Constipation

[jjcups]

Hi all,

I'm wondering if any of you know of any raw food that would CAUSE constipation? I have a 15 month old son who eats raw foods and will go days without having a BM. When he finally does it's difficult for him to pass - it's dark in color and very dry.

I have eliminated bananas from his diet and I only give him apples on occassion because I heard a lot of apples can cause constipation. I'm also giving pears and flax oil to help get things moving.

He still nursing a lot. I know this isn't a parenting board, do any of you know if a constipated mother (sorry to say...my daily BM can be uncomfortable) can cause constipation for her nursling?

Thanks in advance for any help. My husband is okay with me feeding our son a raw food only diet. I'm worried about him asking me to give our son grains if the constipation continues. Please help me keep my son raw!

Thanks!
Jennifer

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi Jennifer,

Could you tell us all the different foods your son eats? Does he eat dehydrated foods? I find that if my grandson eats a lot of dehydrated foods, his stools are a little drier then when he eats fresh fruits. He has never had problems with constipation, though, just drier BM's.

I could only guess that what you eat may affect him, but I'm not sure. I know when my daughter was eating grains and rice, her son (only breast fed at the time) got eczema. She cut out the grains and rice and his eczema cleared right up. So I would guess what you eat may affect his BM's???? Just guessing here.

[luckitri]

My son was so poopitated that before he could sit up he had rocks of poop all the way up to his throat - chest area! They had to put him in a contraption and xray him before they would believe me that it was constipation. They still could not help me. He bled rectally for years. It was absolutely terrifying. I hated doing this but it is the only thing that worked. I made mineral oil banana ice cream. Just blend so much mineral oil in the banana that it will barely get an ice cream consistency in the freezer. (They like it when they are teething also) I was afraid that the mineral oil would leech nutrients from his body but he seemed and seems fine. He loved all constipating foods. Some people get loose from apples and others get bound up. Some of my in-laws cannot eat apples or apple juice because they will have an accident! Hope you get some relief!

[juliebove]

My daughter had this problem and it was caused by soy formula. I had to supplement with formula because I wasn't producing enough milk. Now we know that she is allergic to both soy and dairy. Poor thing kept having either that problem or the other. Never normal bowel movements.

Had a neighbor kid who would get constipated then withhold her bowel movements because she didn't want the pain that she got from trying to go. This only compounded things until she was in severe pain! I know of another kid who did the very same thing. In both cases, a small amount of Kern's Apricot Nectar got things going. Dr. said to continue giving them a few ounces for about 3 days after just to keep things flowing. I realize this isn't raw but perhaps you could give some apricot juice or even finely minced or mashed fresh apricot.

[jjcups]

Hi Jennifer,

Could you tell us all the different foods your son eats? Does he eat dehydrated foods? I find that if my grandson eats a lot of dehydrated foods, his stools are a little drier then when he eats fresh fruits. He has never had problems with constipation, though, just drier BM's.

I could only guess that what you eat may affect him, but I'm not sure. I know when my daughter was eating grains and rice, her son (only breast fed at the time) got eczema. She cut out the grains and rice and his eczema cleared right up. So I would guess what you eat may affect his BM's???? Just guessing here.
Hi Helen,

My son eats: smoothies (which are usually some combination of apples, pears, frozen strawberries or mixed berries with ice, almond milk and flax oil), pear sauce (pears, raisins, cinnamon, lemon and water), veggie soup (carrot, celery, green onion, avocado, tomato, garlic and water) and broccoli soup (almonds, agave nectar, broccoli, avocado, garlic, olive oil, onion, salt cumin and black pepper).

My own diet is high raw on most days, though I do eat quite a bit of bread. I think that's what's causing my own discomfort. I wonder if it could be causing his.

Are unripe friuts constipating?

~Jennifer

[jjcups]

Sounds quite painful! I'm glad you got it straightened out!

~Jennifer

[VeryBerry]

I am having the same problem on raw. I used to eat bread before I went 100% raw a month ago, I thought bread was causing the problem, but now I know it is not the bread. I have no answers for you, just in the same boat.

[jjcups]

My daughter had this problem and it was caused by soy formula. I had to supplement with formula because I wasn't producing enough milk. Now we know that she is allergic to both soy and dairy. Poor thing kept having either that problem or the other. Never normal bowel movements.

Had a neighbor kid who would get constipated then withhold her bowel movements because she didn't want the pain that she got from trying to go. This only compounded things until she was in severe pain! I know of another kid who did the very same thing. In both cases, a small amount of Kern's Apricot Nectar got things going. Dr. said to continue giving them a few ounces for about 3 days after just to keep things flowing. I realize this isn't raw but perhaps you could give some apricot juice or even finely minced or mashed fresh apricot.
I've wondered if he was retaining his bowels, too. He had a movement today, so things are moving. I just want to figure out what's causing this. I've also been trying to get him to drink more water. He would rather nurse than drink water though. Any suggestions on how to get him to drink more water?

