Beware of white bread

You are feeling bloated and blocked. While in the bathroom, do you push like a woman in labour with no results – or with results that are painful? If you answer ‘yes,’ then you are constipated.

Constipation is common but highly uncomfortable medical condition that happens to many people at least once every month.

In some severe cases, one can go for five days without using the bathroom. And when the urge comes, it is painful experience that sometimes comes with bleeding.

Consultant family physician, Dr. Femi Omolola, notes that constipation can lead to a tear in the rectal in the rectum and digestive system, leading to infections in the digestive tract.

Omolola says constipation often occurs as a result of bad diet or lifestyle choices. At other times, it’s brought on by a medical condition that requires doctor’s attention.

For instance, he says that white flour bread, which is one of the most popular staple foods in Nigeria, leads to constipation in most people. He explains that fibre, an important nutrient that is essential for foods to digest, is often bleached off in the process of making white bread.

Omolola notes, “White flour is produced from the whole wheat grain, which is then subjected to the refining process which removes all traces of the husk, or bran and along with it all the goodness contained in the grain.

“It is then bleached, using chemical bleaching agents that contain chlorine and dried in kilns at high temperature to kill any remaining beneficial constituents. White bread is made from this refined white flour which has no dietary fibre that is essential for a healthy digestive system and stable metabolism. Eating it regularly will make it more difficult for you to poop.”

Not using the toilet has its health consequences; one of them is the risk of colon cancer. He explains that when one eats foods with little or no dietary fibre regularly, the colon (the large intestine) suffers because it becomes difficult for it to effectively remove waste products from the body.

Omolola states that when these waste products stay too long in the digestive and excretory system, they become more toxic, exposing the affected individual to diseases such as Crohn’s, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and cancer of the colon

You don’t have to give up bread from your diet, though; the problem is just white bread. The viable alternative is, of course, whole wheat or brown bread, otherwise known as whole meal or whole grain bread.

They are produced from whole meal flour, which is not refined in the same way as white flour. Nutritionists say whole meal flour retains the husk of the wheat or bran, which is where all the nutrients and dietary fibre exist. Also, they have not been bleached with chemicals that could strip off their colours and nutrients.

He adds, “Whole meal flour products like brown bread contain high levels of dietary fibre. This is essential for the functioning of the colon and the complete digestion of food and waste elimination.”

Afang, Efo riro, Edikaikong to the rescue

Consultant Nutritionist, Tosin Akinsanya, says the solution to constipation is not farfetched. According to him, constipation happens because one is not eating the right foods such as vegetables, which have fibre and roughages that can promote good metabolism.

Akinsanya says, “Eating vegetables such as ugwu (pumpkin leaves), water cresses (gbure), and the African spinach (tete) regularly will help soften the stool and ease its passage out of your bowels because they are high in fibre, water and roughages, nutrients that are needed for digestion.

“If you’re not drinking enough water and you are not exercising enough, you will have more episodes of constipation. So, the fixes are straightforward: Move more, drink more water and add fibre to your diet to add bulk to your stool.”

Drink lemon water regularly

Akinsanya says drinking warm water and lemon every morning keeps constipation at bay. He notes that lemon is loaded with amazing quantities of potassium, folate, Vitamin B6 and thiamin, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous and vitamins A and E – nutrients that the expert says ease the digestive system.

“Lemon has disease-fighting nutrients, something we all need at a time when the incidences of cancer and other non communicable diseases are rising. If you eat a lot of fatty foods or high calorie foods such as bread and rice; or solid foods such as fufu, eba, amala, pounded yam, etc., regularly, you need to cleanse your system often in order to remove the acidic wastes.

“A diet overhaul is clearly in order if you fall into the above category; but a good first step is a daily regimen of a cup of warm water and the juice of half a lemon, first thing in the morning, to increase your metabolism,” Akinsanya counsels.

The expert says those who suffer from constipation and other digestive problems should incorporate this wonderful fluid combination into their breakfast routine.

According to Akinsanya, lemon juice works wonders on the digestive system, relieving people of symptoms ranging from heartburn, belching and bloating in a natural and cost-effective manner.

He adds, “The citric acid in this fruit contains enzymes that stimulate the liver to process all foods and detoxify the body.

“Lemon juice is a friendly and natural solvent that absolves uric acid that causes constipation,” he concludes.

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