As you age, digestive issues become a real problem, and deep down you know that taking a laxative is not the long term answer. The older you get the fewer calories you consume, and fewer calories consumed means that you most likely aren’t getting enough fiber in your diet. For many people, getting enough fiber means irregularity. Health resources recommend 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories. The handout from my doctor suggested that 30 grams of fiber a day was a respectable goal.
Getting older people to eat properly is like pulling teeth, but taking pills and liquid supplements aren’t popular either. If you don’t want to pay big bucks for pills and other dietary supplements, you are going to have to resign yourself to getting fiber into your diet the natural way. Fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes are good sources of fiber, but keeping track of every bite can get a bit tricky at times so you may have to do a little research.
If you look around you will discover that manufacturers have thought of all kinds of sneaky ways to get fiber into your diet. If you look in the bread section of your favorite grocery store you will find a zillion different kinds of bread. Read the labels. You may have to resign yourself to paying $3 to $5 for a loaf of bread but you can find breads that are high in fiber. A Double Fiber variety can have as much as 9 Grams of fiber in each slice. A couple of slices of toast in the morning and you are better than half way there. You can also find cereals with 6-11 grams of fiber. They may be a little more expensive, but they are not nearly as expensive as taking supplements for the rest of your life. Believe me, your need for stool softeners and laxatives are going to decrease dramatically. A little more gas at first but your body will adjust to your new habits.
What happens when you don’t get enough fiber? A trip to the doctor is most likely. Constipation, Diverticulosis, Diverticulitis, and Polyps are common digestive complaints, and many of them can be managed by diet. Jennifer Sygo did an article on avoiding digestive issues and disease with roughage for the (National Post. Don Mills, Ont: June 16, 2009) that summed the problem up rather succinctly.
Most people associate decreased irregularity with getting older, but the fact is that it is the changes in eating habits, activity levels, and medications that are the culprits.
Not being able to go to the bathroom is problem enough but when symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting occur you have moved up to another level. A sluggish bowel causes pressure inside the large intestine. That build-up can cause pockets in the wall of the intestine, which are called diverticula (the condition is called diverticulosis). If you have been faithful with your colon screening exams your doctor has probably already told you that you have this. If pieces of undigested food get trapped in one of those pockets, it can cause a painful infection (diverticulitis). Can this prevented? Of course it can, the secret is fiber.
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