foods that are natural laxatives

I ate angel food cake yesterday and it did a GREAT job. I also hear that prunes juice is good. 

what are other foods that can help constipation sufferers?? 

anyone has ideas??

fiber one original cereal! has 57% daily fiber! works greatttt 

Drinking 1 part 100% apple juice with 2 parts cold water 2-3 times daily cleans your system out really well.

A good mix of fat and fibre. So like, some nuts and dried fruit maybe. Prunes and prune juice are meant to be good. 

Black coffee always helps me, as does a pint!

All bran, wheatbran ( add it to cereal, pancakes etc), strawberries are pretty good to if you eat a big bowl , same for grapes.

Beans- tin of baked beans with a slice of wholemeal bread or add some ebans to a soup or stew.

Those are what I find works best along with prunes and figs.

Two that work for me are quinoa and pear juice.  Also making sure that I consume enough healthy fats.

Huh, weird, I never would have thought angel food cake would have done that! 

Blueberries are usually helpful for me, as well as kidney beans/black beans/chick peas - which I have an awesome interchangeable salad recipe for, so they are easy to fit in.

BTW, if you have never had prune juice before, don't - it is DISGUSTING!  And I will eat pretty much everything! LOL  I find that whole prunes are much better tasting and work just as well.

Granny Smith Apples (or any apple, I just have the best luck with the Granny's).  To each his own tinaek, I happen to love prune juice.

I buy Nature's Path Smart Bran and have that for breakfast with Kefir (cultured milk, has more probiotics than yogurt).  It works very well - you get your fiber, intestinal flora...

One thing that is MAJORLY important to avoid constipation - aside from upping your fiber - is drinking more water.  If you think you're drinking enough now, and still suffer from constipation, then you are not.  This, above everything else, is what made the BIGGEST difference for me. 

Dates, olives/olive oil, cherries, parsley, walnuts, and rhubarb are all natural laxatives.  I personally find just making sure I have fat in my diet (I'm terrible for not eating enough of it), having enough bulky food (lots of veggies) and drinking plenty of water keep the system running.  Exercise is also great for it.  :)

Original Post by safina1:

I ate angel food cake yesterday and it did a GREAT job. I also hear that prunes juice is good. 

what are other foods that can help constipation sufferers?? 

anyone has ideas??

Angel food cake has nothing in it that would do this - it's just egg whites, white flour and sugar. 

A high fiber diet with fiber from many sources is the path to regularity.

Claire, angel food cake IS laxatives. even on the label of that cake, there is a warning that this cake has a laxative effect. I am not sure why?? but I am surprised that it did a great job. I am not saying that everyone should eat angel food cake for constispation. I can't eat it everyday either that is why I asked about alternatves :)))

Original Post by safina1:

Claire, angel food cake IS laxatives. even on the label of that cake, there is a warning that this cake has a laxative effect. I am not sure why?? but I am surprised that it did a great job. I am not saying that everyone should eat angel food cake for constispation. I can't eat it everyday either that is why I asked about alternatves :)))

I noticed it here & here. It is suggested in an article on IBS.

maybe the angel food cake was sugarfree.  sugarfree foods come with that warning label.

There are a lot of great suggestions here.  Just be careful when you up your fiber intake - too much too quickly can cause a lot of painful gas to build up behind any sluggish bowel contents. 

Also - be careful and read the labels on the high fiber cereals.  Quite a few have high fructose corn syrup.  Same with a lot of breads and higher fiber whole wheat english muffins. 

Original Post by buggyhair:

Original Post by safina1:

Claire, angel food cake IS laxatives. even on the label of that cake, there is a warning that this cake has a laxative effect. I am not sure why?? but I am surprised that it did a great job. I am not saying that everyone should eat angel food cake for constispation. I can't eat it everyday either that is why I asked about alternatves :)))

I noticed it here & here. It is suggested in an article on IBS.

That is sugar free box cake and says "**Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect." Maltitol has that effect on me.

DRIED FIGS!!!

Warm liquids are supposed to help stimulate a BM.   And warm prune juice isn't quite as nasty as room temp or cold prune juice.  Add a bit of cinnamon might help the flavor.  This was what my Dr. recommended for me.

Probiotics I would think would need to be in an extended release capsule to do any good - otherwise you just digest them before they get to where they need to be in your system.

these never fail:

-peach Snapple (I think it probably goes for any Snapple, but lately I've been drinking peach and it really does the trick. i can drink as little as a shot-glass amount of it and it still "cleans me out")

-fiber one bar, combined with an apple

-apple juice

-foods with fat, ie: fast food, an ice cream sundae, peanut butter, etc. it always gets me moving whenever i have a "cheat" meal or treat

-alcohol  (don't worry, I'm hardly a drinker, and don't rely on drinking to get my bowels moving)

the angel food cake I ate today was NOT sugar free.  I just went to crumbs, it is a famous bakery in NY and CA and just ordered an angel cake. It did wonders :) 

so fiber one bars are good also?? maybe I will just go now and buy one cause I am suffering from severe constipation. 

By the way, I know that fiber is important. I just wanted to know if you guys know of any food that has an INSTANT effect 

Apple juice, yogurt, and coffee.