Most raw-foods diets advocate an eating plan that's at least 75 percent composed of raw foods. The premise of a raw diet is that enzymes are lost during cooking, which can affect your health. Some use a raw diet for weight loss or weight maintenance. Because raw foods like fruits and vegetables have a significant amount of fiber, they can cause symptoms if your body is not accustomed to eating high-fiber foods.
Constipation Significance
Constipation is a condition in which you experience difficult or infrequent bowel movements. This condition most commonly develops when you have not taken in enough fluids or do not have enough fiber in your diet, or your intestinal muscles are not working properly. Your stomach might become bloated or gassy until it adjusts to the increased raw-food intake. But constipation typically is caused by a lack of fiber, not the presence of it.
Raw Foods Recommended
When it comes to your health and constipation, raw foods are recommended to alleviate constipation. Raw foods like fruits and vegetables have insoluble fiber. This fiber adds bulk to the stool, helping it move through the intestines. Therefore, insoluble fiber found in raw foods can help to reduce constipation, not contribute to it.
Considerations
If you are not following a raw-foods diet, it's a good idea to introduce it slowly, not all at once. This is because abruptly adding fiber to your diet can cause gas to develop in your stomach and intestines. Add one to two servings of high-fiber raw foods to your diet. Continue eating this for three to four days, and then incorporate one to two additional servings. Follow this pattern until you are fully on your raw-foods diet.
Fluids Importance
When you are eating a raw-foods diet, fluid intake is important, as it can prevent abdominal symptoms like cramping, bloating and gas. Drinking at least eight cups of fluids per day can bind with the increased fiber from a raw-foods diet, helping stool move through your intestines. If you don't drink enough fluids, this can contribute to constipation, regardless of the foods you eat.
References
- Ask the Dietitian; Fiber & Constipation; Joanne Larsen, M.S., R.D., L.D.; 2009
- University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; Preventing Constipation; 2005
- MayoClinic.com; Constipation; January 2011
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Constipation; July 2007
- Live Science; The Raw Food Diet: A Raw Deal; Christopher Wanjek; July 2006
- Every Diet: Raw Food Diets
