Eat More Fruits and Vegetables for Digestive Health

As a processed food junkie, have you resigned yourself to a life of being constipated every time you take your place upon the porcelain throne? Have you even accommodated this condition by amassing a small library in your bathroom?

Poop happens – there, we said it. Unfortunately, a lot of people eating  diets high in processed foods and low in fiber think that less frequent bowel movements are better than more frequent ones and would rather take a suppository to treat their chronic constipation than head the problem off at the pass by eating a few fruits and vegetables each day. They also tend to fear that even a temporary vegetarian or vegan cleanse would have them running to the bathroom every five minutes because they’re not ready for so much fiber all at once.

If this sounds like you, then those fruits and vegetables that you’re afraid of are probably the answer to all your GI problems.  Regular digestion of unprocessed, high-fiber plant foods makes these foods easier to digest in the short term and improves your digestive health in the long term. The more unprocessed plant foods you consume, the less likely you are to be hospitalized later in life with horrible conditions like diverticulitis, bowel obstructions and even colon cancer. And anyone who’s ever been down that road will tell you that you don’t bounce back from colon resection surgery overnight.

A smart way to gradually change your eating habits is by finding natural plant foods that you find tasty enough to skip the processed snack foods and all the refined sugar and oils they contain. The healthy foods you like are out there; maybe you just haven’t found them yet. Dried fruits such as raisins, dates and cranberries are a good place to start, since most are very sweet without added sugar. And if you’re not in the habit of trying new fruits and vegetables in the produce section, then by all means start!  Don’t let your lukewarm feelings toward under-ripe red delicious apples stop you from enjoying new varieties; there’s really nothing like a delicious honeycrisp or pink lady apple when they’re in season.  If you have a blender or food processor, try making smoothies using fresh or frozen fruit of your choice, a ripe banana to thicken the mixture, cinnamon, stevia and dairy or plant milk to taste.  They’re great any time of day – even for breakfast in the middle of a hot summer!

Many of us feel as though multiple demands from work and family make it impossible to find the time to focus on our health, but on a day-to-day basis this simply isn’t true.  By changing your habits, you can continue to fulfill your obligations – even fulfill them more successfully – without letting your health take a back seat.