So are you constipated again?
I think you need to address this issue because if you’re not eliminating every day, then you are in big trouble!
In this article, you will learn the causes of constipation and what you can do to treat your problem naturally with your diet and lifestyle.
First of all, you need to know that stagnant stools are more dangerous than you think…
Your colon is supposed to eliminate the waste daily or else your bowels become the perfect environment for bad bacteria to multiply and cause health problems.
Your colon can reabsorb toxins and consequently, you can have headaches, fatigue, weight gain, and immune reactions.
So let’s see what are the causes of constipation
#1 Your gut flora isn’t balanced
The microbes living in your gut play a major role in your digestion.
In fact, these bacteria (good and bad) should always be living in harmony… like in a perfect ecosystem.
But when the balance of your ecosystem is disrupted, your health can suffer!
As a result, an unbalanced gut flora can cause fatigue, skin problems, mood disorders, gas, bloating, a weak immune system, and guess what?…. Yes! Constipation!
In contrast, the healthier your gut flora will be, the more regular you’ll be… and the “healthier” your poop will be…
That’s right, you can have healthy poop!
Stools come in different colours and different shapes… Check out this article to see if your poop is normal.
So why do you have an unbalanced flora?
You eat non-organic food
In our modern days, farmers grow non-organic products with the help of chemicals like pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides.
In reality, these toxic chemicals are meant to kill everything around the plant, so that the fruits and vegetables are healthy looking.
Consequently, you can imagine what they do to your gut microbes… every day… at every meal…
Yes, pesticides kill your gut bacteria!
It’s very important that you choose organic products if you want to keep your gut flora healthy… Because organic means no pesticides!
Antibiotics
When you have an infection, your doctor prescribes you antibiotics…because they can kill the bacteria that are making you sick.
Unfortunately, antibiotics don’t kill selectively.
Antibiotics kill all your bacteria, whether they are good or bad.
Therefore, it’s very important that you take probiotics during AND after your course of antibiotics.
Probiotic supplements contain healthy bacteria that will repopulate your gut and, as a result, you will have a stronger immune system and a healthy digestion.
Alcohol
Every time you have a drink of alcohol, you’re killing your gut bacteria.
You see, alcohol is used in hospitals to sterilize medical equipment…
So imagine what it does to your gut flora…
Additionally, the sugar in alcohol feeds your bad bacteria and often results in a Candida overgrowth (Candida is a yeast-like fungus that loves sugar).
Sugar
I think you’ll agree with me that sugar is now found in everything…
Cookies, bread, pasta, frozen meals, sauces, and all the rest of the junk food…
There’s even sugar in products that aren’t sweet.
And just like the sugar in alcohol, industrial sugar feeds the bad microbes in your gut and encourages them to multiply.
As a result, it creates an imbalance between your good and bad bacteria.
Having an unbalanced flora, or impaired microbiota, is called dysbiosis…
#2 Your diet lacks fibre
One of the causes of constipation is a diet that lacks fibre.
This is a no-brainer… if you don’t eat enough fibre, don’t expect to go to the bathroom regularly.
The thing is that most people don’t even know that their diet lacks fibre…
They think they eat well… Organic free-range chicken and eggs, fish, grass-fed beef, blah blah blah…
Pay attention to this:
All animal products contain NO fibre! That’s right…ZERO!
Eating lots of meat can cause your digestion to be slower and consequently, lead to constipation.
On the other hand, fibre is found in large quantity in fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds.
This won’t come as a surprise if I say that vegans and vegetarians are rarely constipated (Although they’re not immune to having an unbalanced flora for the other reasons I mentioned above).
I personally follow a vegan diet (mostly whole foods) for 7 years now, I don’t drink alcohol, don’t eat industrial sugar, and I take probiotics when needed…
Consequently, I NEVER suffer from constipation!
#3 Dehydration
Another cause of constipation is dehydration.
Yes, you need water to produce stools. Remember that!
If you don’t drink enough water (2 litres a day), you’re probably dehydrated.
The health consequences from dehydration include constipation, headaches, brain fog, impaired brain function, dizziness, and depression.
If you don’t produce sausage-looking poops… and if instead, your poops look like rabbit poops, you’re probably dehydrated…
You must drink water throughout your day to ensure sufficient hydration and to help relieve constipation.
#4 You’re too stressed
This one goes back to your gut flora problem…
Did you know that there are 100 trillion bacteria living in your gut? And that they are also connected to your central nervous system?
When your gut microbes are disturbed, it affects your mood… And vice versa!
When you are stressed, depressed, or sad, it affects your gut microbes in a bad way…
Just think of it…
When you’re nervous, do you feel butterflies in your tummy?
Or when you’re heartbroken, does it feel like someone just ripped out your gut?
What you’re feeling are your gut bacteria being affected by your mood!
So if they’re not well, it won’t come as a surprise that they won’t do their job (digestion) properly…
If you are suffering from constipation and you know that you are also an anxious person, then maybe it’s time for you to learn how to manage that stress…
Yoga, meditation, relaxation, breathing exercises, Tai chi… They’re all good methods you can use to deal with your stress and anxiety.
#5 Medications
Certain drugs and supplements can cause constipation.
It’s the case for painkillers and antidepressant, which slow down your whole body, including your bowels.
Iron pills also cause constipation because they negatively affect your colonic microbiota…
In other words, iron feeds the bad bacteria in your colon, which promotes the multiplication of those potentially pathogenic bacteria.
With iron pills, you quickly end up with dysbiosis (unbalanced flora) and become unable to eliminate efficiently!
So if you must take drugs or iron supplements, its important that you take probiotics at the same time, so that you can populate your gut with more beneficial bacteria.
#6 The overuse of laxatives
Laxatives stimulated the nerves of your colon to provoke bowel movements.
Although, if you use laxatives too often, your colon can become lazy and addicted to them.
As a result, you can end up with the opposite effect!
Taking laxatives to eliminate is definitely NOT the best solution.
Here’e the right solution to avoid constipation:
- Eat more fibre
- Drink enough water
- Avoid non-organic food
- Avoid Alcohol
- Avoid industrial sugar
- Avoid laxatives
- Take probiotics
- Learn to relax
Do you recognize yourself in some of the things I mentioned?
What do you do to avoid constipation?
