bowel movements

[Timaca]

Two thoughts.....first this probiotic really did work for me. I did find it at Walgreens. In 3 days I had good bowel movements. I discontinued it recently though as it seemed to make me agitated (may be histamine related).

You might want to consider the Fast Tract Diet. It is possible to do it on a vegan diet. See Chuck's review on this page. You may be getting too much of the wrong kind of fiber which may be feeding bacteria that is causing your issue..... There is an IBS book for Fast Tract Diet....not sure how it differs from Heartburn book.....it may be very similar....

Read the reviews on Amazon for the probiotic I mentioned. Lots of people cite relief from constipation and I know it helped me. If I try it again, I will likely try the drops instead of the chewable tablets so I can get rid of the xylitol.

Currently I am trying the Jarrow EPS, which seems to also have wonderful reviews. I can say that all the other probiotics I've tried (except possibly Culturelle) made me more constipated!!! (I will also retry Culturelle at some point in time if the Jarrow or Biogaia doesn't work....

Wishing you an "easy" day soon. Keep us posted.

Best,

[Timaca]

Also, regarding the brown rice, white rice for your sister, where white rice is less constipating....that makes sense if she was eating jasmine or sticky rice. Both of those are less fermented in the gut and lead to less GI issues (for some people).

If you are on FaceBook there is a Fast Tract Diet page where people ask questions and offer support. In addition to trying some probiotics, I will try the diet too.....just wondering how I am going to get enough calories if I reduce (or eliminate ) sweet potatoes.....

Best,

[Atheria]

Oh God, more food restrictions! Nooooo! I've checked the low FODMAP food list before....and it wouldn't leave me with much to eat. This is upsetting. I'm just taking the aloe pills.....sigh....thank you though!

Atheria

[bexrox]

"I'm a certified consumer of miller's bran (wheat), and I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it--the coarser the better IMO. You start out small--1T and then work up to whatever works. Some people have constipation and there's just no good reason for it. Or there's a psychological aspect to it. If it continues with you, you might see a gastroenterologist to see what's going on."

I second the idea of seeing a doctor. I recently read an article on Yahoo about a woman who had a very rare condition where her digestive track was pinched so she couldn't eat and everything got messed up. She looked anorexic but was not. It was crazy to read about. When in doubt, see a doctor! You can always get another opinion, but for physical stuff like this it's never a bad idea.

[mkh9]

I have become much more regular on this diet. I eat a lot of starches (probably too many per greens). My husband and I both have no problem with constipation. We don't eat much white starches except an occasional white potato. So most of our starches are whole grain breads, pastas rice and cereals and the rest is a few red potatoes once in a while. The remainder is Yams and greens, lentils, beans, peas etc.Quinoa and only a banana and 1 fruit per day and maybe two if berries are in season. I drink about 9-10 glasses of water a day because I go to the gym. It makes me wonder if there isn't some other internal problem going on?
mkh9

[Atheria]

Speaking for myself, I definitely have something intrinsically wrong. I've struggled with severe constipation, bleeding, etc. since birth. It's odd, but I've suddenly been better lately. I didn't know that iron supplements can cause constipation and had cut back for other reasons....hmmmm....makes me wonder. Also, there is definitely a mind-body connection. When I'm relaxed, on vacation, things are better.

Atheria

[dlee]

Have you tried prunes?? It worked well for my husband when he's been constipated and felt bloated. Took about 2 days. I've rarely had the problem myself, but it must feel miserable. I would second that about using a good probiotic, especially if you've had to take any antibiotics. Hope you get relief soon. Dlee

[Jumpstart]

You might try walking a few mile every day at a good pace...and I do mean every day. The few people I've known on a plant based diet only had problems with constipation if they didn't move on a regular basis.

[Atheria]

I can't tell if you are talking to me or the other person. LOL
Prunes do nothing for me. Exercise doesn't work. Only aloe laxatives work, or being in Cancun. I could live with the Cancun thing. I'm smiling right now, but some of us REALLY struggle.....no matter what.

Atheria

[Ltldogg]

I also suggest probiotics and the UP4 brand: http://up4probiotics.com/. They are Vegan and passes Consumer Reports. You can find them in Sprouts.

Cheers,
Scott

[Gershon]

Using a laxative to stimulate bowel movements only makes it worse.

If you want to know how to loosen your bowels, I suggest reading "The Itinerary of a Breakfast" by Dr. Kellogg. It's available on Amazon in the US for 99 cents or you can read it for free at www.archive.org. Although the book was published in 1912, it is compliant with this WOE.

"Without pushing" does not mean an absence of an initial little push to get things moving.

Keep in mind, Dr. Kellogg was treating severely constipated people, so he did recommend enemas in some cases. This was not the norm for most.

[Atheria]

I'm not exaggerating when I say that nothing else I've tried, and I've done it all, has ever helped. I've been dealing with this for 48 years. I'm sticking to aloe pills, using them as little as possible. Thank you for the book regimentation though!

Peace,
Atheria

[Atheria]

Here is a direct link.

https://archive.org/details/itineraryofbr00kell

[Timaca]

Recently I tried the probiotic Culturelle. You can get it at Wal-Mart, online, most grocery stores, etc. It is the only probiotic that I've been able to take that doesn't give me histamine issues or make me more constipated. For the first time in a very long time my tongue appears to be a nice pink instead of some kind of coating on it. That started to happen around day 4. I am also moving my bowels regularly and easily now. However, I just got home from traveling in Europe where I ate wheat (which doesn't work for me---gives me headaches, joint pain etc) but I needed the calories. I also ate some bifidus yogurt (not McDougall compliant but I needed the calories). So, I'm not sure if those two food items also helped my constipation issue or not. I am dropping those foods now that I'm home and we'll see how I do with just the Culturelle. I am sure happy about the condition of the tongue and have hopes that it is helping the rest of my GI tract too!

Best,

[Atheria]

Thanks for the probiotics recommendation.

I read part of the 1918 book and he recommended paraffin oil at every meal! Blech! I had to look up what that even was!