Constipation is most commonly caused by an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Make sure you eat enough whole grain foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and other high-fiber foods to make sure you're getting at least 20 grams of fiber each day if you're a woman, 30 grams if you're a man. At the same time, drink plenty of water throughout the day and, while symptoms are present, limit foods that provide little or no fiber, such as meat and cheese.
Whole Grains
When wheat is processed to make all-purpose or white flour, the fiber-rich bran and germ are removed from the plant. That's why white flour and any products made with white flour, such as pasta, breads and other baked goods, are comparatively low in fiber. Whole-wheat flour, on the other hand, is made with unrefined grain that still has the bran and germ intact.
Other foods included in the high-fiber, whole grain category are brown and wild rices, barley, oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, popcorn and white whole-wheat products made with an albino form of whole wheat. Read the labels on cereals, baked goods, pastas and other grain products to find options that provide at least three grams of fiber in a serving.
Fruits and Vegetables
All fresh fruits and vegetables provide fiber, but some are better sources than others. Fresh fruits that are especially high in fiber include apples, pears, berries, citrus and kiwi. Dried fruits such as apricots raisins, figs, dates and prunes are also high in fiber.
High-fiber vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, winter squash and pumpkin, green peas, peppers and greens of all types including spinach, kale and collard greens.
Legumes
Fresh beans such as edamame (green soybeans), fava beans and lima beans; dried beans such as black beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas and garbanzo beans; and other legumes like lentils and split peas are all rich in insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is the type of indigestible fiber that helps keep food moving through the digestive tract.
Probiotic Yogurts
Yogurts that contain the live culture bifadobacterium, or bifidus regularis, can help regulate the digestive system and shorten the time it takes for food to move through the gastrointestinal tract. The result for people with constipation may be less abdominal discomfort and more frequent bowel movements.
Water
To help prevent dehydration, move food through the digestive tract and accommodate increased amounts of fiber in your diet, always drink water with and between meals. Soups, juices and semi-liquid foods such as yogurt, smoothies and watery fruits and vegetables also contribute fluids to the diet.
