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When you're constipated and only have food on hand to cure the problem, you can find some unique and simple solutions. One sufferer discovered his constipation solution at a remote construction site in the Australian desert. It's a spectacular place to work, but lacking in all but the most basic medical facilities. If you are seriously injured they call in the Royal Flying Doctor Service; but for a simple issue like constipation there are often no remedies on hand. A beefy and tough construction worker complained to me that he'd been constipated for days; what could he do?

WHY HIS BOWELS WEREN'T WORKING

Your bowels are basically a long muscular tube, wrapped in muscle. It moves rather like a caterpillar, a movement called peristalsis which propels the food inside from one end to the other. Fullness pressure on your bowel wall from fibre stimulates that peristaltic muscle movement.

If there isn't enough fibre in your diet, your bowels don't get the 'move it along' message. Some people find that they don't get the urge to have a bowel motion for a week or more, even though they're feeling bloated and windy. The key to fixing constipation is fibre.

FIBRE STIMULATES YOUR BOWELS

We all need between 25-35g of dietary fibre every day. Most people, when they actually review what they've eaten, find that they've taken in only 15g at most. Our friend the construction worker had been ignoring the fresh salads and fruit in favour of the delicious, but low fibre meat and sauce-laden dishes.

Our first step was to boost his fibre intake. I explained that there were many common foods that could help him, but fresh fruit, legumes (beans) and oats are by far the best. This is because they contain soluble fibre, which, when digested, form a soft gel-like material that soaks up water to create bulky stools while gently cleaning out any pockets in your bowel wall.

Our next step was to boost his intake of insoluble fibre, from whole grains. At the breakfast bar he chose whole grain cereals like oats, muesli and weetbix. Some mornings he chose baked beans on whole grain toast.

At lunch time he filled his plate with fresh crisp salad vegetables, or grain breads spread with nut butters. He avoided cheese, famous for bringing on constipation when you eat too much.

The sauce-laden evening meals were tempting, but our friend persisted, determined to get healthy. He chose brown rice, legumes, beans, and enjoyed lots of vegetables. For dessert he chose a handful of fresh raw nuts. As he was heading to the TV room for a movie, he picked up a bag of popcorn to snack on.

BUT HE NEEDED WATER TOO

Along with all this extra fibre, he realised that he would need lots more water, as fibre soaks up water, and at least two litres of water a day would keep his stools soft.

IT WORKED, AND HERE IS THE LIST HE USED

I saw our friend a few days later, after he had changed his diet. He was looking much happier, and actually, a little relieved! "The diet worked" he said, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm having a bowel movement every day, and I feel so much better on this high fibre food." I was happy to see him feeling so much better too.

Here's a guide to the fibre foods I gave him to help him make the right choices:

- Fruit 2-3g fibre per piece

- Vegetables 1-3g fibre per 100g

- Raw nuts like almonds 5g fibre per 50g

- Legumes like black eyed beans: 10g fibre per 100g.

- Popcorn: 10g fibre per 100g

Learn more about this author, Olwen Anderson.
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