Quit your pushing: A cutting-edge guide to constipation

Here’s an update to an earlier Wheat Belly Blog discussion about constipation. I really don’t like talking about constipation, since it makes me wonder whether I’m starting down that inevitable decline towards the day when all I want to talk about is having a “good bowel movement.” But the C word–constipation–continues to come up regularly when people go wheatless and grainless. “Won’t I lack fiber?” many ask. For example, in response to the Wheat Belly Blog post, The Wheat-free “Movement,” Janne posted this comment: I am very happy on a no-wheat regimen but I wish I knew what I should do to add enough fiber to my diet. I am not quite on the verge of constipation. When I ate lots of whole grains (I haven’t touched refined grains in years), I would have easy daily bowel movements. I am still going daily but it’s not as ‘easy.’ I eat lots of vegetables. What am I doing wrong? Granted: Wheat products are a convenient source of indigestible fiber. But the idea that you must have whole grains from wheat to obtain sufficient fiber is pure fiction. There are plenty of other foods that are rich in fiber. The “fiber for bowel health and regularity” is really a message that has been hijacked by the grain industry. The original observations and science that demonstrated the benefits of fiber focused on the fibers from vegetables, fruit, non-grain seeds, nuts, and legumes–not the cellulose ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle bowel habits constipation fiber magnesium microbiota prebiotics probiotics Source Type: blogs