I often provide clients with a list of factors that can help ease constipation. As with most chronic wellbeing concerns, the antidote/s depend on the cause. And the cause depends on the context. What i mean is that we all have different life circumstances and different ways of responding to our circumstances according to our unique and inherited biological and psychological make-up. Basically, that’s a fancy way of saying that we are all different, and although there are many things that will help most people, the exact recipe will vary between people. Which is why we need to be advocates for ourselves and learn to tune in to our bodies.
For this Constipation series i will post a different ‘hack’ every two days (or three! Posting regularly has not been a strong point of mine…up until now…hopefully…).
Today…drum rolll…i discuss WATER
Good bowel movements need water, yet a vast majority of us do not prioritise hydration. Black tea and coffee don’t count as hydration because in most people they have a diuretic effect.
You can increase you intake of pure water incrementally. 3 litres is a gold standard, but many people only need 2.
Drinking in the morning is especially beneficial - room temperature or hot. You might have 2 medium glasses, then sip a herbal tea or hot water with lemon (great to stimulate stomach acid).
Try to drink in the morning before your first meal. Aim for 750mls to 1 litre between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner. Two glasses after dinner. OR brew a pot of strong chamomile and liquorice tea (either loose leaves, or add a couple of tea bags of each to a 3-4 cup teapot). These teas encourage the bowel to absorb water and eliminate completely when the need arises.
Some people find that they digest better when they do not take water with a meal. Others find the opposite. It’s probably fair to say that most of the water you consume is better to be between or before meals.
Minerals: For those of us who drink a lot but are prone to constipation, sometimes the body doesn’t hydrate the bowel, but eliminates it all through the urinary track. This may be due to a physiological tendency for the kidneys to work over time - perhaps you have an extra kidney (no jokes, I actually do!), or you are under more stress than usual. Getting in to some nitty gritties: many of us filter our water, because we don’t fancy drinking chlorine or fluoride (thyroid disruptors - maybe i’ll have to blog about that some time…). I often wonder about the mineral makeup of filtered water. WIthout getting too scientific, a simple way to combat this is to simply add extra minerals. Add a generous pinch of Himalayan salt to your water in the morning – but no need if you squeeze some lemon into your water. A fantastic mineral supplement is Biotrace CMD minerals (an excellent product, stocked by Arcadia Natural Health, Warkworth). You can add some drops (there are instructions on the back) to a cup of water (or to a quarter of a glass to scull it if you can’t stand the taste), or add some drops to your drink bottle (that isn’t made of plastic…). I tend to alternate between adding pink salt to my water bottle, or some mineral drops. This is especially worth doing when the weather is hot, or for keeping hydrated during/after exercise.
Adding minerals to my water literally changed my life. As i mentioned early, i have three kidneys. This has meant that my filtration system is highly efficient, but seems to need constant input. Using minerals has meant that on my most active days I may consume 2-3 litres less water than i would without them. Yes, you read that correctly. A couple of years ago, I spent a summer cleaning houses fulltime and found that i could drink up to 6 litres in a day, peeing every half hour and feeling utterly drained. I started to add minerals, and my drinking reduced by just udner half, as did the peeing! And i had far more energy. I wish i’d known about this sooner!
Remember, every one is different, and i know that some people can’t stand drinking in the evening because it means getting up to pee at night. I guess if you don’t feel the least bit thirsty in the evening, then don’t worry about drinking; If you are thirsty….add another 8 hours of no water to that and imagine trying to push out your morning poo…