This green smoothie for constipation works like magic. You won’t find more fiber from whole foods in any smoothie than this one. It also happens to taste good too.
Constipation is no fun.
Are you, or someone you know suffering from infrequent bowel movements and difficulties passing stools?
This can cause a lot of discomfort such as stomach cramps, bloating, gas, indigestion, tiredness and a general feeling of yuckiness.
** Please note that this post may contain affiliate links which means that I can receive a small payment if you make a purchase through my links.
It’s a good job you took the time to look for a natural solution to constipation because I’m about to relieve you of your problems.
I’m delighted to let you into my world where I’ve done thorough research and discovered amazing smoothie recipes that work wonders in maintaining a healthy gut.
I used to suffer awfully with poor digestion until I made green smoothies part of my daily diet.
Normally, the regularity of your bowel movements may differ based on your age, diet, and daily activities. This explains why the occurrence, therefore, ranges from thrice daily or weekly on average.
However, if everything is working as it should, you should be having a bowel movement after every single meal.
What Causes Constipation
There are several causes of constipation and it’s sad that the prevalence of this uncomfortable, painful and dreaded condition is high.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, about 16 out of 100 adults show signs of constipation.
However, it’s commonly brought about by poor diet and living a sedentary lifestyle, owing to the fast-paced nature of life in the 21st century and other lifestyle changes.
Can you remember any times when you were so held up in other tasks, urgent or not, that you opted not to respond to the obviously critical urge to visit the bathroom?
It’s not a good habit to practice because occasionally doing so will eventually do you more harm than good as it may trigger irregular bowel movements and other undesirable symptoms.
In addition, certain medications such as antacids, anti-depression drugs, narcotics, and diuretics may cause constipation.
However, there are certain drugs that have been approved to treat constipation such as lactulose and lubiprostone.
We all know that taking medication on a long term basis can lead to more health problems in the future. We need a natural solution to get you healthy again.
Other causes of constipation include stress, hormonal problems, and magnesium deficiency.
{RELATED POST: 10 Things You Can Do Today For Better Digestion}
How Smoothies Help Constipation
Smoothies effectively act as natural digestive tract cleansers hence aiding in waste elimination.
The two basic smoothie ingredients that help control and eradicate constipation are fiber and water.
Notably, you can either add a little water to some specific smoothies if the ingredients are not liquid. However, raw foods naturally contain a considerable amount of water and this explains how smoothies help constipation.
Unlike cooked and processed foods, the puree-based drinks retain several beneficial components, such as flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin C and dietary fibers that will keep your constipation free for as long as you take them.
{RELATED POST: 12 Mind-blowing Health Benefits Of Green Smoothies That Will Change Your Life}
Why This Is The Most Effective Smoothie For Constipation
You get over 100% of the fiber you need for your daily allowance in this one meal at the start of the day for breakfast. So if you drank another for lunch, you’ll double the fiber giving you the greatest chance of success.
{RELATED POST: How Much Green Smoothie Should I Drink A Day?}
Sweet Potato For Constipation: The Science
Sweet potatoes contain a high amount of fiber – approximately 3.8 grams which is 15% of the recommended daily intake, hence making them appropriate foods for easing constipation.
It’s also highly nutritious since it contains water, magnesium, and vitamin B6 that act as natural laxatives.
Research has shown that sweet potatoes contain a high content of insoluble fiber in form of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin which aid bowel movements by adding bulk and weight to the stool and also contains the soluble fiber pectin which acts as a stool softener since it absorbs water.
Additionally, it’s rich in vitamins and minerals making a sweet potato smoothie an all-around, highly nutritious meal by itself.
To add a sweet potato to the smoothie, you can either cook it or leave it raw. Yes, it is perfectly safe to eat a raw sweet potato and you’ll be getting more nutrients that way.
However, for easier blending, it is better to add cooked sweet potato. To cook a sweet potato you can either bake it in the oven with its skin on for 20 minutes or until golden at 400 F / 200 C. You can also cut it into chunks leaving the skin on and steam it for 15 minutes or even air-fry it.
I prefer this non toxic air fryer to avoid harmful chemicals leaching into my food and the air. Click the link to see this on Amazon.
{RELATED POST: Raw Carrot And Sweet Potato Soup With Spinach)
Apples For Constipation: The Science
Just as true as the popular saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, so is having a glass of the apple smoothie to cure, or better still, prevent constipation.
Fiber, sorbitol, and fructose are the three important compounds found in apples that aid in digestion.
A medium, unpeeled apple contains 4.4g of fiber.
It’s recommended that you eat your apple with the peel since the peel contains the highest fiber content, unless it’s non-organic then its better to avoid the peel.
