When grains are heavily processed, they lose a large portion of their fiber, which reduces the function of the intestines and can result in constipation. By definition, constipation results from infrequent, hard to pass bowel movements. This can result in painful movements and in severe cases, fecal impaction and bowel obstruction. Constipation may be caused by dietary issues, hormones, side-effects of medication or by poisoning by some heavy metals. By properly editing your diet, however, you may successfully increase the frequency and decrease the pain of bowel movements.

Foods to Drop:
Many foods are known to cause constipation. Most of these foods also cause other abdominal problems, such as heartburn, bloating, flatulence and indigestion. Coffee, sugar, tea, fatty meats, fried foods, fat in general and chocolate are all constipation causing foods. The key to getting your intestines on a natural track is to eat foods as close to natural as possible. It’s not always possible to only eat lean meat and vegetables, but any will help.

Other foods to avoid include refined nuts and grains. White bread, white flour and most cereals are horrible and only add to the problem, rather than pushing the food out. If required to eat these foods, try sprinkling bran and wheat germ over them to give them a hearty crunch and plenty of fiber.

Foods to Add:
Fruit and vegetables are natural remedies for constipation that benefit your body in many ways. Not only do they add plenty of nutrients, they also contain fiber which will help regulate your bowels. Whenever possible, eat whole-wheat breads and pastas, as these contain more fiber and will increase the speed at which your bowels evacuate themselves. Eating foods that contain plenty of fiber and vegetables, such as Mexican, Chinese, Middle Eastern and Indian, will further boost the power of your bowels without sacrificing the foods you love.

Yogurt adds millions of friendly, helpful bacteria to the bowels that help break down the compacted feces in your bowels. They also increase the speed at which your bowels expel the waste. Yogurt is available in many different forms, and can be quite tasty in most circumstances.

Fermenting:
Eating foods that ferment quickly in the stomach will remedy constipation and results in faster digestion times and faster evacuation. Some of the most common fermented foods are sauerkraut, cabbage juice, miso, pickles and sourdough bread. An effective drink to help regulate bowel movements is half sauerkraut juice, half tomato juice and a squeeze of lemon juice. The taste may not be great, but it will effectively help your insides. Take every other day if once per day is too frequent.

Lubrication:
Providing colon lubrication is one of the most effective constipation home remedies. Lubricating the colon can be accomplished by adding a few basic foods to your diet. The three easiest way are to add flaxseed oil, fish oil and borage oil. Fish oil can be taken as a dietary supplement, pills are inexpensive and available at most health food stores. One pill a day will provide lubrication to ease the stool through the bowels.