Humans cannot live on cheese. It would be nice, but if you just enjoyed a weekend of cheesy goodness, but aren’t normally a cheese eater, you may have a problem.
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In fact, it may not be because of cheese, you may just have trouble pushing your food through the, ahem, plumbing.
If you’ve never felt constipation, consider yourself lucky. At some point, everybody has a little trouble digesting. You may consider medical remedies but take heed. Many over the counter diarrhetics can leave you dehydrated, possibly worse off in the long run.
If the solution is as simple as your hydration levels, then a diarrhetic is the last thing you want to take. Also, beware advice that treats all fibers the same.
All dietary fiber is not created equal. Many advisors would tell you that grains will do the trick. Grains are soluble fibers, meaning they soak up water. This is likely not the solution to keep things moving.
Instead, consider these gentle options for keeping the trains running on time.
Water
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Start with water. So many of our health issues are a simple matter of hydration.
The problem with the hydration issue is it doesn’t take much to be low. For most people, it also doesn’t take much to properly hydrate.
Unless you’re stranded on a desert island, a nice 12 oz glass of water will usually do the trick. Wait a couple hours to see if that works.
Fibrous Veggies
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If your intake has been heavy on the proteins, especially the variety-pack of proteins (yes that may include cheeses) then you may have an amino jam in your pipes.
Amino acid strains, the building blocks of protein, can be gummy, especially when they get twisted around each other. Your body can usually unwind these strands, but a little help from fibrous veggies can help that process.
If you’ve been light on the leafy greens, try a serving of cabbage or brussels sprouts. Give it a few hours, see if that doesn’t help.
Prunes
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Fruit with non-soluble fiber can help, like many of your stone fruits, or popular dried items.
None of them, not even raisins, can help you better than a serving of prunes. Be careful, though.
Prunes are stronger than many people realize. They can cause digestive stress from air if you consume too many too fast, especially if you’re not acclimated to digesting them.
Start with three or four prunes, then wait for an hour or two. You’ll know pretty fast if they are going to help.
Chase them with water if you haven’t already had a glass.
Coffee
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In your arsenal of hippie-dippy solutions, coffee is your final option.
Strong coffee or even weak coffee if you’re not acclimated to drinking coffee, will act as a diarrhetic. It’s not the beans, but the caffeine in them.
You should chase your cup o’ joe with more water. This makes coffee a terrible bedtime option, even six hours before bed.
That said, desperate times… well.
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If these natural options don’t do the trick, call your physician before you reach for over the counter medication.
Constipation may be a subject for giggling when discussed, but it’s no laughing matter. If you are suffering digestive issues, but these solutions don’t help, you may have something more serious going on.
It may be nothing to freak out about, but a doctor can reasonably resolve your concerns without more guesswork.