A Quick List of Foods that Cause Constipation

According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, a person who has less than three bowel movements a week is considered to be constipated. This dispels the belief that you’re constipated if you don’t have a bowel movement every day.

Constipation Causes

Almost everyone has been constipated at one time or another. This is usually a temporary problem which could be due to dehydration, `unfriendly’ medication, lack of physical activity or a sudden change in routine, especially if one is on overseas travel. Postponing bowel movements is also a known cause of constipation.

Eating Habits

In most instances, however, the main cause of constipation is your diet. When we talk about diet, we are talking about excessive consumption of certain foods and the lack of consumption of foods that promote bowel movement. Constipation can also occur due to starvation, fasting, skipping regular meals and eating at odd times like in the middle of the night.

In most instances, it’s not the foods we consume that cause constipation. It’s rather the manner in which we consume them that leads to constipation. Some foods when consumed in moderation do not cause constipation. However, when consumed in excess, increase the chances of constipation. An example would be chocolate.

Low Fiber Consumption

Medical experts are agreed that the main cause of constipation is consumption of foods that lack fiber content. A National Center for Health Statistics survey shows that Americans only consume from 5 to 14 grams of fiber daily. Compare this with the daily allowance of 20 to 35 grams, recommended by the American Dietetic Association.

With that in mind, let’s now look at foods that cause constipation.

Foods That Cause Constipation

As it has been mentioned, the foods that cause constipation are those that are low in fiber content. Among them are ice cream, cheese, meat, chips, eggs, chocolate, most sweets and pizza. Processed foods can also contribute to constipation. The natural fiber content is more often than not removed in processed foods.

Potatoes should also be avoided if you have regular constipation attacks. In cases of infants with constipation, stay away from applesauce.

To this list of constipating foods, you could throw in dry foods like crackers and morning cereals, especially if they are consumed with an inadequate amount of fluids.

When we are talking about drinks, alcohol (except red wine), soda, fruit juice and other low-fiber drinks with glucose, and energy drinks with caffeine or taurine content are the usual suspects. Kefir cultured milk that has been fermented for around 36 to 48 hours has also been known to be a cause of constipation.

Generally, fruits like papaya and apple offer relief for constipation. However, if you excessively consume citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, and so forth,) which come with many connective tissues, there’s the risk of constipation. Some may get constipated if they consume green, unripe bananas.

Even nuts, including peanuts and seeds, can cause constipation in some people.

References

https://constipation.emedtv.com/constipation/foods-that-cause-constipation.html - foods that cause constipation

https://www.healthhype.com/foods-that-cause-constipation.html - eating habits and constipation and more foods that cause constipation.

https://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/constipation[/](https://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/constipation/) - general information on constipation