Diet and health
The bodily function defecation: excretion of waste, is seldom spoken about but sometimes people may experience infrequent bowel movements depending on their diet while others suffer from severe symptoms when they experience infrequent bowel movements. Constipation is the “infrequent or hard-to-pass bowel movements (meaning they are painful or have to strain), have hard stools, or feel like bowel movements are incomplete,” states the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Bowel movements are deemed infrequent when there are less than three times a week.
However, it is normal to have bowel movements, “not every day and not more than four times a day; this is diarrhea,” said Dr Desmond Brennan, medical doctor in north central Clarendon. “Bowel movements should not be hard, but continuous and full in texture; no pebbles – hard sections,” he added. Constipation is common in people of all ages and can be triggered by certain foods. Some examples are foods that lack fibre like red meat and dairy products. John Thomas (not his real name) recounts the few times he had constipation because of his diet. “When I am constipated, I notice that my intake would be something like too much meat or snacks,” he said.
But foods that are high in fibre can mitigate against frequent constipation in people. According to a manual produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) entitled “How to Increase Volume in Your Meals”, notes that “Fibre is a material found only in plant food; it is essentially the cell walls of plants. Our digestive systems cannot digest or break down fibre. For this reason, fibre is sometimes referred to as ‘bulk’ or ‘roughage’. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are all excellent sources of fibre.”
Other foods rich in fibre include vegetables and fruits. Fibre can be classified in the two groups, “soluble fibre is found mostly in legumes (beans), oatmeal, barley, broccoli, and citrus fruits. An especially rich source of soluble fibre is oat bran,” added the CDC manual. Furthermore, insoluble fibre “is found mostly in the skins of fruits and vegetables and in whole grain products and wheat bran, insoluble refers to the fact that this type of fibre cannot be dissolved by water,” states the CDC manual. Hence people who suffer from constipation, usually lack fibre because bowel movements need fibre to grip the waste matter.
Though rare, some constipation experiences are severe because of the effects. “The second to last time it happened it was so bad I encountered strains, bleeding, swelling and tears. I still have discomfort like soreness, itchiness, burning and swelling, sometimes,” said Shana Downer (not her real name), about her symptoms during constipation.
Downer had visited the doctor numerous times for the condition. The recommendation was that she sit over warm water and use ointment for her condition. She tries to consume fibre foods and fruits regularly, too. People must also consume “two portions of raw vegetables and the regular 6 to 8 glasses of water per day,” said Brennan.
