Source: indianexpress.com
“A healthy balanced diet with proper hydration along with adequate fibre (25-30 grams) in a day coupled with regular physical activity can also help prevent constipation,” said Deepti Khatuja, a dietitian
Constipation, which occurs when the waste moves slowly through the digestive system, makes it difficult to pass stools or leads to dry stools, or pain while passing stools. As such, if experienced on a daily basis, it can cause a lot of discomfort and uneasiness. In fact, chronic constipation or having less than three bowel movements in a week, can affect not only your daily routine but can also hamper your mood. But, according to experts, you do not need to rely on laxatives for relief — the solution to chronic constipation lies in a juicy, tropical fruit. Find out what it is below.
“The most common causes of constipation include diets that are low in fibre, a sedentary lifestyle, dehydration, ignoring urges to go to the bathroom, and certain medications,” Shikha Kumari, a dietitian, wrote on Instagram, adding, ” If you want to throw the laxatives out of the window and go for natural remedies, try eating some pineapple for your constipation.”
Suggesting that eating pineapples or drinking fresh pineapple juice are some of the best ways to treat constipation naturally, the expert added: “This is a delicious way to gain many wonderful health benefits, including making your bowel movements regular and smooth. There is nothing better than a bowl of fresh pineapple or pineapple juice first thing in the morning to help ease constipation.”
Pineapple is rich in fibre, making it an effective natural remedy for constipation. However, she added that the fruit can also be dehydrating and recommended: “drink plenty of water after you have the fruit or juice”. “Water is also important when you want relief from constipation, and hence, a combination of fruit and water does you a lot of good,” wrote Kumari.
Agreed dietitian Deepti Khatuja and told insianexpress.com that pineapple primarily contains “81.2 to 86.2 per cent moisture. which is helpful in preventing conditions such as constipation, dehydration, etc. Of 13-19 per cent total solids, sucrose, glucose and fructose are the main components.”
“Pineapple has up to 2-3 per cent fibre content, of which crude fibre — which adds bulk to the meal and hence is helpful in relieving constipation — is more. Of the organic acids, citric acid is the most abundant in it. The pulp has very low ash content, nitrogenous compounds and lipids (0.1 per cent). Further, 25-30 per cent of the nitrogenous compounds are true proteins. Out of this proportion, 80 per cent has proteolytic activity due to a protease known as ‘Bromelain’ which is helpful in digestion of protein components,” Khatuja explained.
According to Khatuja, when had in the required amounts, pineapple can also help in building the body’s immunity as it is a good source of vitamin C.
“A healthy balanced diet with proper hydration along with adequate fibre (25-30 grams of total fibre) in a day coupled with regular physical activity can also help prevent constipation,” said Khatuja.
