Constipation is one of the most widespread digestive problems. In industrialized countries, around 28 percent of people are affected. Would you count yourself among them? Intestinal constipation is generally more difficult to recognize than you might think. First of all, you need to know what is normal.

What does the ideal stool look like?

Many of our customers have been suffering from this all their lives and don't even know that others go to the toilet every day. That's no wonder. People don't like to talk about digestion, not even among close friends or relatives, so many don't know what is normal.

Ideally, you should have a bowel movement every day, even two or three times. The stool should be soft but still formedand slide into the toilet without straining. Bowel movements should be completely painless. In addition, it should not emit any unpleasant odors or leave any traces in the toilet bowl.

A meal takes between 12 and 24 hours to be fully digested and the leftovers excreted. You can easily test how long it takes for you by eating a generous portion of corn. The husks are not digested and excreted, are large and visible to the naked eye. After your corn meal, see how long it takes until you see them again.

Why is constipation a problem?

First of all, constipation can of course be very unpleasant, although there are also many people who are not very bothered by it. Nevertheless, most people feel... well, constipated at some point.

But constipation also has health consequences. Waste products are removed with the stool. In addition to fiber, these include toxins and waste products excreted by the liver via the bile, spent hormones and dead microbes. These substances should be removed from the body as quickly as possible.

If they sit in the intestine for a long time, toxins, old hormones or cholesterol, for example, can be reabsorbed and re-enter the bloodstream. The residues of bile acid in the stool can irritate the intestinal wall and make it permeable and susceptible to infections and inflammation.

The longer the stool remains in the large intestine, the more water is removed from it. As a result, the stool becomes even drier and bowel movements even more difficult, possibly even painful.

For all those who prefer listening to reading, I am happy to recommend my popular Darmglück podcast. With lots of exciting health topics, tips and tricks for a healthy lifestyle in everyday life and a balanced diet. Listen to episode 85 What to do about constipation now:

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What can you do about constipation?

The two most common causes of constipation are lack of water and lack of exercise.

Prevent a lack of water

First of all, you should make sure you drink enough fluids, preferably in the form of water or herbal tea.

Fresh vegetables and fruit contain a lot of water and also valuable fiber, which I will come back to later.

It used to be said that coffee and black tea had a dehydrating effect. This is now outdated. Both are part of your fluid intake, but of course they should not be consumed on their own. On the contrary, the vast majority should be pure water.

Exercise stimulates digestion

During sport, but also during "normal" walking, the movement of the body also moves the bowels, which can help with intestinal sluggishness. There are even special yoga exercises that "massage" the intestines and promote peristalsis.

Peristalsis is the intestine's own movement. From the oesophagus to the anus, the entire digestive tract is surrounded by muscles that alternately contract and relax, pushing our food through the digestive tract.

Yes, even in the oesophagus these muscles come into play, because our food - even liquids - do not simply fall into the stomach by gravity, but are gradually "passed on". This is why you can even drink through a "tube" when standing on your head, for example.

Dietary fiber loosens the stool

In the past, dietary fiber was considered a useless component of food, as we cannot digest it and it is almost completely excreted. Hence the term "ballast".

Today we know what they do: dietary fibres feed our good bacteria, which use them to produce additional energy (calories), certain vitamins (B group and vitamin K) and short-chain fatty acids.

They also soak up cholesterol in the intestine like a sponge and take it out with them. Important for constipation: Dietary fiber gives the stool more volume. Soluble fiber absorbs water, which makes the stool softer. The larger volume and softer consistency allow the intestinal peristalsis to have a better "grip", and so the muscles can push the stool along better.

After these findings, the substances were renamed "fibers". "Dietary fiber" still persists.

Foods rich in fiber are fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, legumes, nuts and seeds as well as whole grains. However, I'm not a big fan of whole grains, as they contain even more anti-nutrients than grains already do. Animal foods contain no fiber.

To get your gut moving, you should include fiber-rich foods in your diet every day. However, cereals and pulses can be problematic if the gut is affected, and dried fruit contains a lot of sugar. That's why it can make sense to supplement your diet with a good product. I prefer to recommend acacia fibers, as they are non-bloating (more on this below). Our top seller Acacia Fiber Powder Grow is popular.

Fruits and vegetables still contain enough fiber, and a gut-friendly diet should not affect bowel transit time. Half of your plate should be covered with vegetables at every meal.

With exercise, adequate hydration and a diet consisting of real, high-fiber diet, the problem of constipation can be solved for the vast majority of people. If this is not enough, there are other options.

Other constipation remedies

Soluble fiber intake

Soluble fiber - that is, fiber that absorbs water well - is found in flaxseed, hempseed, chia seed and acacia fiber. You can stir them into muesli or soup or sprinkle them over your food. It may be advisable to build up the amount slowly, as too much at once can cause bloating and cramps.