They also contain a considerable amount of water that speeds up digestion hence decreasing the chances of constipation.
To add apples to your blender, just chop it into chunks with or without the peel. You’ll get a smoother blend without the peel unless you have a high-speed blender.
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Raspberries For Constipation: The Science
A raspberry smoothie is a sure way of eradicating constipation.
It’s amazing to know that a cup of raspberries contains 8 grams of fiber, double the amount the same measure of strawberries has.
Raspberries contain high amounts of dietary fiber – that aids in digestion, vitamin C, manganese, and antioxidants.
You can also sprinkle a few raspberries into your meals such as salads or yogurt for maximum benefits.
Just wash the raspberries and add them straight into your blender.
{RELATED POST: Rippled Raspberry Smoothie}
Broccoli For Constipation: The Science
Broccoli is a high fiber vegetable either eaten raw or cooked. Eating it raw is however mostly preferred since cooking it destroys its fiber content while adding more calories as well.
Research has proven broccoli to be an all-time recommended food with many health benefits, not to mention that it’s both fat & cholesterol free.
It contains nearly 1g of fiber per 10 calories. The fiber helps replicate the amounts of healthy bacteria within the intestines, aid in digestion. In return, these bacteria keep the stomach lining healthy.
This is a crucial ingredient in this smoothie.
If you prefer to cook your broccoli before adding it to the blender, cut it into florettes and steam it for about 10 minutes.
Brococoi is an unbelievably healthy food on so many levels.
Check out what Doctor Michael Gregor has to say about Broccoli:
“I mentioned broccoli more than any other food in my book How Not to Die, and for good reason. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli can potentially prevent DNA damage and metastatic cancer spread, activate defenses against pathogens and pollutants, help to prevent lymphoma, boost your liver detox enzymes, target breast cancer stem cells, and reduce the risk of prostate cancer progression. The component responsible for these benefits is thought to be sulforaphane, which is formed almost exclusively in cruciferous vegetables.”
If you care about your health and want to know the latest scientific research on health in a very easy to understand format, you’ll want to get yourself a copy of How Not To Die on Amazon. It is, hands down, one of the best books I’ve ever read and I keep re-reading it over and over again. A real page-turner!
Click here to grab a copy of How Not To Die by Michael Gregory.
{RELATED POST: Blueberry Broccoli Smoothie: Cancer Preventing}
Dried Apricots For Constipation: The Science
Unlike the fresh fruit, dried apricots contain a higher amount of dietary fiber – 4.8 grams per a half-cup serving, therefore, a good choice for constipation elimination.
In addition, apricots also help in the treatment of earaches, fevers, skin diseases, cancer and anemia due to their high nutrition value.
Notably, research indicates that the concentration per ounce of fiber and antioxidants in dried fruit is higher than fresh ones.
Additionally, dried apricots are a good source of vitamin K which aids in the production of hemoglobin since they contain copper and iron not to mention that it’s responsible for blood clotting in an event you get an injury.
The only thing you’ve got to watch for is that most dried apricots are treated with sulfur which preserves the orange color. Sulfur is harmful for your health, can can cause breathing difficulties, so that’s one to avoid especially if you have asthma.
The good news is that you can get unsulphured dried apricots by clicking here. (On Amazon).
{RELATED POST: Sweet Potato, Peach And Apricot Smoothie}
Chia Seeds For Constipation: The Science
Incorporating [amazon_textlink asin=’B00MPQ5ZOS’ text=’chia seeds’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’greethic-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’cea8d40a-c71b-4fa5-a30a-b8c35bf7749f’] into your smoothie is a brilliant idea since they are rich in dietary fiber, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids – nutrients that your digestive system will need for an effective bowel movement.
On absorbing water, chia seeds form a gel-like formation and when this is ingested it helps keep stools moist and easy to pass.
An interesting fact is that an ounce of chia seeds, which is equivalent to 28g contains 12g of carbs, 11g of which are insoluble fiber, meaning, your body doesn’t digest them. They just pass through while helping everything get moving.
You can add chia seeds straight to your blender when making this smoothie. Bear in mind that if you don’t drink this smoothie straight away and leave the smoothie in the fridge after blending, the chia seeds will make the smoothie thicken to a point where you might not be able to drink it without adding more water and giving it a stir or a shake. You could also eat this like a pudding, using a spoon if this happens to your smoothie.
One thing you can do to avoid this problem is to use flaxseed instead of chia or increase the water content of the smoothie.
{RELATED POST: Beautiful Banana And Blueberry Chia Pudding Recipe}
Use Tea As Your Smoothie Base For Constipation
Something I love to do every day is to use brewed tea as the base for my smoothie. Not only does this add more nutrients, but it also helps to defrost any frozen ingredients you may have used which makes them much easier to blend.
