Backed Up? What Helps Constipation?

Constipation problems are more and more common these days and it’s hard to know what to do when your child is in pain from being constipated. How do you define constipation? Constipation is defined as having bowel movements once or less per day along with strained, hard, dark brown bowel movements. A healthy body should ideally have a bowel movement 2-3 times per day.

Eating lots of raw and cooked vegetables as well as some fruit everyday will also keep the bowels moving regularly.

Although there can be a genetic component, many of the causes of constipation in kids today come from our poor North American diet. Refined food, allergenic foods, and foods that are low in fiber are the main culprits. Low magnesium and calcium, stress, not enough pure water or exercise also play a role. Also, many medications and underlying thyroid issues can affect the number of bowel movements you have daily.

What helps constipation?

Decreasing or eliminating fried foods, junk foods filled with sugar and refined grains like pasta and bread will help bowels to move freely on a daily basis. If your child eats a lot of dairy, you may want to try cutting that out for a while to see if it makes a difference. Many children have allergies or sensitivities to dairy and it can cause multiple issues one of which is constipation.

What to eat when constipated

Eating lots of raw and cooked vegetables as well as some fruit everyday will also keep the bowels moving regularly. These foods are filled with the soluble and insoluble fiber that we need to feed the good bacteria in our intestinal tract. Limiting your children’s grains to gluten free choices such as brown rice, quinoa, and oats are much easier on the digestive system. Try brown rice pasta over rice pasta, an easy switch and your kids won’t know the difference. Wheat, even whole wheat, which has a high amount of gluten, can feed bacteria in our intestinal tract that is detrimental rather than beneficial to the health of our digestive system.

Sometimes a liquid magnesium calcium supplement can get things moving as well as lots of pure water and exercise. A trick that often helps with kids is to put a stool under the child’s feet while on the toilet so that the knees are raised. This change in position can often help a child who is having difficulty getting the bowel movement out.

To make this happen your kids will need sufficient nutrients from their diet, ample amounts of pure water everyday as well as enough regular exercise.

Cleansing the body with 2-3 bowel movements a day, removes and eliminates unwanted toxins. To make this happen your kids will need sufficient nutrients from their diet, ample amounts of pure water everyday as well as enough regular exercise. Making sure you and your children have regular bowel movements can help protect you from disease and renew your ability to maintain optimum health.

Quick Tips:

• avoid processed foods

• increase fruit and veg

• drink lots of water

• avoid excessive dairy

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