Today I’m going to tackle a touchy topic people almost whisper about because it’s so embarrassing to talk about although it’s a normal part of everyone’s life. It’s plain old constipation. It’s been estimated that 63 million people are constipated probaby due to unhealthy eating habits lacking in fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods, lack of exercise, traveling, specific medications or just not consuming enough water. Most Americans are only consuming 5 to 12 grams of fiber a day. We should be consuming around 25-30 grams of. Dieters in particular suffer from it because there’s less food volume going through the body.
But we don’t need laxatives to deal with irregularity. One natural fiber source is to add psyllium seed husk (a native herb to parts of Asia) to the diet. And even though fiber just passes through our bodies it “soaks” (this fiber soaks) or “sweeps” our intestines potentially ridding our body of toxins. (We need both kind.)
Evacuating the bowels once a day is considered “normal.” Most doctors will use the term “regular” to mean one time a day to three times a week. Holistic practitioners suggest usually more than once a day would be better, although few people achieve that.
Caution: psyllium has been known to cause allergic reactions. Gastrointestinal tract obstruction could also occur, especially for someone with prior bowel surgeries or anatomic abnormalities, or if taken with inadequate amounts of water.
I’ll finish up on this topic later in the week on how much to take and how to take it properly (any fiber may interfere with medications/supplements or cause other problems if not taken properly).
No comments:
Post a Comment