What can you do to avoid constipation?

Around 20% of the population in our country suffers from constipation. Going to the toilet once or twice a day is essential to maintain our health.

Intestinal elimination is the process by which substances that cannot be assimilated by the body are expelled to the outside world. However, in the case of constipation, waste products can be reabsorbed into the bloodstream, overloading the organs of elimination such as the liver or kidneys.

Constipation also has consequences on the appearance of our skin, which is cleaner when there is regular transit, and on our mood.

Depression seems to be associated with constipation. Low serotonin levels can cause constipation, just as they have a direct relationship with depressive processes.

On an emotional level constipation is also related to a tendency in the person to hold on to, to hold on to, to not be able to let go or to be unable to let go of material things, relationships or emotions?

If you are usually constipated, look at what you have trouble letting go of in your life and work on trust, letting go of what you no longer need, breaking ties that don't satisfy you and letting go...

On an energetic level constipation indicates an excess of contractive and retentive energy, so eating yang foods, which tighten, contract and dry out, will worsen the symptoms. Avoid meats, sausages, baked goods, excess salt and astringent foods such as persimmons or quince.

At the dietary level is generally associated with a diet low in fibre, lacking in wholegrain foods and rich in refined foods. Lack of hydration can also be a cause of constipation, as can insufficient bile, which is essential for digesting fats and speeding up intestinal transit.

What can you do?

In your diet:

• Eat fibre-rich wholegrain foods: brown rice, quinoa, millet, barley, buckwheat, etc. .... alternate them and try to include them daily.

• Increase the amount of fibrous leafy gre ens such as kale, collards and other cabbage. Also include vegetables such as carrots, turnips and pumpkins in their skins.

• Include foods rich in mucilage: flax seeds, chia seeds or seaweed, especially kombu, wakame and agar agar. Mucilage stimulates peristaltic movement and is a prebiotic that will feed the gut bacteria.

• • Soak flax and chia seeds to form mucilage. 1 s.c. per day of one or the other will suffice.

• • Incorporate kombu agave in cooking pulses and wakame in your soups and broths. Use 1 cm of seaweed per person.

• • Agar agar is one of the best foods to help regulate constipation. Hydrate the seaweed and incorporate it into your salads or make jellies with juices of your choice.

• • Agar agar tea, which you can drink before a meal or late in the evening, is an effective remedy. You will find the recipe at the end of the article

• • Introduce acidic flavours to stimulate bile secretion: kiwi works wonders. You can also incorporate hepatic-biliary herbs such as boldo, milk thistle or artichoke in your infusions. The umeboshi plum is a great ally for toning up your liver and stimulating the gallbladder. You can take half a teaspoon of the paste or half a plum before meals.

• • Remember to use warming and activating spices such as ginger, turmeric or a quality curry that will stimulate peristaltic movement and add flavour to your dishes.

• • Increase your fluid intake: broths, herbal teas, water. It is not necessary to force yourself, however, observe and listen to your body, often the sensation of hunger is confused with the need to drink. Start the day with a glass of lukewarm water or, even better, a miso broth, you will see the difference.

• • Drink a kuzu drink daily: Kuzu is an intestinal regulator, it helps with both constipation and diarrhoea. In any case, try it for a couple of days and see how it feels. Kuzu is a resistant starch that feeds the good intestinal bacteria and improves your microbiota.

• • To prepare, dissolve 1 tbsp. of kuzu in a little cold water, add it to a saucepan of water or kukicha tea and bring to the boil until it begins to thicken slightly and becomes translucent. You can also add umeboshi paste to the drink.

In your daily life:

• • Get some form of exercise. A sedentary lifestyle and constipation are directly related. Physical activity helps to improve constipation of any kind, so put on your trainers and take a daily walk or play your favourite sport regularly.

• • Take deep breaths. Full breaths, in which we move the diaphragm widely downwards, produce a massage in the intestines that stimulates intestinal transit. The so-called "abdominal breaths" are the ones that can help you the most.

• • Massage your intestines. If you practice daily exercise and breathing, you probably don't need to massage your abdomen. In any case, a simple massage in our abdominal area not only stimulates intestinal transit, but also allows us to get in touch with ourselves, making us aware of how we are.

• • Apply ginger compresses to the abdomen. Applying hot towels that have been soaked in an infusion of ginger water is a simple and pleasant treatment that helps to significantly improve constipation.

Home remedies:

Agar agartea

• • Heat 1 cup of water in a saucepan with 1 teaspoon of agar agar flakes.
  • Cook over low heat, stirring continuously until the flakes have dissolved.
  • Hot take.

Article written by Isabel Moreno, Macrobiotic Consultant and creator of Macrosano