If you struggle with constipation or just find that you have trouble going some days, making sure to eat the right foods can often be the nudge your body needs to get things moving. Choosing the best breakfast to help you poop is a great place to start, but an even easier one is to incorporate the number-one fruit to help you poop into your daily diet.
Meet the experts: Lavanya Kethamukkala, R.D.N., C.L.T., L.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Nourishing Expert in Apex, N.C.; Rudolph Bedford, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.
Why is fruit a smart choice if you’re having difficulty going? “Many fruits are naturally rich in fiber, water, and beneficial plant compounds that soften stool, nourish the gut microbiome, and support regular bowel movements,” explains Lavanya Kethamukkala, R.D.N., C.L.T., L.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Nourishing Expert in Apex, N.C..
If she had to pick one fruit that helps stimulate digestion, Kethamukkala chooses kiwi. “It provides both soluble and insoluble fiber, along with the natural enzyme actinidin, which supports digestion,” she says. Rudolph Bedford, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, agrees. “Kiwi is a favorite food of mine that people don’t think about much,” he says. In addition to fiber, Dr. Bedford notes that kiwi also contains magnesium, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E, and potassium. “Magnesium-containing foods help because magnesium acts as a stool softener in its own right,” he says.
Research backs them up: In a study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, people with constipation or constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) either ate two kiwifruits per day (which isn’t hard, considering how small they are) or took a psyllium fiber supplement. After four weeks, people in both groups saw an increase in spontaneous bowel movements from eating kiwi, while only people with IBS-C saw an improvement from taking psyllium. Folks in the kiwi group also saw significant reductions in GI discomfort.
Finally, if you’re adding kiwis to your diet to help you poop, make sure you eat the skin too. According to the Cleveland Clinic, eating the skin increases the amount of fiber in the fruit by 75%, raising it from 2 grams to 3.5 grams, which will help get things moving that much faster.
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