The most common mistake made by those suffering from constipation? Indulge in salad and fruit salads as if there were no tomorrow. It is true that the fibers favor the transit, but in case of irritable bowel they go dosate in an intelligent way.
Swollen belly and constipation: don’t overdo the fibers
“We are used to thinking that they should only be limited when suffering from diarrhea. But that’s not the case, ”explains Maurizio Vecchi, gastroenterologist at the Milan Polyclinic. «Even those who suffer from constipation and swelling should not exceed with the intake of fruit and vegetables, because their fibers trigger fermentation processes. And then they risk further compact the stool accentuating the problem “.
Swollen belly and constipation: the winning advice
The winning strategy is that of “drink a lot of water. Not only between meals but also while eating, in order to hydrate and soften the dietary fibers, favoring their transit in the intestine ». In this article you can find remedies and therapies for one stubborn constipation.
There are three types of constipation
“Constipation is not the same for everyone, there are three types” explains Silvio Danese, director of the Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Unit of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital in his book The belly knows (Sonzogno, 2020).
“A first type is defined “Colon inertia”. That is, a sluggish intestine, which contracts very slowly. The parts of food that are not digested remain for hours in the large intestine, the last tract, where water and micronutrients are absorbed and where waste products are eliminated with the evacuation. But if the bowel movement is too slow, food residues stop for a long time, water is absorbed more than it should and the stool is hard. It is constipation ».
“In other patients, this is not the origin of the problem. It happens that, in the final part of the digestive system, all muscles of the pelvis dedicated to the act of defecation do not behave synergistically. They are not coordinated ».
“In still other circumstances they may be both conditions are present. While the cause of the difficulty in going to the body – concludes the expert – is not yet well known in irritable bowel syndrome “