Diabetes and Constipation how to fix it with Sunflower Kernels January 19, 2011 by Scott B.   Filed under All Articles, Foods, Health Issues, Management Leave a Comment

Like many people I have had to battle constipation as I got older. This is something that can be painful and make you think something else is wrong. The causes for diabetes constipation can be many from simply poor diet, stress, blockage or actual damage to the intestines and nerves. Well don’t go jumping to the conclusion that the worst case scenario is the cause typically it’s the most common and least threatening scenario that is the cause.

A good sign that you are constipated is that your stool comes out in little chunks. This tends to mean it’s been in there for a while and hardened up to the little chunks. What I did was first start taking a stool softener such as Colace or a generic. you will need to do this for 3-4 days, do not exceed 7 days or you may cause damage to your intestines. Next was adding fiber into my diet. I tried the fiber capsules and powder and didn’t personally like those. Kind of a pain when eating meals to take them. So when I was looking for a good Diabetic Snack I came across Sunflower Kernals. These were my magic cure. Sunflower kernals are loaded with fiber. 16% of my daily recommended amount, also the carbs are 5g but 4g fiber. So it’s a great 1g snack that also helps with the constipation. I stocked up and started eating a few handfuls with every meal. The kernels added bulk to the stool and made it easier on the intestines to push it forward. That became the fix for my issue I didn’t expect.

For good measure I also started adding Yogart to my meals as a source of probiotics. Basically your intestines have bacterias in them that break down food. So the probiotics helps then flourish which means they are more effective. Those bacterias can be killed off when taking antibiotics, think of it as friendly fire. So rebuilding that is part of your intestinal health.

Lastly for bonus efforts exercise and walking is a great way to improve your intestinal flow. I know it’s very common for Doctors and Diabetes educators to push the perfect lifestyle and diet, and I’m all for that, but don’t think you have to be perfect out of the gate add in one or two things at a time make them a habit over 21 days then add more. Eventually you will get there.

Try these ideas and see if it works for you.