~Jennifer

[jjcups]

I am having the same problem on raw. I used to eat bread before I went 100% raw a month ago, I thought bread was causing the problem, but now I know it is not the bread. I have no answers for you, just in the same boat.
Interesting. We eat a lot of avocados...do you? I listed what he/we eat in a previous post..do you eat similar foods? I wonder if there's a connection?

~Jennifer

[VeryBerry]

Could be. I usually eat 1 avocado per day. I don't eat any nut & seeds anymore, and I don't eat olive oil. I also eat bananas, apple & pears, those are about the only fruit I can tolerate because IC (bludder issue). I think if I gave up ovocados, apple & banana I would be left eating nothing more then lettuce & carrots and this can't be good. I find myself taking laxatives more & more frequently lately, and they either don't work or work too well. I am pretty close to giving up 100% raw and making myself some cooked soups.

[Rawkinlocs]

Veryberry, a couple of thoughts concerning your constipation issues:

1. You said you just stopped eating bread since having gone 100% raw a month ago. Sometimes it takes time for the body to undo what we've done. Fruit is very cleansing, so it would seem it would only be a matter of time before it would begin working it's "magic"...but in the meantime, I'd also consider

2. Taking laxitives is more than likely causing more harm than good and making your bowels lazy and unable to function on their own.

I'd suggest drinking smoothies (green or fruit alone) daily and drinking a LOT of water throughout the day. If you really need relief, consider an enema or two for a couple of days just to help things along and provide you some relief. When I first started raw...prior to going raw, I was SEVERELY constipated and was "lucky" if I went once a week. I got one colonic and then started doing enemas. Then, later I went raw. My constipation problems left me and the only time I get constipated is if I eat cooked food.

To jjcups: It is possible that perhaps the bread (and whatever other non-raw foods) you are eating can be affecting the baby and his bowels. Try giving him smoothies that aren't too cold. Maybe thaw out the frozen berries or just blend until the smoothie is no longer icey cold because I'm finding that things that are too cold (for ME) cause bloating and stomach discomfort so I can't drink frozen/slushy smoothies anymore. That "might" also be a part of it...his diet seems okay, though. You can always try cutting back on or cutting out one food at a time (such as the bananas or the avocado) and just SEE if it helps or not and then re-introduce it.

[VeryBerry]

Thanks Rawkinlocs,

I guess I will stick with it a little longer. I stopped eating wheat bread about 2 months ago, then I substituted non raw almond bread for a few weeks. Now I pretty much eat lettuce, avocado, fruits & green smoothies. I feel great otherwise, that is why I want to continue eating raw, but this issue is not getting any better, just seems to be getting worse. Do you think it is a good idea to eat some warm dehydrated veggies, or warm up the raw soups in the dehydrator?

At some point I was eating steamed veggies with oilve oil for dinner and my BMs were ok. I am not really craving cooked food and have no desire to cook, I just really think that my body needs something different right now, may be it is getting overwhelmed by all the cleansing foods. Can you suggest any recipes for "warm" soups?

[vgloveforlife]

JJcups-cut the smoothies out for a little bit and see if that helps.

I hadn't been constipated in over 6 years. I went raw everything was fine but as soon as I started adding smoothies to my diet I started to get constipated on occassion. I think there is a connection.

Check food combining too-nuts shouldn't be mixed with fruits.

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi Jennifer,

You were given some great ideas to try. I would try feeding him mono meals for a few days. Like Rawkinlocs said, fruits do clean you out. I would give him whole fruits, like bananas for breakfast. A bowl of chopped up strawberries for lunch, etc. See if this clears up the problem. Then start adding some combinations of foods, slowly until you find what may be causing the problem. It could be a particular food or the combinations of foods. Like someone else noted on here, nuts shouldn't be mixed with fruits. Fruits digest so quickly but nuts takes forever. This could cause the fruits to stay in the stomach much longer and feurment, causing problems. And again, what you're eating could be behind it too.

[RowanC]

What about oranges, grapefruit, grapes, kiwis, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, mango, and all the other fruits?

If your son would eat fresh and frozen fruit (not dried) he'd get all the water he needs. I rarely drink water at all and I have 2 great movements each day. I eat mostly fresh fruit.

For breakfast every morning, I make a smoothie. My grandkids LOVE this and have loved it from the time they could drink from a sippie cup.

I buy one pineapple each week. I twist off the top, slice off the bottom and every day I take about a 3/4 inch slice off of it. I put the remaining pineaple cut-side down in a glass cereal bowl in the fridge. I trim the peel off the round piece, then cut it into about 8 chunks and put it in the blender.

I put one or two bananas in.

I put a handful of frozen organic berries -- usually strawberries or blueberries.

sometimes I peel an orange and put that in.

I put about 1/2 cup of water in and blend it up really good.

They LOVE this! It's a good way to get roughage, fruit, and water all at once. You might try it? A little guy may only drink 1/4 cup, but anything will help? Is he old enough to eat grapes? I can't remmeber how old you said he was.

I think many toddlers have problems with constipation. Mine did. Sometimes I think they just don't like the feeling of pooping when their poops get more firm. Sometimes it might hurt them, then they're afraid. That's what happend to my eldest when he was little. It was horrible. He'd sit and scream on the toilet, afraid to go. At one point, the poop near the opening gets hard and plugs them up.... behind that may be good, soft stuff but they cant' get it out. It's called an impaction. I took care of it myself... I guess they don't do that today.

