How To Correct Your Intestinal Transit?

We suggest several changes to your diet that will end unpleasant constipation. The key to healing is to shorten intestinal transit time and increase fiber intake.

How To Correct Your Intestinal Transit?

Constipation manifests as a delay in bowel emptying characterized by frequent emptying fewer than three times per week. Although this problem tends to affect older people and women, it has become a common problem in developed countries because the Western diet is characterized by low fiber intake.

In addition, there may be increased stool consistency and even the need for increased straining during defecation. Therefore, choosing the right diet to modify bowel transit will be a key part of treating constipation.

Reducing the intestinal transit time will be one of the main goals of constipation treatment, with the introduction of fiber into the diet (approximately 30 grams per day) being the most recommended option for chronic constipation.

The aim is to increase stool volume and reduce stool consistency to stimulate bowel movements (intestinal peristalsis) and thus increase the frequency of defecation. To achieve this goal, we should choose foods of plant origin, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains (preferably whole wheat), nuts, and legumes.

Taking laxatives can be helpful at specific times. Still, it should not be the treatment of choice as this does not educate the gut but causes traumatic emptying, which can also destroy the gut microbiota (flora) and damage the gut microvilli.

The abuse of laxatives can even exacerbate constipation because the gut only responds to the stimuli of these substances. Other negative effects of laxative abuse include dehydration, swelling, and impaired bowel function.

There are cases of constipation that do not respond to increased amounts of fiber and should be investigated by a physician.

6 Tips For Increasing Your Fiber Intake

If you suffer from constipation, here are some tips on how to increase the intake of fiber in your daily diet and restore proper intestinal transit:

1. It is always better to eat whole fruit than juices containing little fiber

If possible, eat it with the skin on, such as apples, but always wash them well. Good choices are raspberries and pears. avocados, which can be combined in salads.

2. Nuts have an interesting fiber content

eating a small handful daily can supplement your fiber intake while providing healthy fats.

3. Include two to three servings of vegetables a day

In first courses (pasta, rice, legumes), side dishes (salads, stir-fries, baked vegetables, etc.), in sandwiches (tomatoes, salad), or as a first course (complete salads, vegetable purees, panache, scrambled eggs, etc.). Vegetables with the highest fiber content: broccoli, and turnips.

4. Choose legumes twice a week

They are very high in fiber, and if you prepare them with vegetables, you add extra fiber to the dish. Another option for eating legumes can be chickpea hummus as an appetizer. Peas, lentils, beans.

5. Eat whole grains and their derivatives

Bread, rice, pasta, biscuits, and breakfast cereals… It is important to include these foods daily. Whole grain spaghetti, quinoa, oatmeal… Popcorn can be a fiber-rich snack.

6. Add flaxseeds to salads, breakfast cereals, or yogurt

When baking, replace traditional flour with buckwheat flour (4 times more fiber), almond flour, or brown rice flour.

Considerations for increasing fiber intake

There are several points to keep in mind when increasing your fiber intake:

• Remember to drink plenty of water. The body needs about two liters of water daily, which comes from the food and drinks we eat. Drinking at least one liter of water a day (about four glasses) will help the fiber in your intestines to work.
• With increased fiber intake, some side effects may occur until the body gets used to it, such as gas and bloating. It is therefore recommended to introduce fiber gradually, starting with fruit and vegetables, for example, increasing the consumption of legumes, whole grains, etc.
• Another side effect of dietary fiber is reduced absorption of certain minerals in the gut. These minerals are retained and excreted in the feces, so separating mineral and fiber intake during the day is important.
• Intestinal transit can also be affected by lifestyle. Risk factors to avoid are stress or a sedentary lifestyle, as these have also been shown to facilitate the development of constipation.

Example of a diet rich in fiber

To create a diet that is consistent with a balanced diet, a daily diet should contain approximately 25-30 grams of fiber. This amount can be increased in the dietary treatment of constipation, and a higher intake of approximately 35-40 grams of fiber can be recommended.

3 examples of fiber-rich diets are given below to show how some advice in the previous chapters applies.

Remember that the amount of fiber must be moderate and match your energy needs:

Day 1

Breakfast:

• 2 slices of bread, 5 kinds of cereal with tomatoes, and semi-hard cheese.
• Strawberries with orange juice.
• Coffee with milk.

Midmorning:

• 1 handful of walnuts.
• 1 low-fat yogurt.

Lunch:

• Brown rice with vegetables.
• Pork tenderloin with green peppers and eggplant.
• Peach.

Snack:

• Biscuits: 2-3 whole wheat biscuits.

Dinner:

• Leek puree with asparagus.
• Sardines with salad.
• Pineapple.

Second day

Another fiber-rich diet option to improve your transit:

Breakfast:

• 2 whole wheat toast with margarine and jam.
• 2 plums.
• Milk with instant cereal.

Midmorning:

• 2-3 wholemeal biscuits.
• 1 pickle.

Lunch:

• Lentil salad.
• Omelette with mushrooms and onions with salad.
• 2 kiwis.

Snack:

• 1 low-fat yogurt.

Dinner:

• Roasted artichokes.
• Chicken croquettes with vegetable breading.
• Strawberries.

Third day

Breakfast:

• 1 piece of homemade apple pie (made with whole wheat flour).
• 2 kiwis.
• Coffee with milk.

Midmorning:

• 1 apple.

Lunch:

• Fish soup.
• Tomato stuffed with seafood.
• 1 banana.

Snack:

• 2-3 whole grain crackers.

Dinner:

• Fried vegetables and potatoes.
• Beef burger with salad and nuts.
• Yogurt.