Constipation, although sometimes an embarrassing topic, can be a big problem for many people. You know you’re having a problem with regularity when you can’t remember the last time you went! The trouble in a lot of these situations is that most people do not take in as much dietary fiber as they need to. The recommended amount of fiber is twenty grams per day. This is a lot! You may think that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables everyday would give what you need, but depending on the fruit or vegetable, the fiber content may be relatively low. For example, a piece of fruit may have only 3 or 4 grams of fiber. And since fruit is usually limited on most of our Hauser Diets, that just won’t cut it. Here are some recommendations on good food choices for each of the Hauser Diets. If regularity is a problem for you, try adding some of these to your daily diet!
Lions
We always tell the Lions that they need to make their carbs count! What we mean by that is, make them the highest fiber containing, most nutrient dense carbs you can. The foods that are highest in fiber are usually plant based foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains…all of which are limited (or eliminated like fruit) on the Lion Diet. For your allotted complex carbohydrates try eating a high fiber cereal in the morning like Kashi brand cereals. For your vegetables include spinach, broccoli, and collard greens on a regular basis. One food that is not limited on your diet but high in fiber is nuts, especially almonds. So use that as one of your snacks during the day to add a few grams! That still may not put you at the 20 grams you need, but there is an alternative, you can take fiber supplements. Try to take a natural supplement. Many of the over the counter ones have artificial sweeteners in them! Benuts.com has a couple of good ones!
Otters
Although similar to the Lion, Otters are not as bad off when it comes to getting their fiber in. The plant foods are still limited, but not as much so as the Lion. For one you can eat a little bit of fruit and the amount of vegetables and carbs are increased. Throwing on a ½ cup of black or garbanzo beans to a salad can bump you up as much as 8 grams! Having an apple, pear, or ½ cup of berries for your fruit during the day would give you the most bang for your buck in the fruit category! If it still isn’t adding up for you, get on a natural fiber supplement.
Bears
Because of the variety involved in the Bear Diet, it may be easy to be inconsistent with fiber intake. Although fruits are not an abundant part of the Bear Diet, you should be able to get in 20 grams by eating the proper grains and vegetables. Choosing high fiber bread, which means 4 or more grams per slice, for your sandwiches, and having whole grain rice instead of white with your stir fry is a good start! If you only have carrots and tomatoes for your vegetables, you may not be cutting it with fiber, go with veggies like eggplant and swiss chard.
Monkeys
You should not need a fiber supplement, if you make the right choices. Get in the proper amount of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Don’t just fill up on simple carbs! This means avoiding the white breads and juices. Yes, these are allowed, but if they’re taking away from the nutrients you need it’s time to tone it down a bit. This way you will be getting the right amount of fiber. Instead of a glass of vegetable juice, eat the real thing! By doing this you should be as regular as can be!
Giraffes
Of all the Hauser Diets this is the one that, when eating the proper foods, should be the most regular of them all. Giraffes are allowed the most of all the fiber rich foods, just don’t take it for granted. Look at your labels and see if the cereal or bread you’re having in the morning has less than 4 grams of fiber. List out your vegetables for the day to see if it’s all cucumbers and celery. If this is the case you’re going to need to step it up a notch. Get out the bran cereal, bulk up those salads with some broccoli and load up on the lentils. Just adding those few things should get you where you need to be.
Drinking plenty of water is also important. Water helps to soften your stools. Fiber acts a lot like a sponge. It needs water to help cleanse our systems. Without water, our bowels would turn hard and make us constipated. A high-fiber diet with plenty of water causes a large, soft, bulky stool that passes through the bowel easily and quickly. Because of this action, digestive tract disorders may be avoided or halted by following a high-fiber diet. A softer, larger stool helps prevent constipation and straining. This can help avoid or relieve hemorrhoids. More bulk means less pressure in the colon, which is important in the treatment of conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Fiber has also been shown to be helpful in relationship to diabetes and elevated cholesterol.