You can use this to your advantage here and add even more ingredients that are known for getting everything moving.
Herbs really work their magic in this ‘Get It Going’ tea.
Senna is known for its mildly natural laxative effects and ginger and licorice help to reduce cramping and coat the gastrointestinal tract.
The advantage of having this tea is that you can drink as many cups of this throughout the day as you need to.
Get your ‘Get It Going Tea’ here on Amazon.
How Soon Will I see The Results After Drinking This Smoothie?
After a couple of days of drinking this smoothie, you’ll notice a massive improvement.
Keep drinking it 1-2 times every day, replacing your breakfast and even your lunch with it every day until your digestion is back to normal again.
It can take 24-48 hours for food to move through the digestive tract depending on what is already in the way.
And as you already have a blockage there, you’ll have to shift some of the existing food out of the way to make room for this smoothie.
So you might not notice immediate results. But you will start to notice within 1-2 days and you’ll start to feel healthy again.
You can use herbs as a short term fix to get everything moving more quickly, but unless you start to increase your fiber intake on a regular basis, any changes won’t be long lasting.
As a preventative measure, I recommend drinking this smoothie at least once a day.
Not only will you become regular again, but you’ll also get all your missing nutrients in right at the start of the day.
As a result, your energy will jump to the roof.
How To Make Substitutions To The Ingredients
There might look like some weird ingredients in this recipe, but they taste great when blended together.
Here’s the recipe. Print it out and go and grab the ingredients at your local store and make it right away.
If you don’t have chia seeds, use flaxseeds or any natural seeds you can find.
Don’t have sweet potato? Use pumpkin or squash instead. This will also lower the calories.
Don’t have apricots? Use raisins instead.
Any berries can be used instead of raspberries.
You can replace the broccoli with 6 cups or 180 grams of spinach.
The apple can be replaced with an equal number of peeled oranges, 1 peach or 1/2 mango.
How To Make A Green Smoothie
If you’ve never made a green smoothie before, this video shows you how easy it is. Plus this is an alternative recipe that you can use that will help constipation – but not as much as the recipe underneath it.
Green Smoothie For Constipation: Highest 100% Fiber Recipe
Equipment
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- The Best Travel Smoothie Cup For Large Smoothies At Work Or School
- Best Value Small Blender For Single Servings On The Go
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw sweet potato
- 1 large apple with skin
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1/2 cup cooked broccoli
- 4 tablespoons dried apricots get unsulphured to avoid chemicals
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 cup of water or for an extra boost, make 1 cup of 'Get It Going' Tea
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.
- If you are using frozen ingredients, what you can do to make this easier to blend is boil some water or steep 1 cup of green tea or 'Get It Going' tea in a jug for 3 minutes, then pour that over the frozen ingredients. It defrosts the frozen ingredients and makes it easier to blend. You can also leave frozen ingredients to thaw first.
Notes
6 Life Changing Benefits Of Green Smoothies
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Conclusion
Though it’s a condition that everyone wishes away, chronic constipation has proven to be a menace to the entire population.
According to a study done by the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, it affects 2% to 27% of the population worldwide. Notably, a huge amount of capital is also used in the treatment, since in complex situations, medicines and other laxatives are used on patients.
The good news is that incorporating either one or a combination of the above mentioned green smoothies into your diet will keep constipation at bay and your visits to the bathroom will be regular, easy and stress-free. You won’t even need to take a book with you!
We most definitely don’t want to be among those suffering from constipation, right?
Well, I’m glad we’re in agreement and most importantly, that you’ll adopt the green smoothie into your daily diet. Mine is an assurance that you’ll have a total health transformation and better gut health within 1-2 days.
Please leave a comment below as I’d love to know what yours or someone else’s’ results were with this smoothie.
Please pin this to save it for later.
Related Resources You Will Love
Here are all the most popular resources that will help you take things to the next level:
- Over 50 Green Smoothie Recipes: The Complete Guide To Green Smoothies
- 20 Ingenious Ways To Make Green Smoothies More Filling
- How To Make A Green Smoothie: 5 Expert Hacks Revealed
- The BEST Green Smoothie Recipe Ever! With HIDDEN Spinach
- How Much Green Smoothie Should I Drink A Day To Lose Weight?
- 15 Green Smoothies For Weight Loss: Tasty, Fast & Healthy
- FREE Weight Loss Green Smoothie Recipe Card
Sources:
- https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/understanding-constipation-basics
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322382.php
- https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/natural-laxative-foods/
- https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/5-foods-that-relieve-constipation
- https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/fruits-high-in-fiber.php
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28089080
- http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9
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