I've been on a new food plan for the last couple of weeks and I'm getting a bit constipated, and missing a few workouts which isn't good - any suggestions?

Constipation can be caused by a range of different things, for this question we'll look at the things that don't require a doctor.

Firstly a change in diet to higher protein can often bind people up, so you might like to see if you can decrease some of the protein amounts in favour for carb or fat calories.  In addition have a look at the amount of water you are having with your protein supplement.  Sometimes we use protein to mix in yoghurt or in pancakes so will have less water with it.  Every time you have a protein supplement, make sure you have at least 1 cup of water with it. 

Have a look at your protein source also, some supplements do not agree with us so you may need to change your brand of powder, or switch to a rice or soy protein or you may need to avoid powders altogether.

Secondly, fibre and water are the "transporters" of number 2's.  These 2 vital nutrients work together to "pull" waste through the colon for elimination.  Too much fibre will block us up and too little fibre means there is nothing for the water to get drawn into to help the transportation.  Ensure your food plan has enough soluble and insoluble fibre (fruits and veg as well as grains, nuts and seeds).  Make sure you're drinking around 3-4 "Pump" Bottles per day.

A change in diet can often mean less food, and that means less bulk as it moves through to elimination, adding a fibre supplement will help with this, as will switching to a food with the same nutrition but more weight (eg, 125g potato vs ¼ cup cooked rice)

Sometime's our fat level can influence the movement of number 2's, so ensure your food plan has a couple of TBSP of flaxseed oil per day - trying increasing to an extra TBSP to see if this makes a difference.

Physical and emotional stress can constrict the passage of elimination, so if you are finding yourself a little uptight over anything then make sure you are dealing with these things properly - if you let go emotionally, it is far easier for your body to let go physically also.  From a physical perspective, ensure you are breathing deep and not shallow with your shoulders hunched up around your ears and that your posture is upright and not constricting any area of your body.

A gentle tummy massage in a clockwise direction may possibly help also as this is the direction that food through your large colon travels in - start at the lower right hand side, working up the side of the abdomen across the top and down the left hand side.

It is definitely uncomfortable going to the gym when constipated, but it is most important not to miss these sessions as exercise is vital for good bowel health.  Keep it to something like an incline powerwalk or crosstrainer.  Running can be a little uncomfortable when we're constipated, and cycling closes up the abdominal area, so you may want to avoid these activities.  There's no reason you can't continue to lift weights, but again things like squats, deadlifts, crunches etc close in the abdominal area and may be uncomfortable.

Magnesium is a wonderful supplement for constipation as this does 2 things it relaxes the muscles and it draws water into the bowel to help with elimination.  Depending on how much magnesium you use, will determine how loose things will be when you finally go.  Follow the RDI on the bottle as a starting point.  Large amounts of Vitamin C will also have the same loosening effect.

Some good Fibre supplements include: psyllium husk (plain or as a preparation like Metamucil) or Slippery Elm and can be included in shakes or on food or by themselves.

Pro-biotics are also important for good bowel health so you may want to look at this also to populate the good flora in the gut.

Give each of these remedies time to work (around 3 days max) before heading off to the doctor, constipation is a funny ailment and is hard to diagnose.  When visiting the doctor about this, it would pay to have a food diary and also a record of what remedies you have tried and also a good idea of any other symptoms you have (eg upper abdominal pain, headaches, nausea etc)

Avoid taking laxatives for a long duration as it is possible for the bowel to become reliant on these and we end up with long-term problems.

A short bout of constipation is nothing to worry about (although uncomfortable), and in the case of a food plan with less food than normal, you may find going every second day becomes the new norm.

Stacey
22 June 10
You’ve just finished a yummy protein bar or a bag of flavoured potato chips and 20 minutes later you want more...and more but you’re not actually hungry! It’s possible that these food choices are triggering further food cravings and derailing your hard fought weight loss efforts.
Glutamic Acid was discovered as a flavour enhancer for food in 1866 when a German chemist tasted the brown crystal residue left behind in a bowl of Kombu soup (a type of kelp). This chemical was then patented and manufactured as a salt of glutamic acid and so MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) was born.
Glutamates make food taste good, this is one reason why we tend to eat more, because we simply like the flavour, but the real reason why it triggers food cravings is a little more undercover. Enter...the nervous system.
Glutamate is an amino acid found naturally bound in foods such as cheese, milk, mushrooms, meat and fish. It is also an excitatory neurotransmitter in our nervous systems and at normal levels ingested through our natural foods it is perfectly harmless. Being excitatory, it plays a part in our ‘reward’ system pathways (the feeling of feeling good). Glutamates found as additives are free bound which causes an overload in the excitatory process and makes us crave more of the thing that ‘rewarded’ us – in this case it may have been a soup mix with MSG or something from our local Chinese takeaway. It acts in the same way that addictive drugs ‘reward’ the addict through use and make them crave further use.
Glutamate as an additive can come under different names, check the labels of some of your most craved foods, do they contain any of the following names? Glutamate, Glutamic acid, Gelatin, Monosodium glutamate (MSG), Calcium caseinate Textured protein (TP or TVP), Monopotassium glutamate, Sodium caseinate, Yeast nutrient, Yeast extract, Yeast food, Autolyzed yeast, Hydrolyzed protein (HP or HVP).
These are some other terms you may find lurking in your most craved foods: Carrageenan, Maltodextrin, Malt extract Natural pork flavouring, Citric acid, Malt flavouring, Bouillon and Broth Natural chicken flavouring, Soy protein isolate, Natural beef flavouring, Ultra-pasteurized Soy sauce, Stock Barley malt Soy sauce extract, Whey protein concentrate, Pectin Soy protein, Whey protein Protease, Soy protein concentrate, Whey protein isolate, Protease enzymes Anything protein fortified, Flavours(s) & Flavouring(s), Anything enzyme modified, Anything fermented, Natural flavour(s) & flavouring(s) Enzymes anything, Seasonings, Flavour enhancer
Anything that is called ‘something’ protein eg pea protein implies that it also contains free bound glutamates.
Go and grab that craved food now...have a look at the label.   If you’ve ever found yourself wanting to eat endless amounts of it and then wanting to eat lots later on you may find some of these names? Even our friends the protein bar contains free bound glutamates. I discovered this after I ate 7 in a row and couldn’t understand why.
Fresh and natural is best to ward off food cravings and to help keep you on track of your food plans. 
There are other common food triggers such as sugar, coffee, refind carbohydrates and aspartate. For more information about flavouring food more naturally or if you need help identifying why you crave certain foods please contact me for a consultation.

Stacey
June 2010

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