Top foods, drinks that help ease constipation and support gut health

To manage constipation, ideally you need a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber, says expert

By Jancee Dunn

 

I usually open this newsletter with a personal story — but this week’s topic is constipation, so I’ll spare you. 

A lot of us fret about our regularity. But constipation is defined as fewer than three bowel movements a week, hard stool or difficulty passing stool. And at some point, it comes for most of us. 

If you’re worried about your constipation, it lasts for three months or longer, or if you have a significant change in your bowel movements, it’s best to see a doctor, said Dr. Lin Chang, professor of gastroenterology at UCLA. But if you’d simply like to get things moving, there are foods and drinks that can help. 

 

Start with fiber. 

Every expert I spoke with had some version of this advice: Dietary fiber is key. But only a few of us get the recommended amount: 21 to 38 grams a day, depending on your sex and age. 

To manage constipation, ideally you need a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber, said Ethan Balk, clinical associate professor of nutrition at NYU Steinhardt. He said to think of insoluble fiber as adding bulk, which pushes waste through the colon, and soluble fiber as creating a gel-like consistency that eases its passage. 

But if you’re adding fruits and vegetables to your regimen and your body is not used to it, you may experience bloating, pain or gas, Dr. Chang said. So it’s best to start slow, increase gradually and eat the foods you tolerate best. 

And if you’re building more fiber into your diet, drink more water, too; it helps the fiber do its job, Dr. Arthur Beyder, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic, said. 

The experts shared a few fiber-rich foods to help with constipation. 

Apples: A medium apple with the skin has nearly five grams of fiber, and it’s naturally high in a type of soluble fiber called pectin, which can help regulate bowel movements, Dr. Beyder said. 

Dr. Balk said apples keep him regular: “‘An apple a day’ really does ring true here.” 

Kiwi: This is one of Dr. Beyder’s go-to recommendations. In one study of 200 people, participants who ate two green kiwis a day — without the skin — had “significant and sustained” increases in bowel movements. 

Prunes: As a classic constipation reliever, prunes and prune juice “do the trick” for two reasons: fiber and sorbitol, Dr. Balk said. Prunes are high in sorbitol, a sugar alcohol found in some fruits that can produce a “laxative effect” by drawing water into the intestinal tract. 

Prune juice can be a tough sell, but Dr. Chang said that you could add some to a smoothie, “and you wouldn’t even know what it was.” 

Kale: Leafy greens are rich in the insoluble fiber that can speed transit in the gut, Dr. Balk said. A cup of cooked kale contains nearly six grams of fiber, and a small study found that daily kale consumption “significantly improved” bowel movements. 

He cautioned that adding green vegetables like kale to your diet might not work immediately, but you might notice more relief in the following days. “This is why it’s also recommended to eat these kinds of veggies regularly to help avoid and prevent backup,” Dr. Balk said. 

Oatmeal: This is another fiber-rich option, averaging four grams of fiber per serving. Oatmeal contains a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which can make stool easier to pass and promotes healthy gut bacteria. 

While everyone’s digestive system is different, Dr. Balk said, eating oatmeal does not have the more rapid effect that, say, prunes do. Instead, making it a morning habit provides “less immediate relief, more long-term prevention.”

You can also double the amount of fiber in your oatmeal by adding a half-cup of berries and a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds, Dr. Balk said. 

Coffee can get things going. 

Coffee contains only a little fiber, but it often makes you poop — though it’s not entirely clear why. It has over 1,000 chemical compounds, and there are “likely multiple mechanisms” for how coffee works, Dr. Beyder said. 

What is known is that coffee often acts quickly, stimulating the colon within four minutes, one study found. And if you are sensitive to caffeine, that same study found that decaffeinated coffee was also effective. 

Dr. Beyder told me that when his patients added a brief walk to their morning cup of joe, coffee was even more beneficial, “for reasons that we don’t quite understand,” he said. “But it will really get the ball rolling.” (And studies suggest that exercise can help constipation.) 

Even if you’re as regular as a clock, Dr. Beyder’s coffee-and-walk and Dr. Balk’s oatmeal with toppings sound like a pretty good way to start the day.