Constipation - Consternation!

Constipation can be a frustrating problem. It all comes down to helping your bowel to be regular and soft, and to avoid those headaches. Getting into a regular bowel routine, giving it a little daily attention and care will make your day, every day.

Try this breakfast recipe (see below). It may take a week or so to establish a good bowel routine.

Key Points:

  • Drink a large glass of water when you wake up, then drink 6-8 cups of water daily. (Excessive water consumption will only make you urinate more frequently, with no other proven benefit)
  • Try to exercise daily: This helps with bowel stimulation. Aerobic exercise is especially helpful: Fast walking or running. Imagine exercise as helping to jiggle your stomach and bowel to get things moving down.
  • Eating fruit and vegetables every day is healthy and very "bowel friendly". Take a bag of washed raw veggies to work. When you feel like a snack, have a bunch of carrots or celery sticks. Mix it up a little!
  • Try not to focus on your bowel….all will come out eventually.
  • Managing your constipation needs a long term commitment. Don’t get into a stop-start management scenario. You may have to do the above for weeks before you see constant results.
  • Never delay a bowel movement. If you feel the urge to go, go immediately.

Cereal:

Mix Kellogg’s All Bran Buds with Psyllium and Dorset Cereals (use more bran buds than Dorset cereal.)

Seeds:
  • Raw (unsalted and NOT roasted) sunflower seeds
  • Raw pumpkin seeds (Pepita seeds); they are the flat green seeds
    [Mix 1 cup of each in a Tupperware container, shake (with the lid on!) to mix]

(Optional extra: Add 1 tablespoon of milled (ground) Golden flax seed to each bowl of cereal (helps digestion, Cholesterol and has Omega 3 fats…all good for you)

Add 2 heaped tablespoons of the seeds to 1 cup of the cereal. Add milk or fruit juice.

You can add a handful of berries and Yoghurt to round of a nutritious and delicious breakfast!