Constipation

[spicegirl]

Hi Shelley,

Here's what I've been doing lately:

A mug of warm water in the morning, followed by some warm lemon water (I've done this for a long time so it isn't new).

Things from your list to improve digestion.

As far as supplements, I've added probiotics, digestive enzymes, zinc, b100, vit c and a little magnesium citrate. I tried a cal/mag mix a while back, but it gave me leg cramps at night.

I eat what I call "quinoa pungal" which is quinoa and urad dal (soaked then cooked with the quinoa) with soaked nuts like pumpkin or walnuts, lots of ghee/oil, a bit of cooked apple, lots of cinnamon/spices, etc.

For lunch I have veggies and kichadi (again with lots of ghee/oil) for lunch with a tiny bit of protein. A protein shake (your recipe) as a snack and something really light for dinner like sauerkraut, or steamed veggies.

Since I've added kichadi/pungal I have not been having BMs. In a way, I feel like this could be psychological. That might sound crazy, but for so many years a friend of mine told me that she didn't "go" if she ate carbs that I feel as though I've become paranoid.

Am I missing something here? I know I need to add more things to my diet like cod liver oil (started yesterday), aloe (started today), fresh juice, etc. I'm doing that slowly, but gosh it takes time:)

I bought some benefiber to see if that helps, but I've just not tried it yet.

The thing is, I don't go at all unless I do an enema. And, if I try to take any type of aid like an herbal laxative or even triphala I get insatiably hungry the next day and can't stick to the eating plan.

I'm curious about your thoughts.

Thanks Shelley!
sg

[spicegirl]

Hi Shelley,

I hope you had a great weekend!

I think I might have been reacting to the nutritional yeast flakes. It seemed like when I added them I stopped going. Early on all seemed fine, but it was sometime down the line as I added things that I stopped having bowel movements.

I dug out my old blood test for food sensitivities and found that I responded very highly to brewer's yeast (I'd completely forgotten this).

I stopped the NYF and I made some Toor Dal and things started (slowly) moving again.

I'm not sure if this is it, so I'll be keeping an eye on it and I'll also continue to work on healing my gut.

Hugs!
sg

[shelley]

Some people are sensitive to yeast products. OH well! You can switch to a B complex and a multi-mineral instead. Sometimes refined synthetics are good.

[andrea2289]

Shelley had me start taking in more fat and it has worked wonders. I was worried about weight gain, so I usually just have it with a salad or over bowl of steamed veggies. I drizzle 2-4 tablespoons on. I know it sounds like a lot, but I has been amazing. I have a BM everyday that I do this, and I have struggled with constipation/laxative dependency for years.

I only take my extra fat with on meal, all my other meals, I have upped the fiber quite a bit. Adding a couple slices of Healthy Life Double Fiber Bread, or making it a point to keep a bean salad made up, etc...

It sounds so simple, but adding the oil really has worked wonders for me! Hope this helps you in some way

[spicegirl]

Hi Andrea,

Thanks for your very kind response. I was using tons of ghee and nothing. I concluded that it was a response to something besides just the nutr. yeast flakes (which were the highest allergen on my food allergy tests, but I forgot, duh).

Anyway, I have stopped just about everything and have slowly added things back. I suspect it was the lentils. That's the only thing I can come up with. So, I'm making my kichadi with rice or quinoa and peas right now.

Thanks again!
sg