Supplement for Constipation

[Wendy34]

Prior to the W30, I would occassionally take an herbal supplement to assist with constipation.  On Day 8 of my W30 and my BM's are far and few in between.  Would it be okay to continue with the supplement? The ingredients seem compliant:

 

Dr. Schulze's Intestinal Formula #1

Curacao and Cape Aloe Leaf, Senna leaf and pod, Cascara Sagrada aged bark, Oregon Grape Root, Hawaiian yellow ginger root, garlic bulb, and habanero pepper.  OTHER: cellulose

 

Thanks!

[Tom Denham]

You can. 

 

I would rather know about the composition, size, and frequency of your meals, the amount of water you are drinking and what you mean by far and few in between. You should not need a supplement on an ongoing basis. 

[Wendy34]

Thanks for the feedback Tom.  I'm eating 3 meals a day and preWO and PostWO when applcable.  For example here's what I had yesterday.

 

Meal 1: egg casserole (w/onions, spinach, tomatoes, ground beef), 1/2 avocado, homemade chimichurri sauce, black coffee

 

Meal 2: shredded beef, mashed cauliflower, sautéed kale & tomatoes (in EVOO)

 

PreWO: 3 hardboiled eggs (whites only)

 

PostWO: 2 slices of organic deli turkey

Meal 3: 1/2 sweet potato w/ground beef, 1/2 avocado, handful of cherry tomatoes, organic green chile salsa

 

Drinking about 90 oz of water/day

 

I have a BM about every other day, sometimes 2 days.  Also, been experiencing a lot of gas since the onset of my W30. 

[littleg]

Magnesium?  There are some unflavored (thus stevia free) varieties out there.  Helps you sleep too

[missmary]

I would not use a senna based supplement, as that can cause dependency. Littleg's magnesium recommendation is a good one.

 

In addition to that, you might consider digestive enzymes with your meals to help as you transition to this way of eating.

 

 

 

Off topic: but I noticed you are eating hard boiled egg whites pre-workout. Why? PRE-workout you want protein and fat. A whole egg provides this, whites alone do not. It is POST-workout when you might consider just eating egg whites. The recommendation there is protein and optional carb, low fat.

[Mindy5]

I am finding certain foods help my system.

Last fall, I was having a problem and learned what was normal for me, was not so normal. I apparently have been constipated all my life. I was going every 2-3 days, sometimes less. I started eating 6 ounces of blueberries every day and that got things moving. I tried other foods as well, but blueberries have been the best.

Since I've been doing the Whole30, I wasn't eating as many blueberries. Not good for me, however I discovered that kabocha and butternut squash are also super beneficial for my system, maybe even better than the blueberries.

Perhaps finding the food that works for you can be beneficial. Good luck!

[marihugo]

hi! I ´m having trouble with my BM too! It ´s been a week and nothing!! Can I have Konsyl Psyllium Husk?? it contains Psyllium Husk 95% and maltodextrin 5%, it ´s the only thing that helps me! The doctor prescribed when I had trouble!! Is it ok?? Thanks a lot!!

PS: I ´ve been having tons of veggies and still waiting...

[ladyshanny]

Hi marihugo,

Maltodextrin is not approved on Whole30 however doctor's orders trump Whole30 every time. If your doctor prescribed it and you feel you must take it then that's your answer.

However, there are a great deal of natural solutions that you could try in lie of your psyllium supplement. Google "Whole30 Constipation" for a wealth of forum threads, discussions and information.

This post from Robin is an excellent summary: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/6293-tmi-postconstipation-help/?p=59382 and actually that whole thread has wonderful information in it.

[AwksIrishGirl]

Do you think you might be having trouble with FODMAPs? I'm not sure if your constipation is bad enough to be IBS, but for me cutting FODMAPs out of my diet makes things run a lot smoother! So you could try leaving out the onion, chimichurri (if it contains garlic) and avocado for a while and see how it goes! (It's not recommended if you don't suffer from IBS though.)

[missmary]

Can I have Konsyl Psyllium Husk?? it contains Psyllium Husk 95% and maltodextrin 5%, it ´s the only thing that helps me!

 

There are lots of reasons I wouldn't recommend psyllium,* but if you are certain it's the only thing that works and you feel you need it, look for a variety without maltodextrin. It is readily without this sweetener.

 

*Two primary ones: it often makes matters worse, rather than better. If it does make things better, it is because it is so irritating to the colon that it forces evacuation--so your digestive system is "cleared out" but even more irritated and inflamed than before, causing even more problems moving forward.

[marihugo]

hello! I feel terrible, I did have the psyllium last night ´cause I hadn ´t been to the toilet in 7 days and I felt I was about to explode! I feel I cheated! I ´ll try with plums next time, not with the psyllium! Right here in Argentina the one we get has got the maltodextrin.