With many healthy and unhealthy food options available today, constipation still remains part of today’s busy lifestyle. It’s not unheard of for a healthy person to get short bouts of constipation every now and again. Regrettably, often temporary constipation can lead to extended fecal impaction. Fecal impaction necessitates immediate action to avert any serious consequences.
To counteract constipation, you must first look at what you eat on a daily basis. There are many healthy food options available at the grocery and even at fast food restaurants. However, there is a good chance that even though you’re eating healthy you may be getting constipated because of how you eat. Digestion starts with chewing properly, as within the chewing process enzymes start to breakdown nutrients. So, if you eat too quickly and don’t properly chew, you could become constipated.
Choosing what you eat is important. If you’ve noticed you’re experiencing an increase in constipation, you may be eating a diet too high in fat or sugar. You may want to increase your fiber intake by using a supplement or adding more vegetables to each meal.
Another vital component of digestive health and avoidance of constipation and fecal impaction is proper hydration. Soda and coffee do not count as hydrating liquids. Remember, the goal of the digestive process is the uptake of nutrients and the elimination of waste. But, if you increase your fiber intake and don’t also increase your water intake, you are bound to literally clog up your lower intestines.
Those individuals who are doing everything right as far as nutrition is concerned will need to take a look at their vitamin intake. Some vitamins may actually cause constipation, even if they are dosed correctly. Perhaps the most well known culprits are iron supplements.
Colon cleansing is one way to counteract constipation. Before undergoing a colon cleanse, you should consult with your doctor. This is especially true if you have underlying medical conditions. If your doctor doesn’t suggest colon cleansing, you may want try drinking prune juice after each meal.
A child who is constipated should be carefully looked upon by the parents. Fecal impaction should be avoided by careful observation and action. Often parents can easily look back over the child’s diet and backtrack to find a change and cause of constipation.
If nothing has changed, you may wish to take a small child to the pediatrician for further examination. Small children are notorious for swallowing a plethora of items and one or more have become lodged in the child’s intestinal tract. Left untreated the obstruction could become life threatening and since a simple x-ray will quickly prove or disprove this theory, it is well worth the expense.