How to Combat Constipation on Atkins

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Eat your vegetables.

   Though the Atkins Diet limits your intake of fruits and starchy vegetables, you can eat non-starchy vegetables, as long as you still count your carbohydrates.
   
   In fact, in the first phase, most of your carbohydrates should come from non-starchy vegetables, up to 20 grams of net carbohydrates a day.Vegetables are one of the best ways to get fiber into your diet.
   
   You should try to construct half of your plate with vegetables.
   
   Some non-starchy vegetables you can eat include broccoli, celery, pea pods, lettuce and other greens, mushrooms, radishes, and rutabagas.
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   Step 2: Add wheat bran.

   Wheat bran is another good source of fiber.
   
   You can use this supplement by sprinkling on the top of salads.
   
   You can also add it in to whatever dish you're eating.You should get at least 25 grams of fiber if you're an adult woman and 36 if you're an adult man, with adult being from age 19-50.
   
   However, more fiber will not negatively impact your health.You can also get fiber from eating oats, wheat, and unmilled rice. , The Atkins Diet recommends drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day to help maintain a regular regimen.
   
   Water helps with constipation by keeping stools looser.The Institute of Medicine recommends that men drink at least 13 cups of water a day, while women should drink at least
   9., You can count caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and diet soda as part of your water intake.However, too much caffeine can make you crave sugar, which is off-limits on the Atkins Diet, so limit your intake of caffeinated beverages., For instance, spinach and cucumbers are high in water, so they can help keep you hydrated.They're also non-starchy, so they're approved for the Atkins Diet., The Atkins Diet prefers that you skip fruits and starchy vegetables, especially for the first few weeks.However, you can add certain non-starchy vegetables to water to flavor it, such as slices of cucumber.You can also use flavor packets sweetened with sucralose or saccharine.
   
   However, you do need to count these packets as a gram of carbohydrates because of the fillers in these types of sweeteners., Getting enough exercise can help move things along in your digestive track.
   
   Try to exercise a little bit everyday, say 20 to 30 minutes at least.In total, you should be getting about 150 minutes of exercise every week, including some strength exercises like lifting weights or abdominal exercises., In addition, she can help you determine how often you should take a supplement.
   
   Try psyllium fiber.
   
   Psyllium fiber is made from the husks surrounding the psyllium seeds.
   
   It is soluble in water.Mix a tablespoon or so in a glass of water, and drink the mixture.
   
   You can drink this solution once a day.Be sure to get the ground kind so that it dissolves easily.
   
   You should be able to find this supplement at health food stores.
   
   Use ground flaxseed.
   
   Ground flaxseed is an excellent source of fiber.
   
   You can add this supplement to any number of dishes.
   
   Try mixing it into a low-carbohydrate protein shake or mixing it into ground beef.Use laxatives.
   
   If you only have constipation once in a while, you can take laxatives to help yourself go to the bathroom.
   
   You have your choice of several over-the-counter laxatives to help with your situation.Use a stool softeners.
   
   These loosen up your feces by drawing more water into them.
   
   In turn, the looser feces make it easier for you to go to the bathroom.
   
   A couple of examples of this type of laxative are Colace and Surfak.Another type of laxative is a lubricant.
   
   Mineral oil is an example of this type.
   
   Lubricants are just what they sound like; they coat your colon and enable feces to pass more easily.You can also use milk of magnesia and lactulose, that are designed to help you pass feces by increasing liquid/moisture in your colon., Studies have shown that probiotics can help decrease constipation.
   
   In fact, taking such a supplement can decrease how long it takes for food to go through your system.
   
   It also softens stools and will up the number of times you go to the bathroom per day to two or more
   -- adjust your supplements if it is too often or inconvenient.Look for the probiotic supplement of L-plantarum (Lactobacillus-plantarum).
   
   It helps to maintain intestinal health.It suppresses flatulence by decreasing the growth of other kinds of bacterium producing gas in the intestines and may have benefit in some patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and colitis.Plantarum has been found in experiments to increase hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor which means L. plantarum may have a beneficial role in the treatment of depression.Antimicrobial property:
   The ability of L. plantarum to produce antimicrobial substances helps them survive in the gastro-intestinal tract of humans.
   
   The antimicrobial substances produced have shown significant effect on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
   
   Activity against HIV viral infection, the gut has been found to be a prime center of immune activity.
   
   L. plantarum is able to reduce and resolve inflammation, accelerating gut repair within hours.Bifidobacterium, also tend to help.
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   Step 3: Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

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   Step 4: Don't drink too much caffeine.

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   Step 5: Eat non-starchy vegetables with high water intake.

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   Step 6: Try flavored water.

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   Step 7: Exercise regularly.

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   Step 8: Ask your doctor before starting any supplement.

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   Step 9: Try taking a probiotic in capsules that dissolve in the intestines (do not digest in the stomach which would kill active beneficial-bacteria).

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