But and Rice Flour

[LindaLee68]

It’s been a month now gluten-free.  It’s not so difficult except for one thing.  I suffer from idiopathic constipation secondary to a horrible trauma that occurred when I was 13, and subsequently I have to watch out for certain constipating foods.  Seems as if everything (almost) I find in the gluten-free section is made from rice or almond flour.  Guess what is crazy constipating?  If you guessed rice and nuts, you’d be right.  Due to my digestive issues I weigh 88 pounds and shrinking.  
I do not have an eating disorder!  I would cut off my legs to gain 20 pounds!  
Help?

[Wheatwacked]

Add 100 grams of Red Leaf lettuce and about a cup of beans to your diet.  (mix of small red, chickpeas, and pinto has interesting textures and flavors) Soak the beans overnight to remove the lectins then rinse. Simmer for an hour then rinse. Add your flavors. It will increase folate and beneficial fiber. Eat eggs for choline. Increase your intake of thiamine.

Thiamine and choline deficiencies can cause constipation.  Hacking Gut Function

[Mari]

On 4/8/2022 at 12:51 PM, LindaLee68 said:

It’s been a month now gluten-free.  It’s not so difficult except for one thing.  I suffer from idiopathic constipation secondary to a horrible trauma that occurred when I was 13, and subsequently I have to watch out for certain constipating foods.  Seems as if everything (almost) I find in the gluten-free section is made from rice or almond flour.  Guess what is crazy constipating?  If you guessed rice and nuts, you’d be right.  Due to my digestive issues I weigh 88 pounds and shrinking.  
I do not have an eating disorder!  I would cut off my legs to gain 20 pounds!  
Help?

Hi LindaLee - I have had a similar problem with constipation but not from an injury but it seems that I have narrow areas in my gut so that the bolus doesn't move along smoothly but gets hung up in these areas. I don't usually notice this when I am awake and moving around but it keeps me awake when I go to bed. Before I went gluten free I found that I could use several herbs that worked on both the small and large intestine as the magnesium laxatives did not help as they only clear out the large intestine. I am in my 80s and 15 years gluten free and still have this problem although the intestinal spasms are less strong but still occur. Every time I go to see my health provider she says "Drink more water!" This does help but I also need to work on my diet and try to have at least 3 bowel movements a day. I avoid foods that are irritating and cause inflammation as you do. 

About 20 years ago I had a friend who got severely constipated and went to the ER for help. One of the nurses there used a massage of his abdomen to locate where he was blocked and was able to release the cramped intestinal muscles so that he was able to have bowel movements again. This type of massage is something that a person can learn to do safely. You would need to consult your health provider and also read up on how to do this without damaging your repaired intestine. I went online and read up on how to do this. 

 

[Scott Adams]

Welcome to the forum. You may also want to try good old prunes and prune juice, as they can work wonders.