My whole life I've had stomach issues - I'm a big worrier and I know this doesn't help me physically. Recently I've had slight...uh...regularity issues. I have oatmeal for breakfast each morning, and I eat a lot of vegetables throughout the day. I was in Trader Joe's and saw they had a fiber supplement. You just add a tablespoon to a glass of water, drink it, and it should help any uncomfortable situations. I haven't used it yet because I was sick yesterday and wasn't going to take it before a drive to work, but my plan is to do it when I get home from the gym tonight.
Has anyone ever used some sort of fiber supplement?
Fiber supplements have honestly never really done anything for me. I did try prune pills with Senna in them before, which were pretty good. You might want to try eating some fruit with skin on it, such as apples, pears, grapes, nectarines, etc. Veggies alone don't keep me regular really unless I also have a decent amount of fruit! Good luck!
Last edited by Petunia418; 07-20-2009 at 12:10 PM.
My friend takes fiber supplements and says they have helped her- but she takes some really expensive stuff that's like $60 a bottle- which I think is overpriced honestly.
I eat lots of cauliflower (I can't get enough of that stuff) to help with my fiber intake.
Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar is something I've recommended to a lot of people and it seems to help- Two table spoons in a bottle of water 2x a day is what is recommended, I usually take a drink from the bottle of water until the water reaches the top of the label and fill the rest with the vinegar and drink it that way-but I don't mind the taste so that's just me =) I usually drink it while I'm working out, I find it keeps me from sucking down a whole bottle of water inbetween sessions because it's full of well, vinegar. But the full-body benefits of apple cider vinegar are well documented, if you wanted to look up some information on it. A clean bowel is just one of the perks. Haha!
I looked into fiber suppliments a while back and found a lot of them to be expensive. At first they don't seem so bad until you read the dosage and they want you to take 6 pills a day! The bottle will be gone in a week. I ended up deciding on fiber choice weight management. It's 2 tablets a day. It doesn't give you 100% of your daily requirment like the others but really, you get fiber through food too. I find the effects pretty subtile but it does work.
Oh, see the one I got from Trader Joe's was $6 for this tub. I don't know how many servings were in there, but if I'm using a tablespoon a day it should last me for quite some time.
I've tried fiber supplements to stay regular, i've tried activia yogurt, i've tried fiber one products, foods with added fiber....
They all make me really bloaty and gassy. Fiber one bars and cereals (after adjusting to them) were okay.... but the best thing I've found to keep me regular is PLENTY of different fruits and veggies every day, and to exercise. When I don't exercise, I'm a mess. I hate it!
I eat the fiber one cereal and lots of fruits and veggies. Once my body got used to it I really feel a lot better. But it takes a couple weeks to adjust.
i lived in the dorm halls when i was an undergraduate for two years and really messed up my ...bowel movements. i started to use the fiber choice powder, but it didn't really do much. i definitely agree with everyone else on the fiber one bars and cereal--your body has to adjust to it. i most of the time avoid them because they are so processed but also i feel so like a giant balloon. like, if someone poked my belly with a needle i would start to deflate.
the only thing i found to work is activia, water, exercise but i have to have it every single day. it's a complex formula.
when i eat healthy my "going" is way less frequent, but when i start eating out more often and/or drinking..it's without fail everyday.
garstar, the only reasoning i would think it could be is our bodies are like "yuck, ew, let's get this outta here, what am i supposed to do with this?"
Two tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily in cereal (hot or cold) or yogurt works very well in my experience. I like the taste of it too. Costco sells a huge container of the stuff that will last you a long time. Flax also reduces your risk of colon cancer.
If you're really desperate, Organic Smooth Move tea w/ Senna is my recommendation. Tastes awful, but one cup in the evening before bed usually does the trick by morning.