aayushib

germin8 said:

Hello! We’ve been drinking green smoothies daily for almost two months. And, now we think they are constipating us. The green smoothie is about 12 oz a day… made mostly of greens, then water, then a couple fruits.

Does this happen to anyone? Even my mother-in-law, one week into green smoothies and she experienced the same. I experience it less of often than my husband… do we need to drink more water?

 Yes, Your green smoothie could very well be the reason for your constipation.

1. Too little of fibre in your diet causes constipation. Also, too much of fibre in your diet causes constipation. Since smoothies are concentrated with fibre and you probably suddenly began drinking them and that too every day thinking that it's good for the body, your body had too much of a good thing too soon. from a certain amounts of fibre per day, it suddenly started getting way more than it was used to. So, your body will behave differently.

2. Also, fibre absorbs water. So, when you increase your fibre intake, you are also supposed to increase your water intake substantially.

3. To make matters worse, you add things like flaxseed and chia seeds to your smoothie. Flaxseeds are VERY water absorbing. So, if you eat that, you have to drink even more water. Same for adding powders like whey, moringa, wheatgrass.

With each ingredient you add, you increase your water intake accordingly.

4. Also, smoothies should be incorporated in your diet gradually. Start with half a glass. Maybe alternate days. Or maybe every third day. Do this for a month or two and gradually increase the portion to one tall glass (no more than that) and maybe after six months or so to every day.

5. Not to forget, the ingredients you use. There are fruits and vegetables that have yin (cool) and yang (hot) energies in them. Yin cause the body to cool and relieves constipation. Yang causes the body to get heated and causes constipation. So, research well and then add ingredients.

6. Too much fibre can also cause diarrhea as well as constipation. So, keep the quantity in check. Anything in excess is bad. Sleeping late can cause constipation. So along with smoothies, straighten up your lifestyle.