Heading 1
Soluble Fiber
Brings fluid into stools and creates a gel-like consistency that helps stool stick together.
Can be found in grains, nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
Foods rich in this type of fiber include:
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Beans (black, red, kidney, pinto, etc.)
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Split peas
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Lentils
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Soybeans
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Baked beans
Insoluble Fiber
Bulks up loose stools by soaking up excess fluid, promoting the movement of stool.
Can be found in grains and in the skin of fruits and vegetables.
Foods rich in this type of fiber include:
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Skin of fruits and vegetables (apples, raisins, potatoes, etc.)
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Kernel corn
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Spinach, kale, bell peppers
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Whole wheat, brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa, etc.
Soluble Fiber
Brings fluid into stools and creates a gel-like consistency that helps stool stick together.
Can be found in grains, nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
Foods rich in this type of fiber include:
-
Beans (black, red, kidney, pinto, etc.)
-
Split peas
-
Lentils
-
Soybeans
-
Baked beans
Insoluble Fiber
Bulks up loose stools by soaking up excess fluid, promoting the movement of stool.
Can be found in grains and in the skin of fruits and vegetables.
Foods rich in this type of fiber include:
-
Skin of fruits and vegetables (apples, raisins, potatoes, etc.)
-
Kernel corn
-
Spinach, kale, bell peppers
-
Whole wheat, brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa, etc.
Food triggers: Sometimes specific foods can be the cause of uncomfortable bowel and bladder symptoms. We can do an experiment to see if this is the case:
First, remove the food item from your diet for one week. Really pay attention to your symptoms and note if you feel a difference.
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If your bowel symptoms improve, that food (and other similar foods) may be a trigger, and we should continue to avoid it.
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If our bowel symptoms do not change, that food is probably not a trigger, and we can put it back into our diet.
To help with stool seepage after bowel movements, try the following before wiping:
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Place your feet hip-width apart, and place your hands at the outside of your knees.
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Push your knees out while resisting with your hands. While still pushing your knees out against your hands, squeeze the anal sphincter hard and hold for 10 seconds
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Relax for 10 seconds and move your hands to the inside of your knees
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Push your knees in while resisting with your hands. While still pushing your knees in against your hands, squeeze the anal sphincter hard and hold for 10 seconds
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Relax for 10 seconds
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Then, as you wipe, squeeze the sphincter hard, as if you are squeezing the remaining stool out onto the toilet paper.
Information used with permission from Michigan Bowel Control Program Patient Education by University of Michigan Health System is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Type 1
Type 2
Type 3
Type 4
Increase total fiber and fluid intake
Goal consistency,
maintain fiber amount
Type 5
Type 6
Type 7
Increase total fiber intake to bulk up stools
When we concentrate we often tend to hold our breath, it is important to breathe comfortably and evenly before, during, and after the exercises. Take 2 minutes before you start your exercises to focus on breathing. Relax your body, making sure your pelvic floor muscles are also relaxed and that you are not holding in your abdominal muscles.