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We’ve seen plenty of aspirational morning routines on social media. Many people like to start the day with meditation, journaling, hot tea or working out—but what about a morning poop? While talking about poop as part of your morning routine may be too cringy to share online, staying regular is just as important for your overall health.
If having a regular morning No. 2 feels as out of reach as 10 minutes of uninterrupted meditation time in the morning, you may benefit from making a few tweaks to your diet. Eating a diet low in fiber is linked with constipation, an increasingly common gastrointestinal condition. In fact, 15% of the U.S. population struggles with chronic constipation.There are several reasons for constipation, and inadequate dietary fiber is one of them. After all, 95% of Americans don’t meet recommendations for daily fiber intake.
6 Totally Normal Reasons You’re Constipated, According to a Dietitian
Eating a fiber-rich dinner meal can set you up for a regular morning poop. Here’s why: Your digestive system slows down when you go to sleep, so filling up with fiber at dinner gives fiber a chance to do the work of softening and bulking up your stool. In the morning, your colon tends to become more active, meaning it’s primed and ready for a poop.Not to mention, dinner is a great opportunity to pack in some extra fiber so that you’re hitting the recommended 22 to 34 grams of fiber per day.Read on to find out our top dinner pick that may help you poop in the A.M.
What to Look For in a Dinner to Help You Poop
Opt for Plant-Based Protein
When you’re feeling backed up, choosing aplant-based proteinat dinner may be just what you need to get things moving again. Beans and legumes are great sources of protein, and they are also high in fiber, an essential nutrient that isn’t found in chicken, beef and fish. Not only that, most types of beans and lentils contain a combination of both soluble and insoluble fiber, which support regularity in different ways. Just a half-cup of cooked black beans contains 8 grams of fiber, over a quarter of your daily fiber needs.Legumes also provide a host of other beneficial nutrients, like antioxidants that support ahealthier gut microbiome.
Pack in Some Whole Grains
Incorporate Nonstarchy Vegetables
Not only are nonstarchy vegetables good sources of fiber, but they are rich in antioxidants, too. These antioxidants quench free radicals that can contribute to inflammation. And inflammation not only increases your risk of many chronic diseases, but may alsomake you constipated.
The Best Dinner to Help you Poop
If you are looking for a flavor-packed dinner that will also help you poop in the morning, we recommendRoasted Chickpea & Cauliflower Pitas with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce. Here is why it’s the best choice.
Rich in Fiber
Hitting the mark on your fiber intake for the day will be easy when you make these pitas for dinner, since they provide a whopping 13 grams of fiber. Chickpeas, cauliflower and whole-grain pitas all add to the total fiber count for this meal. Including legumes also ensures you’ll be eating a good balance of both solubleandinsoluble fiber for healthy poops.
Packed with Pre- and Probiotics
These pitas are doubly beneficial for gut health since they provide both prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics provide fuel for the beneficial bacteria that live in your gut. One excellent source of prebiotics is chickpeas, which serve as the main protein source in these delicious pitas.
Yogurt, tahini and sun-dried tomatoes combine into a flavor-packed sauce that is also rich in probiotics thanks to the yogurt. Probiotic-rich foods help maintain a healthy balance of beneficial versus harmful bacteria in the gut. A small study of participants with constipation found that eating yogurt reduced constipation symptoms and helped improve the types of bacteria in their gut.
Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients
The Bottom Line
Although there is nobest time of day to poop, starting your day off with a morning poop may be a habit that helps you feel good. A key factor to setting yourself up for a poop after breakfast? A high-fiber dinner like theseRoasted Chickpea & Cauliflower Pitas with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce. Not only are they loaded with flavor and fiber, they also provide other gut-friendly nutrients, such as probiotics, prebiotics and antioxidants, to support gut health.
