Juicing and constipation

by Vee
(El Dorado Hills, CA)

Q: Hi, For the past 25 days, I've been juicing and having green smoothies for breakfast and lunch and then have a sensible dinner. So far, I lost 7 lbs and feel great!

My issue is that I'm not having a regular bowel movement every day. I have to drink senna leaf tea in evening to get things going. I don't really want to rely on that all the time. What do I need to do to improve and relieve my constipation so that I have at least 1 BM a day. Please help.

Vee

A: Hi Vee! I'm so glad you lost weight- awesome news. That is very strange that you are not having bowel movements every day by this stage. Juicing and smoothies encourage your body to cleanse and remove waste.

Let me offer up a few suggestions that you can try:

1. Make sure you are exercising a little bit each day. Light walks, runs, jumping on a trampoline, yoga or cycling. This will encourage your body to move waste through the system, and get your lymph moving.

2. Be sure you are drinking at least half your weight in water each day. Water is critical to removing waste and having regular bowel movements.

3. Try drinking water with lemon in the morning, upon waking, before you drink your juice. Water in the morning usually encourages bowel movements. Also take a probiotic at this time. It could be that you are lacking flora in your digestive tract.

4. What are you eating for dinner? Is it bread and meat type meals? If so, these meals are fiberless. Be sure to consume fruits, vegetables and include fiber in your dinners to make sure this is not what is causing a traffic jam. Try salads for at least a week.

5. If all of the above do not work, you also might want to try an at home enema or colonic. This might free up some caked up blockages and get you moving again.

6. Psyllium husk powder or alfalfa herb encourages your body to remove waste and get back to normal. You can also try these safe alternatives.

If I were you, I'd try a few of these suggestions for at least a week to see if it makes a difference. If they do not, please consult with a physician as there might be some other underlying problem that needs to be addressed.

Good luck and keep at it. I hope that you are losing more weight!