I rarely eat out, and when I cook or fix prepared meals, I always incorporate a lot of fiber into my diet.
My recent trip to NY (5 days) reminded me how much fiber plays a role in my diet because eating out exclusively lowered my fiber intake dramatically.
So now, I’m going to be in Europe for 2 weeks–again, eating out exclusively. I would like to take a fiber supplement that will make up for the amount of fiber I’ll be missing from my regular diet (at least 30-35g/day). Anyone have any recs on what they prefer?
I don’t have a fiber supplement recommendation, because I have never used one, but boy do I feel your pain. Nothing like travel to get you off kilter.
Whatever you do, make sure you remain hydrated. I also find a lot of walking keeps things moving.
I was in Paris last year with some other people, and we were all suffering. For some reason, the day we went to the Louvre, things “worked out” for many of us. It was probably just coincidental, but I highly advise “Vising the Louvre” as part of your regimen.
Might I suggest that instead of fiber supplements, you take along fomr sort of high fiber food that you can snack on?
For example, Kashi Bars seem to have about 6g of fiber each, which is more than you are going to get out of most fiber supplements, plus you also get a bit of nutrition to boot.
Actually, I will be bringing some Weight Watcher Whitman candies along. 3 pieces = 8g of fiber. Those are nice because even a lot of candies fit in a small space (unlike the Kashi/GoLean or Atkins bars I’m familiar with, if we’re talking 2 weeks worth).
And sadly, scout1222, the Louvre is not on the itinerary. But I will definitely stay well-hydrated, thanks to these.
The major causes of constipation are inadequate fiber, lack of exercise, dehydration and of course narcotics.
So make sure to stay well hydrated. You’ll likely get plenty of exercise. Order a salad or some source of fiber at each meal. Choosing high fiber snacks is a good option too. Oh and don’t do drugs!
Psyllium husk does the trick for me. I used to buy Metamucil brand caplets, but switched to CVS generic which is exactly the same as far as I can tell for half the price.
I’ve been known to use FiberCon (or generic) which is a bulking agent. Calcium polycarbophil. More compact than the snack-y suggestions others have made, though they do also require you to be adequately hydrated, and they don’t offer the nutrition which might be found in snacks. Well, I think they offer a nontrivial amount of calcium, but no other nutrients. They’re horse pills (large tablets) so if you have trouble swallowing big pills they may not be for you.
I do some, especially salads, but it really does vary–though I’d estimate it never comes close to the high-fiber diet that I have when I prepare food myself.
I was actually surprised how relatively little fiber the over-the-counter supplements have (I can get more in a single high-fiber tortilla). I ended up buying some Fiber Plus w/Calcium (since I suspect my dairy intake will be lower than usual while in Europe as well)–not a whole lot (8g a day) but not bad.