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Constipation.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Constipation.Hibberd TJ, Ramsay S, Spencer-Merris P, Dinning PG, Zagorodnyuk VP, Spencer NJ.Circadian rhythms in colonic function.Front Physiol. 2023;14:1239278. doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1239278U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025.U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Beans, black, mature seeds, canned, low sodium.Riaz Rajoka MS, Thirumdas R, Mehwish HM, Umair M, Khurshid M, Hayat HF, Phimolsiripol Y, Pallarés N, Martí-Quijal FJ, Barba FJ.Role of Food Antioxidants in Modulating Gut Microbial Communities: Novel Understandings in Intestinal Oxidative Stress Damage and Their Impact on Host Health. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Sep 30;10(10):1563. doi:10.3390/antiox10101563Rollet M, Bohn T, Vahid F, On Behalf Of The Oriscav Working Group.Association between dietary factors and constipation in adults living in Luxembourg and taking part in the ORISCAV-LUX 2 survey.Nutrients. 2021;14(1):122. doi:10.3390/nu14010122Jung SJ, Oh MR, Park SH, Chae SW.Effects of rice-based and wheat-based diets on bowel movements in young Korean women with functional constipation.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2020;74(11):1565-1575. doi:10.1038/s41430-020-0636-1Li XR, Liu CJ, Tang XD, et al.Gut microbiota alterations from three-strain yogurt formulation treatments in slow-transit constipation.Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2020;2020:4583973. doi:10.1155/2020/4583973Peng Y, Ao M, Dong B, et al.Anti-Inflammatory effects of curcumin in the inflammatory diseases: status, limitations and countermeasures.Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021;15:4503-4525. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S327378
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Constipation.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Constipation.Hibberd TJ, Ramsay S, Spencer-Merris P, Dinning PG, Zagorodnyuk VP, Spencer NJ.Circadian rhythms in colonic function.Front Physiol. 2023;14:1239278. doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1239278U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025.U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Beans, black, mature seeds, canned, low sodium.Riaz Rajoka MS, Thirumdas R, Mehwish HM, Umair M, Khurshid M, Hayat HF, Phimolsiripol Y, Pallarés N, Martí-Quijal FJ, Barba FJ.Role of Food Antioxidants in Modulating Gut Microbial Communities: Novel Understandings in Intestinal Oxidative Stress Damage and Their Impact on Host Health. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Sep 30;10(10):1563. doi:10.3390/antiox10101563Rollet M, Bohn T, Vahid F, On Behalf Of The Oriscav Working Group.Association between dietary factors and constipation in adults living in Luxembourg and taking part in the ORISCAV-LUX 2 survey.Nutrients. 2021;14(1):122. doi:10.3390/nu14010122Jung SJ, Oh MR, Park SH, Chae SW.Effects of rice-based and wheat-based diets on bowel movements in young Korean women with functional constipation.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2020;74(11):1565-1575. doi:10.1038/s41430-020-0636-1Li XR, Liu CJ, Tang XD, et al.Gut microbiota alterations from three-strain yogurt formulation treatments in slow-transit constipation.Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2020;2020:4583973. doi:10.1155/2020/4583973Peng Y, Ao M, Dong B, et al.Anti-Inflammatory effects of curcumin in the inflammatory diseases: status, limitations and countermeasures.Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021;15:4503-4525. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S327378
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
National Library of Medicine.Constipation.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Constipation.Hibberd TJ, Ramsay S, Spencer-Merris P, Dinning PG, Zagorodnyuk VP, Spencer NJ.Circadian rhythms in colonic function.Front Physiol. 2023;14:1239278. doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1239278U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025.U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Beans, black, mature seeds, canned, low sodium.Riaz Rajoka MS, Thirumdas R, Mehwish HM, Umair M, Khurshid M, Hayat HF, Phimolsiripol Y, Pallarés N, Martí-Quijal FJ, Barba FJ.Role of Food Antioxidants in Modulating Gut Microbial Communities: Novel Understandings in Intestinal Oxidative Stress Damage and Their Impact on Host Health. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Sep 30;10(10):1563. doi:10.3390/antiox10101563Rollet M, Bohn T, Vahid F, On Behalf Of The Oriscav Working Group.Association between dietary factors and constipation in adults living in Luxembourg and taking part in the ORISCAV-LUX 2 survey.Nutrients. 2021;14(1):122. doi:10.3390/nu14010122Jung SJ, Oh MR, Park SH, Chae SW.Effects of rice-based and wheat-based diets on bowel movements in young Korean women with functional constipation.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2020;74(11):1565-1575. doi:10.1038/s41430-020-0636-1Li XR, Liu CJ, Tang XD, et al.Gut microbiota alterations from three-strain yogurt formulation treatments in slow-transit constipation.Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2020;2020:4583973. doi:10.1155/2020/4583973Peng Y, Ao M, Dong B, et al.Anti-Inflammatory effects of curcumin in the inflammatory diseases: status, limitations and countermeasures.Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021;15:4503-4525. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S327378
National Library of Medicine.Constipation.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Constipation.
Hibberd TJ, Ramsay S, Spencer-Merris P, Dinning PG, Zagorodnyuk VP, Spencer NJ.Circadian rhythms in colonic function.Front Physiol. 2023;14:1239278. doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1239278
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Beans, black, mature seeds, canned, low sodium.
Riaz Rajoka MS, Thirumdas R, Mehwish HM, Umair M, Khurshid M, Hayat HF, Phimolsiripol Y, Pallarés N, Martí-Quijal FJ, Barba FJ.Role of Food Antioxidants in Modulating Gut Microbial Communities: Novel Understandings in Intestinal Oxidative Stress Damage and Their Impact on Host Health. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Sep 30;10(10):1563. doi:10.3390/antiox10101563
Rollet M, Bohn T, Vahid F, On Behalf Of The Oriscav Working Group.Association between dietary factors and constipation in adults living in Luxembourg and taking part in the ORISCAV-LUX 2 survey.Nutrients. 2021;14(1):122. doi:10.3390/nu14010122
Jung SJ, Oh MR, Park SH, Chae SW.Effects of rice-based and wheat-based diets on bowel movements in young Korean women with functional constipation.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2020;74(11):1565-1575. doi:10.1038/s41430-020-0636-1
Li XR, Liu CJ, Tang XD, et al.Gut microbiota alterations from three-strain yogurt formulation treatments in slow-transit constipation.Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2020;2020:4583973. doi:10.1155/2020/4583973
Peng Y, Ao M, Dong B, et al.Anti-Inflammatory effects of curcumin in the inflammatory diseases: status, limitations and countermeasures.Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021;15:4503-4525. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S327378
