Coping with constipation
What should I eat if…I am constipated?
What is constipation?
Constipation means that you are not able to empty your bowels (poo) as regularly as you usually do. It may be due to not drinking enough, moving around less than usual, medication and/or treatment, or a change in eating habits.
What can I do about it?
Speak to your doctor or nurse to see if eating more foods high in fibre would be helpful, or if taking laxatives would be better.
Useful tips to ease and prevent constipation
- Drink plenty of fluid. Aim for eight to 10 cups of fluid each day (at least 2 litres or 3½ pints). This can include milk, water, squash, fruit juice, tea, coffee, and soup.
- Eat regular meals and snacks to encourage waste to pass through your bowels, enabling you to poo regularly.
- Avoid using unprocessed bran (wheat bran) found in some breakfast cereals. It may cause bloating and can reduce the amount of nutrients that your body absorbs.
- Gentle activity such as walking helps to reduce the amount of time waste spends in your bowels. This makes stools (poo) easier to pass when you go to the toilet.
How to increase your fibre intake (if recommended)
- High fibre breakfast cereals
For example, Weetabix, Shreddies, muesli or porridge. Add some fruit to your cereal to increase the fibre even more. - Bread
Choose wholemeal, rye or granary varieties. If you don’t like brown bread, try white bread with added fibre. Try wholemeal rolls, chapatti, pitta, and naan bread. - Pasta and rice
Choose wholemeal pasta and brown rice. -
PulsesFor example baked beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, or lentils. Add them to casseroles, soups, or salads. Foods made from beans and lentils include dhal, hummus or bean burgers.
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PotatoesYou can have them boiled, mashed, baked, or fried, but make sure you keep the skin on, as that is where most of the fibre is found.
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Fruit and vegetables
Aim for five portions a day. Fresh, frozen, tinned, or dried can all be used as snacks, desserts, or main meals. -
High fibre snacks
Such as muesli bars, flapjacks, fruitcake, fruit loaf, digestives, Hobnobs, fig rolls, oatcakes, or wholewheat crackers.