In a perfect world, you’d eat your kiwi with the skin on, Sumona Bhattacharya, MD, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at GW Medical Faculty Associates, tells SELF. “I always recommend at least trying the kiwi fruit with the skin on. A significant amount of the fiber is in the skin,” she says. (If you’d rather eat a skinless kiwi, Dr. Bhattacharya still says you can get fiber and constipation help from your fruit.)
No matter how you like to eat them, “kiwis are great,” Rudolph Bedford, MD, gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, tells SELF.
Rye bread is rich in fermentable fibers that draw water into your poop to make it softer and easier to pass, Keatley explains. It also helps to feed your gut bacteria and create short-chain fatty acids like butyrate that stimulate bowel movements, he says. “Compared to wheat bread, rye bread leads to faster intestinal transit and softer stools,” Keatley says.
Mineral water, especially those that contain magnesium sulfate or bicarbonate, act as natural laxatives, Keatley says. “Magnesium draws water into the intestinal lumen, softening stools and triggering movement of the intestines,” he says. “These waters don’t require long-term use, but can be a gentle alternative to stimulant laxatives.”
There are a few times to consider using these.
Again, this research and guidance focuses on chronic constipation. “If constipation is chronic, incorporating these foods daily is worthwhile,” Keatley says.
But if you just have random constipation, like from traveling, changing up your diet, taking certain medication, or for reasons you can’t pinpoint, Keatley says these foods and drink can be first-line interventions you try for a few days to see if they get things moving again.
Dr. Polman says you can also just rotate these foods into your diet, regardless of whether you have a history of constipation “to help keep bowel movements regular and prevent constipation,” he says.
But there are other hacks that can help you poop, too.
If you’ve tried kiwi, rye bread, and mineral water and aren’t seeing results, or if you’re just not into these foods, you still have options. The researchers also found that more commonly recommended hacks, like taking psyllium supplements (a form of dietary fiber), certain probiotic strains, and magnesium oxide supplements may help, too. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) recommends trying these steps:
