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Vegetables That Are Constipating

Lack of fiber in food is often linked to constipation. Yet fruits such as watermelons contain little fiber, and they make your bowels work. Many remedies use vegetables when you have constipation, but some vegetables may have the opposite effect. Ideally, a digestive system should have one or two meals in the bowels, but many people carry up to four days worth of waste in their colon, says allonhealth.com. Constipation is becoming increasingly more common. The problems are linked to our modern lifestyle and lifestyle choices.

  1. What is Constipation?

    • Constipation is infrequent and incomplete bowel movements. Lack of bowel movement often results in hard stool, but stool consistency changes all the time. Dr Reddy's site says hard stool consistency may be a sign of constipation but could also be the result of a high-fiber diet.

    Causes of Constipation

    • Excessive intake of protein or fat can also cause constipation, and some vegetables have high vegetable protein content. Still, the protein content is low as compared to the animal protein content in meat. Beef contains 50 per cent protein, and green-leaf lettuce contains 22 per cent, says raw-food-health.net. Lack of water and a diet with processed food that lacks moisture make stools dry. Exercise habits influence bowel movements, and a sedentary lifestyle leads to weak muscles. Lack of exercise and poor diet put extra pressure on the system. Infants have a restricted diet, and breast-fed babies tend to have more frequent stools than formula-fed infants. Constipation in infants is related to their restricted diet.

    Protein

    • Most vegetables are prepared before you eat them, and prepared, protein-rich vegetables such as soybeans, beans and lentils can cause constipation. You should take the fiber content of the vegetable into account as well. Often, fiber content causes problems such as cramps and gas. Eating beans may cause constipation but often results in gas.

    Fiber and Starch

    • Vegetables such as carrots can cause constipation problems. You can overcome the constipation by increasing fluid intake. Drinking more fluid, preferably water, helps your bowels with the fibers that are causing the problems. Potatoes and corn contain starch; they can cause constipation.

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