The current pace of life is very demanding and causes us to constantly accelerate, causing our mind and body to maintain different rhythms. On the other hand, stress and diet are also factors that make our body increasingly lag behind, causing difficulties and pathologies such as constipation.
What is constipation?
Surely, at some point in our lives, we have all suffered from constipation, that is, that feeling of not being able to evacuate stools in an easy way, either due to lack of intestinal mobility, stool hardening or damage or difficulty in the final evacuation.
We should go to the toilet every day between 1 and 2 times, although some difficulty should not alarm us.
Depending on the cause, we can talk of specific or chronic constipation, the first one being something associated with a secondary or temporary factor (adhesions, diverticulosis, taking medication) and the second one when this constipation is derived from a physiological dysfunction or bad hygienic habits -diet (lack of intestinal motility, diet low in fiber or sedentary lifestyle).
When constipation becomes chronic, it causes a longer stay of stool in the intestine, favoring rotting processes and uncontrolled biological fermentation, which can cause discomfort such as bloating, flatulence, heaviness, etc.
How to know if I suffer from constipation?
Basically because we will have difficulty evacuating the stool, which will have a hard consistency, and a continued sensation of incomplete evacuation. In addition, an infrequent bowel movement, less than 3 times a week, can also be associated with constipation.
Solutions – What is the difference between a laxative and a regulator of intestinal transit?
It is important to be clear about this concept because they are two totally different products. A regulator of intestinal transit facilitates evacuation in a natural way, according to the physiological need of the body. On the other side, a laxative always accelerates the normal functioning of intestinal transit and / or defecation, either by increasing the volume or by lubricating the fecal content. This alteration can cause adverse effects or habituation, that is, you cannot go to the toilet without the help of laxative.
Laxatives are:
- Short term solutions
- Irritant solutions
- They generate dependency and habituation
The importance of probiotics, prebiotics and fiber
The best way to deal with chronic constipation in a physiological way is by acquiring adequate hygienic-dietary habits that favor the progressive activation of intestinal motility. Second, it is also important to improve the body’s biological digestion.
The intestinal microbiota, which is the determining factor in this biological digestion, is made up of microorganisms that live in balance with humans and make the digestive tract their natural habitat. When this balance is broken, processes of hyper permeability and intestinal inflammation appear and in the long run can lead to poor-quality stools and chronic constipation.
Integrity of the intestinal mucosa
One of the main consequences of constipation and intestinal fermentation is the irritation and loss of structure of the intestinal mucosa, directly affecting its functionality.
It is also important to control the inflammation of the mucosa to avoid those symptoms of bloating, abdominal pain and hyper permeability.
What steps can we take to avoid constipation?
Diet habits:
- Eat foods with fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole foods, and a high fluid intake throughout the day. In addition to reducing the consumption of alcohol, red meat, fat and sweets.
Physical habits:
- Walking daily or doing exercises that involve the abdominal muscles
Bowel habits:
- Get the body used to evacuate at the same time of day avoiding sudden changes in eating habits, in terms of hours and types of food.
- Go to the toilet when needed in a relaxed way.
The best would be to incorporate these measures in our daily life and, if necessary, support the process with the use of food supplements such as intestinal transit regulators.
If you want more information about constipation and how to solve it, you can consult our free ebook by clicking here.
