Other gastrointestinal health

Foods to Help You Go to the Toilet

Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: March 24, 2022
Foods to Help You Go to the Toilet

Difficulty defecating is a common condition for many people. Leading a sedentary lifestyle, drinking little water, general bad bathroom habits and low fiber intake are primarily responsible for constipation. One of the important factors to alleviate this problem is to change your diet to incorporate foods which will aid the situation, so on oneHOWTO we give a list of foods to help you go to the toilet that will help fight constipation and make you feel much better all round.

You may also be interested in: What to Do When You Have Food Poisoning

Contents

  1. Nuts
  2. High fiber vegetables
  3. Fresh fruit
  4. Whole grain
  5. Pulses
  6. Seeds
  7. Drinking coffee
  8. Reasons why you may not be able to go to the toilet

Nuts

Among the best foods to help you go to the toilet, are nuts like walnuts offering excellent fiber intake which regulates intestinal transit and improves stool frequency.

Peanuts, almonds, pistachios and walnuts are a great alternative. However it is important to remember that these products are high in healthy fat, so you only need to consume a handful daily, always in its natural presentation without added salt or sugar.

High fiber vegetables

Vegetables are great foods to help you go to the toilet, artichoke stands out among them with 10% fiber per 100 grams, broccoli, spinach, chard and carrots, which help to improve intestinal transit and make you feel much better.

Vegetables that you eat the skin of, such as courgette or aubergine, also offer a good amount of fiber.

Although it is technically not an edible vegetable, the juice or gel extracted from aloe vera is also a great source of fiber. Make yourself some aloe vera juice if you need to go to the toilet immediately.

Foods to Help You Go to the Toilet - High fiber vegetables

Fresh fruit

If you are looking for foods to help you go to the toilet regularly, then it is important to incorporate fresh fruits in your diet. Fruit is very rich in fiber, but there are certain ones that are higher than others. The highest fiber content is found in kiwi, berries such as raspberries or blackberries, bananas, pomegranate, oranges and plums.

Whole grain

Whole grains provide an important fiber intake for our diet so we should consume some daily if we want to improve intestinal transit. Rice, oats, birdseed, rye and oat bran are excellent alternatives that will help you go to the bathroom regularly.

Foods to Help You Go to the Toilet - Whole grain

Pulses

Legumes also stand out among foods to help you go to the toilet, thanks to their high fiber content they are very effective at treating constipation. Lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas or green beans are excellent alternatives to include in your diet.

Foods to Help You Go to the Toilet - Pulses

Seeds

Chia seeds are also a great source of fiber and can be added in many foods and dishes such as yogurt, pudding or cereal. Other useful seeds to help you go to the toilet are flaxseed, which has 27 gr fiber per 100 grams, and pumpkin seeds. Add the latter to salads, soups and other dishes in order to enjoy the benefits.

Drinking coffee

This may sound like a myth to many, but those who have tried drinking coffee to make you poop fast know that there is a lot of truth behind this theory. The fact is that coffee actually helps contract muscles in your colon, thus promoting bowel movements.

Foods to Help You Go to the Toilet - Drinking coffee

Reasons why you may not be able to go to the toilet

When searching for foods that make you go to the toilet, you should know that constipation can also be caused by food intolerance. According to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology[1], chronic constipation has been related to food intolerance. This is due to the inflammation of the rectum, which causes what is known as proctitis; one of the symptoms of which is constipation. Therefore, you should make sure you are not allergic or intolerant to certain foods you're consuming and may be causing constipation.

On the other hand, in A Study of the Lifestyle Factors Related to Constipation among Food Habits[2] found that certain habits make people more prone to constipation, those being the following:

  • Not eating breakfast
  • Drinking little water
  • Not exercising enough

By changing these lifestyle habits you will also find it easier to go to the toilet.

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to Foods to Help You Go to the Toilet, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.

Tips

  • The probiotics found in yogurt will also help you balance your intestinal flora and thus help you poop regularly.
References
  1. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00365520410009401
  2. https://www.koreamed.org/SearchBasic.php?RID=0106KJCN/2002.7.5.654&DT=1
Write a comment
What did you think of this article?
1 of 5
Foods to Help You Go to the Toilet