Keep Yourself Well Hydrated to Prevent Constipation During this Summer Season

Summer is here and though we make changes like wearing cool clothes and always keeping the fans running we forget to consciously increase our water intake. The body adapts to the heat by perspiring excessively but we don't compensate this with sufficient water. We may drink extra cool drinks or juices but please note that these are no substitutes for plain, unadulterated water.

Many at this time suffer from constipation, which can even become complicated and result in bleeding and pain while passing motion. You have to drink 2.5 to 3 liters of water daily. This may seem impossible but it only requires a little planning. Drink half a liter of lukewarm or room temperature water on rising. From breakfast time up to lunchtime keep a one-liter bottle with you and see to it that you have emptied that bottle before you eat your lunch. From lunchtime to 5pm in the evening you should drink another one liter. From 5pm to dinner time try to finish another half liter and with this you have consumed 3 liters.

Now let's look at the diet. Try to eat whole grain cereals like whole wheat (atta) chapattis and ragi instead of rice at all meals. This increases the fiber in the diet. The dietary factor most affecting bowel movement is the fiber content or the roughage in the diet. Whole pulses like channa, rajma, moong, etc. also add additional fiber as they are consumed with the skin. Sometimes sprouts may be added to the salad to increase the fiber content.

Besides, this try to increase your vegetable intake. Make sure you are eating a sabji or pallya with your lunch daily. A cup of raw salad e.g. cut cucumber, tomato, etc. must be eaten with lunch. We also recommend that two cups of salad e.g. cucumber, tomato, capsicum, bellpeppers, raddish, onion, lettuce, etc. to be eaten along with dinner to increase the fiber at night and make it possible to pass motion comfortably in morning.

Increase your fruit intake to 2-3 fruits per day. You may have one or two dates or figs in the morning after drinking your half liter of water. A banana or orange may be eaten at 11 am and an apple, pear or guava at 6.30 pm. Always try to eat a whole fruit instead of a juice and whole vegetables instead of a soup, so that you get the fiber. Besides this try to avoid very rich and oily food. Reduce salt intake specially reduce intake of fried salty snacks like papad, chips, namken and mixture which cause water retention and can increase the constipation.

Finally heavy consumption of alcohol and aerated drinks must be avoided. All these things tend to create fluid retention and thereby increase constipation. When you drink one bottle of Coke or Pepsi you are consuming 150 cals or 7 teaspoons of sugar. Three large pegs of whisky is 450 cals or 22 teaspoons of sugar. When such large amounts of sugar or even salt enter the blood, the concentration rises. This causes water that is to be excreted to be retained so that the blood concentration can be brought back down to normal. This will result in constipation.

The last but not the least is exercise. You must have a regular 25 -30 minutes' walk planned in your daily schedule. This exercise also helps to regularizes the bowel movement.