Yoplait light yogurt - constipation ?!
Question: I am battling a cause of constipation and was wondering if you have ever had problems with yogurt being the cause of it.. can it help me or hurt me.. looking for foods i should stay away from.
Answers: I am battling a cause of constipation and was wondering if you have ever had problems with yogurt being the cause of it.. can it help me or hurt me.. looking for foods i should stay away from.
I doubt yogurt would be. I had the problem recently and took care of it with a disposable enema. You have to look at your diet for balance, Do you get enough fruit, do you drink enough water, you can't just eat vegetables, you need meat, fish, chicken, pork, etc. Try to start by having fruit with breakfast and if possible lunch and having a salad for dinner.
Having some nuts, cashews, peanuts, usually cause me to have soft stools.
People suggest fiber which is great and needed. But too much fiber can be constipating if you eat little else. That is why it important to have a mixed diet of meat, vegetables, nuts, fruit, etc.
Having Suppositories, a Fleet Enema in your medicine cabinet.is always good to have. Sometimes the stool is so hard, sticky or packed inside that an enema is the only thing that will comfortably enable one to move their bowels.
Eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fiber. Good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole-grain bread and cereal (especially bran). Fiber and water help the colon pass stool.
Drink 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of water and other fluids a day (unless fluid restricted for another medical condition). Liquids that contain caffeine, such as coffee and soft drinks, seem to have a dehydrating effect and may need to be avoided until your bowel habits return to normal. Some people may need to avoid milk, as dairy products may be constipating for them. Exercise regularly.Move your bowels when you feel the urge. Eating large amounts of any dairy product can cause constipation.
I'm an LPN, and you have to remember that any yogurt with live "cultures" means live bacteria, plain and simple. If you are suffering from a bacterial infection causing the problem, adding yogurt to your diet isn't going to help. On the other hand, if you have a yeast infection, live culture yogurt is a great additive.
My suggestion is to take it out of your diet for a week, then add it back gradually. If you find constipation returning, then stay away from it. If not, then make it a healthy part of your diet...meaning balance it with other good stuff...like apples, oranges and other fresh fruit with fiber (btw, fiber is what makes you "regular").
Too much iron and too much calcium can cause constipation. Bananas can also cause constipation.