It’s time to clear out the old stool during the Chinese New Year! 5 nutrients are good for defecation

Before the Chinese New Year, it’s time to clear out the most troublesome “stool accumulation”! Some people only defecate once every 3 or 4 days, and their abdomen is bloated like a "frog". In addition to the bulging lower abdomen and unbearable bloating, stool retention will also increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Nutritionists say that if you want to expel stool, the first priority is to create a healthy intestinal environment in the body. To make the stool soft and easy to excrete, in addition to water, the five major nutrients are also indispensable!

Stool retention can cause abdominal distension, irritability, and increase the incidence of colorectal cancer

The main causes of stool retention include: insufficient dietary fiber, insufficient water intake, eating too much fat, lack of exercise, long-term sitting, static activities, life stress, weak and poor intestinal motility, and the effects of medication. Don’t underestimate the lethality of stool residue. The longer stool residue stays in the body, the better. According to research, stool retention can cause a bulging abdomen, bloating, and irritability. In more serious cases, it can cause anal tears and increase the incidence of colorectal cancer.

How do you know if you have stool retention? Nutritionist You Weiming said that, for example, when we eat beetroot or dragon fruit rich in anthocyanins in the morning, we can find that the color of the feces is purple-red when we defecate the next morning. This indicates a normal defecation phenomenon with healthy intestinal peristalsis. If there is no defecation after 3 days, and the similar situation lasts for 3 months, it is easy to form annoying stool in the body.

Nutritionists teach you how to face the New Year's holiday

If the intestines are unhealthy, it is difficult to expel stool. The first priority is to create a healthy intestinal environment in the body. Nutritionist You Weiming pointed out that a high-fat diet causes poor intestinal motility, and the feces are sticky, scattered and small in size. Not only are they easy to stay in the body for too long, but they are also difficult to excrete. This is essentially one of the accomplices of stool retention. People are advised to avoid high-fat, fried foods, such as cakes, biscuits, fried pork ribs bento, chicken chops, pizza, fried snacks, etc., especially in the week before the Chinese New Year. Try to eat vegetables, various mushrooms, and fruits that are rich in dietary fiber and high in water content, and drink more than 2 liters of water a day. This can make the stool soft and large in size, promote intestinal peristalsis and quickly excrete stool. In addition to dietary fiber and water, other good helpers that may help expel stool include oligosaccharides, probiotics and B vitamins.

【5 major nutrients are good helpers for the intestines】

If you want to create a healthy intestinal environment in your body, these five nutrients: water, dietary fiber, B vitamins, oligosaccharides, and probiotics are essential!

1. "Water": Adequate water can make the stool soft and prevent the large intestine from absorbing too much liquid and causing the stool to become dry and hard.

2. "Dietary fiber": can increase stool volume and promote intestinal reflex peristalsis.

3. "Vitamin B group": helps the body's energy metabolism, stabilizes emotions and reduces constipation caused by stress.

4. Oligosaccharides: provide nutrients to increase good intestinal bacteria, and similar to water-soluble dietary fiber can promote intestinal motility.

5. "Probiotics": can stabilize the balance of intestinal flora, form a protective barrier on the intestinal surface and improve gastrointestinal motility.

Nutritionist You Weiming reminds that when taking the above nutrients, the following precautions are recommended:

Moisture:

The amount of water you drink every day should be 30-50 ml per kilogram, depending on your weight and job type. In addition, drink 300 ml of warm water when you wake up in the morning, which will help move stool and promote intestinal reflex peristalsis to produce the urge to defecate.

Dietary fiber:

Intake of dietary fiber is 25-35 grams per day. Boys should eat 5 servings of vegetables and 4 servings of fruits per day, while girls should eat 4 servings of vegetables and 3 servings of fruits per day. Also, eat more whole grains (brown rice, whole grain rice, whole wheat).

Vitamin B complex:

Most of the B vitamins on the market already contain far more than the recommended intake. One vitamin a day combined with a normal diet is enough to meet the body's needs for B vitamins. Excessive intake can be harmful to health.

Oligosaccharides:

Oligosaccharides available on the market include fructooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, inulin oligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides, etc. Oligosaccharides are difficult to digest and eating too much can easily cause bloating and diarrhea. It is recommended to consume no more than 50 grams per day.

Probiotics:

Taking one packet or one pill of probiotics a day can help with smooth bowel movements, but the intestines have their own beneficial bacteria, which need nutrients provided by vegetables and fruits to grow. If you rely on probiotic products for a long time, you may develop probiotic dependence and gradually lose the ability of the intestines to grow beneficial bacteria. Therefore, in addition to taking probiotics, you should also eat more vegetables and fruits.

[Nutritionist's Tips]:

In addition, exercise can also help promote intestinal motility. Static activities, long-term sitting, and lack of exercise are the main causes of muscle weakness, which can also cause intestinal weakness and poor peristalsis, resulting in stool retention. Therefore, exercising for 30 to 60 minutes a day, taking the stairs more often instead of the elevator, walking or riding a bicycle to and from work can fully increase muscle contraction and relaxation. If it is inconvenient to go out for exercise, you can sit at your seat and repeatedly contract and relax your abdominal muscles through breathing, or use a hula hoop, which can help increase intestinal muscle strength and promote peristalsis.