Top 5 Tips to Prevent Constipation

Eat more Fibre Rich foods

Fibre (roughage) promotes digestive health which is vital to overall health and disease prevention. Fibre is the part of plant food that is not digested. It stays in your gut and is passed in the stools. Fibre adds bulk and some softness to the stools making them easier to pass.

Keep the water flowing

Dehydration can lead to headaches, lack of focus, fatigue, constipation and lackluster skin. And whether you’re drinking water, fruit juices or getting fluids from the fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet- they all count toward the recommended 8 glasses of water per day.

Keep moving

Did you know that by taking the stairs instead of the escalator you’re burning five times as many calories? And regular physical activity not only revs up your metabolism it helps promote digestive health by keeping you “regular.”

Introduce Sorbitol into your diet

Fruits high in fibre and sorbitol, and fruit juices high in sorbitol, can help prevent and treat constipation. Sorbitol is a naturally occurring sugar. Sorbitol is very similar to glucose, but unlike glucose, it is very slowly absorbed into the blood. As a consequence of this slow absorption as it passes through the gut, the sorbitol tends to hold onto some water. This then increases the moisture content of the stools which leads to easier passage from the body. The concentration of sorbitol is about 5–10 times higher in dried fruit so Prunes and Prune Juice are excellent sources of Sorbitol. Research has shown that the quality of the plum at the point of harvest effects the levels of sorbitol naturally found in the fruit. This explains why the sorbitol content of Sunsweet prune juice is approximately twice that of other brands of prune juice. Due to the high quality nature of the Sunsweet prune juice, less juice would need to be consumed for its mild laxative effect compto other prune juice products.

Take time out

Soothe away stress before it gets you by adding calming music to your iPod or simply phoning a friend to catch up. Don’t forget to compliment yourself for the little accomplishments made every day!

To learn more about constipation and ways to treat or even prevent it, please follow one of the links below: