Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

0

Hi,

I'll give you a summary of my diet and supplements, I'd just like you to answer what could cause constipation. I ate (for the last couple of days, it's not really paleo as I'm slowly turning my diet into a paleo one, and I'm quite new to this) : - eggs - red meat - cod - a lot of green beans, broccoli and onions (all cooked, I have a mold allergy) - brown rice - quinoa I cook with coconut oil and sometimes eat a teaspoon of it. I also take a zinc supplement (25mg). It could be the zinc, I don't even know why I keep taking it. Today I also took acidophilus as I've been on antibiotics a couple of months ago and want to recover. I've walked all day today and it didn't do anything. I took magnesium. Ate some more coconut oil. Nothing. Also tried vitamin c.

Could it be because I skipped lunch and didn't eat a lot the last couple of days? Should I eat more coconut oil? Or just eat more fat (I don't eat a lot of fat yet).

flag	asked Jun 20 2011 at 18:12 Korion 9,588●2●18●61

1

how much water are you drinking? – none Jun 20 2011 at 18:17

Forgot to mention : 3 liters a day, though I did 2 liters for the last 2 days as I was travelling. – Korion Jun 21 2011 at 7:49

I think I got it anyways : I increased the amount of fiber I ate DRASTICALLY (I think I ate more than 50g of fiber every day) but drank less water than I used to (I only drank 1,5-2 liters instead of 3). I also didn't eat a lot of fat to counter the big amounts of meat I eat from time to time. – Korion Jun 21 2011 at 10:08

Probiotics and starch of some kind every day. White rice and potatoes are my preferred sources, as bananas make me break out with acne due to the sugar. – Nemesis Jul 30 at 22:33

Dave S. · Accepted Answer · 2011-06-20 18:31:46Z UTC

4

I'm thinking like Meredith. The usual suspects for constipation.

Lack of veggies
Lack of fat
Lack of exercise
Lack of water

Looks like you're pretty good on number one and three, how about the water? And you might add some fat (slowly - too quick and you'll end up with diarrhea (steatorrhea).

Also, are you really constipated or just not as regular? Many paleos are less regular, which is fine. If you are really constipated, try some magnesium. Magnesium citrate is sold as a laxative at most drug stores.

answered Jun 20 2011 at 18:31

Dave S.
20.9k●1●11●65

	I drink a lot of water, but I don't do exercise every day. I just had an exam today and had to travel the whole day long. I may not really be constipated like you said, Idk, it's been three days now, normally I have to go every one-two days. Of course I didn't eat lunch today, and didn't eat a lot at breakfast, so maybe that's a reason, but I heard even fasting people have to go to the toilet regularly. – Korion Jun 20 2011 at 19:05
	Korion: I'd recommend taking Mag CITRATE as per Dave's suggestion, but avoid the liquid bottled forms sold and instead begin taking 400mg with lots of water. You can take it whenever you want to, but it is nice @ sleeptime as it has a calming effect. For some people, that dose would actually cause too loose a stool. You'll have to play with it and find the correct dose for you I buy 200mg tabs and increase and decrease dose according to response, although constipation is not an issue for me. I use it for calming effect/sleep induction. Read Evolutionary Psychiatry blog re: mag+zinc. – Atkins-witha-loincloth Jun 21 2011 at 1:21
	I'm afraid of taking magnesium as I hate taking supplements if it's not absolutely necessary (I do take vitamin D as I have a huge deficiency and also take vitamin C as it's real cold out here and I'm cooking all my foods due to a mold allergy). I counted the amount of fiber I eat and it's real high. I read too much fiber causes hard stools. – Korion Jun 21 2011 at 10:10
	I found out the reason :D. It was the zinc I was taking. Someone else had the same problem with zinc glucosanate. I didn't take it today, ate some chinese cabbage, onions and of course a good piece of beef and had to go :D. – Korion Jun 21 2011 at 12:11

Deb · Answer 2 · 2011-06-20 19:34:59Z UTC

Gut disbiosis or an imbalance of gut bacteria could be the culprit. There is huge amounts of research being done in the area of beneficial gut bacteria. A good probiotic supplement or fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kim chi, yogurt, kefir, cultured butter, sour cream and buttermilk. Should be made from raw milk and the sauerkraut should be made by brining the shredded cabage. It can't be heat treated or irradiated as that will kill the bacteria. I chose a probiotic with 12 strains of bacteria providing 20 billion living organisms per serving. I would have preferred more living organisms but the cost was getting more than I could bear.

Harry · Answer 3 · 2011-06-20 19:53:58Z UTC

I find I get bouts of constipation after eating eggs and red meat. If I've been going frittata mad, I tend to cut out all eggs for a few days and let things return to normal. I don't know about the rest of the world, but "eggbound" is the term for egg induced constipation in the UK.

Try removing them for a couple of days, take some magnesium and make sure your water intake is good. Tea wise pure peppermint or dandelion are all great for the digestive system.

MCM · Answer 4 · 2012-07-30 21:57:46Z UTC

1

The zinc. Yes the ZINC!!!

answered Jul 30 at 21:57

MCM
11●1

	Nah the zinc was okay, it was a pretty tasty supplement if you ask me, but constipation was caused by slow thyroid probably, since gelatin but also coconut oil, coffee, thyroid hormone all manage to solve it. I haven't been constipated for a very very long time now, but I have had diarrhea often when I don't eat liver or just eat bad overall. – Korion Jul 30 at 22:12
	Thanks for the suggestion though, the second zinc supplement I took did give me stomach problems, especially when taken on an empty stomach. I now don't take zinc, I eat oysters milk and liver. – Korion Jul 30 at 22:12

What’s the cause of my constipation?

4 Answers