If you have just started a high fiber diet and feel constipated, I know that you have to feel frustrated. Sometimes eating too much high fiber foods without considering the following 8 tips can lead to constipation. So go ahead and try these 8 tips and you’ll soon find yourself having constipation relief.
1. Drink at least 2 to 4 quarts of warm (room temperature) water. Start your day with tea with lemon or lime. Avoid drinking cold liquids, soft drinks, caffeine, because they interfere with digestion.
2. Add healthy fats to your diet. It gives lubrication to your tract and your brain. I recommend getting your fats from whole foods, such as avocado, seed and nuts, but limit it to 1 oz a day if you are trying to lose weight. If you soak your seeds and nuts in cold water, especially overnight it is easier to digests and if you add it to smoothie, soups or hot grain it would make it creamier.
3. Try to get in 1 pound of raw veggies, but make sure you add 1 pound of cook veggies to your diet. Since raw veggies can be hard to digest, adding cooked veggies softens the fibers and makes it easier to digest. Consider fermented veggies as well, because they provide your digestive system with an abundance of enzymes and beneficial bacterial that are very helpful with the digestion process.
4. Add herbs and spices to your beans and lentils. The herbs and spices are the best digestive aids for foods that are more difficult to break down.
5. Don't forget to soak your beans. Soaking your beans allow the indigestible toxins from the beans to be eliminated. It removes the dirt and scum from the bean. So please soak them before cooking them and after soaking them, rinse them and cook them until they are completely soft.
6. 100% whole grain, really works the digestive system. So make sure you only have 1 serving a day of whole grain food. Whenever you do eat the whole grain try to eat it with cook veggies or create whole grain salads to eat for lunch or dinner.
7. Get a good 20 minutes workout. Believe me when I say that researchers are finding that it's not necessary for us to workout 30 minutes or more as long as we do 20 minutes interval workout that get us into a good sweat. Interval workouts are very challenging, because once the body slows down in a workout. It takes a lot more effort to get back to the high speed. So the 20 minute interval workout gets your digestive system going, but don't forget to drink more water.
8. Try to give your digestive system 12 hours of rest. Intermittent fasting helps your body to effectively clean it digestive system as well as burn fat and fuel. Besides going without 12 hours of eating has an amazing weight loss benefit.