Top 10 Foods That Are Natural Laxatives

Laxatives are substances that give the stool more fibre and bulk and make it easier for the bowel to move through. For the treatment of constipation, foods with high water and fibre contents are taken into consideration.

Read on to find some foods that hold properties for a natural laxative.

1. Prunes

Prunus domestica L.'s dried plums are known as prunes. Prune juice, prune jam, and other products are processed after the fruit is dried in hot air.

For every 100 grams of dried prunes, there are 6.1 grams of dietary fibre. With 14.7 g/100 g, it has a high sorbitol content. A common laxative with osmotic properties, sorbitol aids in drawing water into the intestines to facilitate stool passage.

2. apples

Pectin is an insoluble fibre found in ripe fruits like apples and pears that forms a viscous gel and slows the absorption of some nutrients. This gives the stool more volume and a better consistency, which makes it simpler to pass. Additionally, apples are generally very healthy. To avoid the insecticides present in conventional apples, it is advised that you consume organic apples.

3. Coffee

Coffee encourages the production of gastrin, a hormone that controls the distal colon's contraction movements and boosts the production of gastric acid, which helps the stomach empty more quickly into the intestine. Another hormone that aids in digestion, cholecystokinin, is also more synthesized when coffee is consumed. Finally, it encourages the "good" microbes to flourish.

4. Grapefruit and fruit juices

Hard stools are frequently linked to constipation because the colon retains water when stools are left in there for an extended period of time, resulting in hard, dry stools that are challenging to pass. Unfortunately, because water is eliminated in the urine, simply drinking more won't work. Fruit juices contain water and fibre, which can "hold" water in the stool and rehydrate it (if the pulp is kept in the juice). The most intriguing thing about grapefruit juice is that it contains naringin, which increases colon secretions.

5. Oil and Fats

When eaten raw or barely heated, fats like oil, butter, and margarine have a lubricating effect in the intestines (at high temperatures they slow down digestion). Due to its cholagogic effect, which stimulates bile secretion and emulsifies dietary fats, olive oil is even more efficient.

6. Okra (Ladyfinger)

It has antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anticancer properties apart from being a major agent for constipation. The presence of mucilage, which is high in protein, carbohydrates, neutral sugars, and minerals, is thought to be the cause of the slimy texture of cut okra.

7. Figs

Figs are natural laxatives and extremely high in fibre (between 10 and 13 g per 100 g). Additionally, they contain a lot of potassium, which deficiencies can cause constipation. You can eat them either fresh or dried.

8. Yogurt

Probiotics found in yoghurt and fermented dairy products help to maintain a healthy gut flora. A number of strains, including Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium infantis, and Saccharomyces boulardii, are useful in promoting intestinal contraction. Dairy products' lactose also has a slight laxative effect.

9. Whole grain based foods

Rice, pasta, bulgur wheat, and other whole grains have higher vitamin and insoluble fibre contents. In the presence of water, these undigested fibres swell and increase stool volume. They also encourage the intestines to contract. They are less well tolerated and less effective at preventing constipation than soluble fibres, though.

10. Kiwi

The use of whole kiwi fruit has been advocated for easing constipation and digestive discomfort. The combination of soluble and insoluble fibres, polyphenols, and actinidin in kiwis act as a laxative and lessen constipation-related discomfort.