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Good Morning. My Question. Im A 21 Year Old College
Question: Good morning. My question.
Im a 21 year old college girl. I eat impeccably good, total balance diet from top to bottom. I eat 1200 calories a day, I drink 5 bottles of water a day. I drink 1 glass of cranberry juice daily. I eat 5 prunes a day. I can only have a bowel movement maybe every 4 days and that is after taking as many as 8 stool softners. This has been going on for a couple of years now. HELP?
Im a 21 year old college girl. I eat impeccably good, total balance diet from top to bottom. I eat 1200 calories a day, I drink 5 bottles of water a day. I drink 1 glass of cranberry juice daily. I eat 5 prunes a day. I can only have a bowel movement maybe every 4 days and that is after taking as many as 8 stool softners. This has been going on for a couple of years now. HELP?
Brief Answer:
need to increase fruit and vegetable intake
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Unfortunately the persistent use of stool softeners or other laxatives, can stop the bowel from working normally. Occasional use is okay but when they are used repeatedly then the normal contraction and movement of the bladder can be affected negatively- it can actually worsen constipation or cause it to persist, because the bowel is not dependent on them for action
The use of all the fluid that you are using is very good. Fiber is also very important for the bowel to work well. If it cannot be obtained from diet alone then a fiber supplement may be added eg benefiber, cetrucil, metamucil
At least 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily is the actual normal daily requirement, this means fruit or vegetables with main meals and snacks- eg cucumber, tomatoes, apples, grapes, increased prunes, can use cranberries instead of the juice (so get the fiber as well), broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, brussel sprouts, carrots,spinach, XXXXXXX artichokes, squash etc
There are a wide range of fruits and vegetables that can be used.
In addition to these, use whole grain products- whole grain pasta or bread or rice if you use any of these
Seeds are also full of fiber eg flax seeds, pumpkin seeds etc
If your fruit and vegetable intake is increased to the USDA recommendations, it may help with bowel movements.
If you increase it and you are still having problems then you may need to use one of the fiber supplements mentioned as well
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
need to increase fruit and vegetable intake
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Unfortunately the persistent use of stool softeners or other laxatives, can stop the bowel from working normally. Occasional use is okay but when they are used repeatedly then the normal contraction and movement of the bladder can be affected negatively- it can actually worsen constipation or cause it to persist, because the bowel is not dependent on them for action
The use of all the fluid that you are using is very good. Fiber is also very important for the bowel to work well. If it cannot be obtained from diet alone then a fiber supplement may be added eg benefiber, cetrucil, metamucil
At least 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily is the actual normal daily requirement, this means fruit or vegetables with main meals and snacks- eg cucumber, tomatoes, apples, grapes, increased prunes, can use cranberries instead of the juice (so get the fiber as well), broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, brussel sprouts, carrots,spinach, XXXXXXX artichokes, squash etc
There are a wide range of fruits and vegetables that can be used.
In addition to these, use whole grain products- whole grain pasta or bread or rice if you use any of these
Seeds are also full of fiber eg flax seeds, pumpkin seeds etc
If your fruit and vegetable intake is increased to the USDA recommendations, it may help with bowel movements.
If you increase it and you are still having problems then you may need to use one of the fiber supplements mentioned as well
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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