Almost a third of adults have symptoms of constipation at any given time.
That means that if you’re sharing a lift with two other people, odds are one of you is suffering from bloating, discomfort, and that horrible “full” feeling.
While some remedies can help to get rid of the condition long-term ― staying hydrated, eating fibre, exercising more, and even refusing to ignore the urge to “go” can prevent it ― sometimes, you want something a little speedier.
For me, that’s always been prunes. At least it was until I learned that not only are prunes far from the only fruit that’ll do the job, but the NHS says that the active ingredient is a sugar alcohol that you can find in a whole range of foods.
What should I look for?
The health service says that fruits which contain sorbitol can “make your poo softer and easier to pass.”
Sorbitol is a type of carbohydrate that belongs to a family of sugar alcohols called polyols. It can be found in fruit or artificially made using corn syrup; it’s sometimes used as a low-calorie sweetener.
Sorbitol is hyperosmotic, meaning it draws water into the colon from the tissues beside it to help move any stool along. It also softens the poop, making it easier to pass.
Foods high in sorbitol include apples, apricots, grapes (and raisins), raspberries and strawberries.
It is also present in some artificially sweetened foods like sugar-free chewing gum and diet fizzy drinks.
Wait... does that mean chewing gum can help me poop?
Yes, in more ways than one.
Not only does sorbitol-containing gum work as a mild laxative, but the chewing effect primes your guts to... pass its old stock along.
GI surgeon Dr Karan Rajan shared that gnawing on some sugar-free gum kicks off “the gastrocolic reflex, so a bunch of gut hormones are released, and the vagus nerve is stimulated, resulting in more intestinal contractions.”
In other words, prunes couldn’t be further from your only option; if you’d rather eat a bowl of strawberries or chew some gum, your guts will likely still thank you.