If you give them something to loosen the stool.. there is still the plug to deal with. Best not to let them get plugged up to begin with. I'd take him off any dried fruit. And if you're nursing, remember, what YOU eat is what HE eats!

[wyjoz]

I am having the same problem on raw. I have no answers for you, just in the same boat.

I posted a reply in Priobiotics tread on constipation: hope it helps Joz

[madmel]

Could be. I usually eat 1 avocado per day. I don't eat any nut & seeds anymore, and I don't eat olive oil. I also eat bananas, apple & pears, those are about the only fruit I can tolerate because IC (bludder issue). I think if I gave up ovocados, apple & banana I would be left eating nothing more then lettuce & carrots and this can't be good. I find myself taking laxatives more & more frequently lately, and they either don't work or work too well. I am pretty close to giving up 100% raw and making myself some cooked soups.

Hi VeryBerry,

it's interesting: When I eat a lot of seeds and nuts, I have very "fast" digestion and I don't digest the seeds and most of the nuts at all (sorry if this is very graphic...).

Maybe you should go back to have some nuts and seeds? Just a thought?

cheers,
madmel

[jjcups]

Veryberry, a couple of thoughts concerning your constipation issues:

1. You said you just stopped eating bread since having gone 100% raw a month ago. Sometimes it takes time for the body to undo what we've done. Fruit is very cleansing, so it would seem it would only be a matter of time before it would begin working it's "magic"...but in the meantime, I'd also consider

2. Taking laxitives is more than likely causing more harm than good and making your bowels lazy and unable to function on their own.

I'd suggest drinking smoothies (green or fruit alone) daily and drinking a LOT of water throughout the day. If you really need relief, consider an enema or two for a couple of days just to help things along and provide you some relief. When I first started raw...prior to going raw, I was SEVERELY constipated and was "lucky" if I went once a week. I got one colonic and then started doing enemas. Then, later I went raw. My constipation problems left me and the only time I get constipated is if I eat cooked food.

To jjcups: It is possible that perhaps the bread (and whatever other non-raw foods) you are eating can be affecting the baby and his bowels. Try giving him smoothies that aren't too cold. Maybe thaw out the frozen berries or just blend until the smoothie is no longer icey cold because I'm finding that things that are too cold (for ME) cause bloating and stomach discomfort so I can't drink frozen/slushy smoothies anymore. That "might" also be a part of it...his diet seems okay, though. You can always try cutting back on or cutting out one food at a time (such as the bananas or the avocado) and just SEE if it helps or not and then re-introduce it.
Thanks for the non-frozen smoothie suggestion. I find it ironic that I put ice in my smoothies when I drink room temperature water. :) I'll start eliminating the ice and running the blender for longer periods when using frozen berries to see what that does.

[jjcups]

JJcups-cut the smoothies out for a little bit and see if that helps.

I hadn't been constipated in over 6 years. I went raw everything was fine but as soon as I started adding smoothies to my diet I started to get constipated on occassion. I think there is a connection.

Check food combining too-nuts shouldn't be mixed with fruits.
I didn't know that nuts and fruits shouldn't be mixed. I'm assuming nut milks count as nuts, right? I made a smoothie for myself this morning of bananas, frozen strawberries, flax oil, ice and almond milk. About an hour later I was dragging. My energy was sapped. I could only think of the smoothie being the cause. :(

[jjcups]

Hi Jennifer,

You were given some great ideas to try. I would try feeding him mono meals for a few days. Like Rawkinlocs said, fruits do clean you out. I would give him whole fruits, like bananas for breakfast. A bowl of chopped up strawberries for lunch, etc. See if this clears up the problem. Then start adding some combinations of foods, slowly until you find what may be causing the problem. It could be a particular food or the combinations of foods. Like someone else noted on here, nuts shouldn't be mixed with fruits. Fruits digest so quickly but nuts takes forever. This could cause the fruits to stay in the stomach much longer and feurment, causing problems. And again, what you're eating could be behind it too.
Thanks for confirming not to mix nuts with fruits. That culd be affecting both of us.

[jjcups]

I have given my son, who is 15 months old, most of the other fruits you listed - I just haven't given them to him in the last couple weeks, so I didn't list them. I think it may help if I varied his diet some, too.

He doesn't eat enough during the day to get all the water he needs from fruit.

Thanks for the pineapple reminder. I don't eat it because I don't like the texture. I do like the flavor though. I'll pick one up durring my next shopping trip.

[trinity082482]

Banana's!! They are bad for kids bum!

Carrots and other green veggies help soften stools.

[rawmaddie]

I have a 15 month old son who eats raw foods and will go days without having a BM. When he finally does it's difficult for him to pass - it's dark in color and very dry.

Hi,
You may want to look at visiting a chiropractor. Yesterday, the doctor our family sees was telling me how she has helped little ones with all sort of problems. Constipation, bed wetting, etc.
If you are in a major city she could recommend someone.

rawmaddie
151 days raw....yeah