Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

2

I am basically paleo, I think. I eat a lot of kefir, fermented veggies, and kombucha. Today I had raw turkey meat with a butter-garlic sauce and a dab of cooked and spicy turkey meat.

I was also naughty today with some popcorn with plenty of butter and garlic salt.

I am 66 years old. Even with the above diet I have been having trouble with constipation. I am unable to tell if the constipation is the result of dehydration or not. I try to drink plenty in the mornings. I read somewhere that some guy (who did not mention his age) took 2 weeks to recover from dehydration.

Can dehydration cause constipation?

Does it take 2 weeks to recover from dehydration?

Can kombucha and kefir cause dehydration?

flag	asked Aug 10 at 11:04 bachcole 1,434●2●10

I find that drinking too much long-fermented kefir can cause intensely painful constipation. Not uncommon; googling it turns others with the same effect. Shorter ferments and drinking less may help you. – January Aug 13 at 1:58

Caveman Kyle · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-10 16:00:42Z UTC

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that your diet is a big part of things. Fermented veggies have lower fiber contents, and you need fiber to keep things moving. I do not understand why you are eating raw poultry, but contracting e. coli is not an advisable way to end your constipation.

Is the constipation issue chronic or episodic? When you have 'tummy pain' do you ride it out or do you visit the bathroom? Do you get stomach pains just as often when you are not constipated as when you are? Have you spoken with your doctor about all of this? These are important questions to ask, and no one (especially not on the internet) will be able to identify what's happening without knowing these things.

Also consider the following:

According to the University of Maryland’s December 19, 2007 online article by Stephen D. Ehrlich, N.M.D. entitled “Constipation,” certain medical conditions place some older adults at risk for constipation, including, but not limited to: bowel diseases, such as irritable bowel thyroid problems, such as hypothyroidism mental health conditions, such as depression neurological conditions, such as stroke certain cancers, such as colon cancer

Some medications place seniors at risk for constipation and the above article by Dr. Ehrlich lists several categories, such as: pain medications anticonvulsants antacids tricyclic antidepressants antihistamines diuretics or water pills

And keep in mind that you are 66 years old. Bowels do slow down with time, so stools will get dryer/harder to pass. That's an age issue, not a gut flora problem. Have you tried the classic prune route?

Divrgurl13 · Answer 2 · 2012-08-10 11:46:19Z UTC

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I would be concerned about the raw turkey.

answered Aug 10 at 11:46

Divrgurl13
2,548●2●6●25

Yep. I would too. – Caveman Kyle Aug 10 at 15:48

scottts · Answer 3 · 2012-08-10 15:17:38Z UTC

Well, at the risk of being gross, I believe the answer is yes, dehydration can cause a form of constipation.

I live in Phoenix so right now if you spend ANY amount of time outside doing anything you become somewhat dehydrated. I've noticed that after I've had to sweat it out outside, I experience a "delay" in pooping. When I do poop, the first poop is hard marbles, if you will, followed by a more normal BM.

I think the hard poop sort of "plugs" the exit for a bit until enough pressure builds up behind it to cause a more urgent need to poop.

Sorry for the details but there you go, FWIW.

aseafish · Answer 4 · 2012-08-10 11:20:31Z UTC

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Dehydration can cause constipation, or certainly contribute to it. Are you drinking water throughout the day?

Popcorn and butter would cause stomach pain for me, personally. Do you usually eat that with no issues? I'm not sure I understand the reasoning behind eating raw turkey.

answered Aug 10 at 11:20

aseafish
3,809●3●11

I eat popcorn like that like perhaps once every 10 days and have not had a problem before. I have also had not problem with the raw turkey. But the constipation has been pretty consistent for the past month or two. Thank you for your help, aseafish. – bachcole Aug 10 at 11:45

ecks · Answer 5 · 2012-08-10 12:23:57Z UTC

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Are you entirely sure you are not lactose intolerant? I would try a fefir free week and see how your gut responds.

answered Aug 10 at 12:23

ecks
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EJH · Answer 6 · 2012-08-26 02:09:04Z UTC

Okay, first of all, educate yourself on fiber and why it is NOT a cure for constipation (gutsense.org; Fiber Menace book) and will only exacerbate it (also check out FODMAPS). Secondly make sure you are getting enough FAT, as this keeps things moving. If you choose turkey as your staple meat, you are not getting a lot of good saturated fat (like that from a grass-fed cow, for example). Not sure what the deal is with the raw turkey. A better meat choice is a low and slow grass-fed roast, cooked so that the collagen has broken down. In regards to ferments, make sure they are done correctly (anaerobically -- see Pickl It! website), and for a period of at least 10-12 weeks (for sauerkraut: see this page and this page for further reading). Take special note of the following line: "Since the brine has extracted all nutritional value from the cabbage, the kraut strands are actually just leftover fiber. So drink the brine, cook with the kraut for best nutrition." Again, fiber will only serve to aggravate existing digestive problems. So, continue with kefir (24 hour ferment, anaerobic conditions), correctly made sauerkraut and veggie ferments, bone broth, low/slow meats and high fat. Doesn't ever hurt to add in some intermittent fasting as well to give your digestive system a break.

I hope this helps; it's all from my own attempts at breaking the horrible curse of constipation/impaction/stomach pain (still in progress). Good Luck!

Why do I have tummy pain?, mostly every early morning?, like at 5:00 am.

6 Answers