If you opt for acacia fiber (which is very absorbent), start with very little and increase the dose slowly, up to a teaspoon per meal (max. 10 g per day).

You can take up to 1 to 2 tablespoons of the other seeds per day. Make sure you continue to drink enough. If there is no water for soluble fiber to soak up, it can exacerbate the problem.

Protect your gut flora

You have far more microorganisms in your gut than you have cells of your own. The balance between the different species plays an important role in a healthy gut.

An imbalance (dysbiosis) can cause all kinds of symptoms, including constipation. Probiotics (lactic acid bacteria) are live bacterial cultures that temporarily support your own intestinal flora like a crutch until it has recovered.

In contrast, prebiotics are the food for bacteria - your own as well as externally supplied.

Probiotic foods are fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi or kombucha. You can buy them or make them yourself. It is important not to heat them, as this would kill the valuable bacterial cultures.

If you have chronic problems, it may also be advisable to buy a good probiotic product in powder form. We offer high-quality food supplements without artificial additives such as our Arktibiotic Premium or Arktibiotic Select.

Prebiotics are dietary fibers (see above), which you can find in acacia fibers, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, garlic, onions, artichokes, chicory, mushrooms and green bananas.

The role of magnesium

Magnesium is often recommended when someone complains of constipation. There are, of course, reasons for this:

Peristalsis relies on muscles, and muscles need magnesium (and calcium) to work properly. Both magnesium and calcium are abundant in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. If you don't eat a lot of vegetables, you may have a magnesium deficiency, which can lead to intestinal sluggishness.

However, I don't think it's a good idea to recommend magnesium across the board. Yes, you can also take magnesium as a dietary supplement, for example Take our magnesium citrate MgC, for example. But if you simply want to use it to compensate for an unbalanced diet, then I cannot recommend it.

However, before you take a dietary supplement, I would advise you to find out which dose is right for you and whether you should take it at all, as magnesium interacts with some medications. In addition, you should never take minerals in isolation, but always together with a multi-mineral supplement, as otherwise imbalances can occur. It is therefore important to seek advice from a specialist.

Bitter substances

When you eat bitter things, everything in your body contracts and then relaxes again. This contraction also stimulates the bowel (which is a muscle) and so bitter substances can also have a positive effect on constipation.

Eat more bitter vegetables such as chicory or artichokes or buy bitter drops such as our Bitter Elixir and take a few drops before each meal.

Hands off laxatives

Laxatives are not a good idea. They "spoil" your bowels and make them even lazier in the long run. At some point it won't move at all and you will become addicted. We have had really good experiences with the above measures and I highly recommend that you try them all out first.

And if you still have problems, I would suggest that you have your intestinal flora analyzed to see if there are any clues in your intestinal flora as to the cause of your constipation!

Other reasons for bowel inertia

You put off going to the toilet when it's inconvenient

Many people regularly ignore the urge to go to the toilet, either because of time constraints, because it seems inconvenient from work (e.g. tradespeople or other service professions) or because they have to use a public toilet.

This is not a good idea. With every hour that the stool remains in the bowel, it becomes drier and drier, and evacuation becomes increasingly difficult. The bowel gives us a clear signal to go to the toilet. And we really should do so.

You're under stress

Stress doesn't just affect the mind, it also influences intestinal flora and peristalsis. When your system is under stress, digestion is slowed down because the body doesn't consider it to be so important at that moment.

A major source of stress, especially when it comes to constipation, can also be the thought carousel, where your thoughts circle around the same topics over and over again. Clinging to old things, not being able to let go, can then also affect your body in the form of constipation.

It helps to find suitable methods to reduce stress. Listen to my "stress mini-series" in the Darmglück podcast!

You need to take medication

Constipation is one of the side effects of many medications (painkillers, acid inhibitors with aluminum, antidepressants, sedatives, iron tablets, blood pressure tablets, etc.). Read the package insert. If constipation is listed among the side effects, talk to your doctor and ask about an alternative.

Your gut is suffering

If nothing helps, you can have a microbiome analysis and, if necessary, a breath test carried out.

The microbiome analysis not only looks at the composition of your gut flora, but also measures things such as the pH value in the gut, whether there is an inflamed mucous membrane, whether the gut is permeable, the presence of parasites or fungi and much more.

Constipation can be caused by intestinal colonization (detectable by breath test), dysbiosis, infection, a permeable intestine, lactose or other intolerances. You can also hear what you can do about constipation in my podcast episode 85.

I hope this article has shown you that your first question when you have constipation should not be: "What can I do about it?" but rather: "Am I drinking enough and am I eating a bowel-friendly diet?" and "Am I moving enough"?
Try out the strategies I've given you and feel free to write me in the comments if you have any questions! What tips do you have for constipation?