibre supplements are designed for regular use.

Yeah, my therapist did specify that they're not technically medicine, and when I phoned him yesterday just to make sure about the amount I should take and stuff, he said I should take them until I have a medication review with him and another consultant on Tuesday (since I'd been off my meds for depression for a while, and both he & I noticed I've had less energy for dealing with problems than before) and then see how things go. And I also booked an appointment with my GP for Thursday, just for a check-up and see what he thinks too.

Anyway, thanks for your advice, everyone.