Specialist areas
Coping with constipation
You may become constipated as a result of your treatment or from pain control tablets. Having more fibre-rich foods and fluid in the diet can help to relieve this problem.
Remember: If your appetite is small, high fibre foods can be filling. Increase the fibre content of your diet gradually and ensure you have adequate fluid daily (6 – 8 cups).
The following are good sources of fibre:
- Fruit and vegetables: Increase the amount you eat of these by having more fresh, tinned, frozen, dried and stewed fruit and vegetables. Pure juice, e.g. prune, orange apple juice, is also a good course of fibre and is not as filling.
- Pulses and lentils can be added to soups and stews, e.g. peas, beans, lentils.
- High fibre white, brown, granary or whole-wheat breads and rolls.
- Brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and skins of potatoes.
- Porridge and whole-wheat cereals including those containing dried fruit, e.g. Weetabix, Ready-brek, Bran flakes, Shredded Wheat, Fruit and Fibre. Add Bran flakes to yoghurt and puddings.
- High fibre biscuits, e.g. digestive and oatmeal biscuits, flapjacks, fig rolls, fruit cake and garibaldi biscuits.
- If you increase the fibre in your diet then it is important to drink plenty of fluids. Drink at least 6 – 8 cups of fluid a day, e.g. juice, tea, coffee, milk, nourishing drinks.
- Some people find a hot or warm drink first thing in the morning may help to stimulate bowel movement.