Adding More Fiber to Our Diet

Pears and pear juice, water, white grape juice, grapes, prunes, prune juice, raisins, whole wheat bread will all help with constipation. It might be more of a water issue than a fiber issue.

Benefiber to the rescue. You can mix it with anything. It is simply wheat dextrin. (gluten free). Put it in juice, meat loaf, pudding...you name it. But use small amounts. You wouldn't want to overdo it. And it works. Also the other mama's are on to something with increasing fluid intake. Good luck.

Some nurse friends shared the following 'recipe' with me when I was having similar problems. It was their hospital recipe. It's actually pretty tasty. --- applesauce, prune juice, a tablespoon or two of butter (not margarine) and some oat or wheat bran. Mix it all up, warm it up for the butter to melt or melt it first. - You don't have to tell them its prune juice although they may not care. I like it warm and actually began to look forward to it!!! - You can call it a special applesauce treat.

Another thought is wondering what is causing it especially if it's more often than an isolated incident. I know for some people bread products can cause some constipation. Also, have you looked into things like gluten intolerance? That may be a stretch, but I'd keep looking for what's causing it. Good luck!

My daughter (age 7 years) was constipated and had stomach aches everyday. The pediatrician said constipation is something you need to address over a long period of time. So for many months I've been giving her miralax and benefiber on a daily basis, and checking back with the doc. Gradually we've been decreasing the amounts. Apparently you have to retrain their systems, and a short-term program won't work. My daughter has been tummy ache free for quite awhile and no more constipation, but the pediatrician still wants her on miralax and benefiber for awhile until her system is retrained. Of course, as you said, another critical thing to do is increase the fiber they get naturally. One huge boost for my daughter's fiber intake is Brownberry double fiber wheat bread - 5 grams of fiber in one slice. So if she has one sandwich a day, that's 10 grams of fiber right there.

Good luck!

You can use fiber powder (like benefiber) and some wheat germ and sprinkle it on your oatmeal and such. Snack on nuts, foods with 100% whole grain, keep the peels on your potatoes. Eats oatmeal and oat cereal topped with fruit for breakfast.

Eat yogurt to help with digestion.

http://www.wheatfoods.org/AboutWheat-Eat-Fiber-Foods/Inde...
http://nutrition.about.com/od/healthyfood1/qt/morefiberin...

Have you tried Prunes or Raisins? Also I just started giving my daughter age 2 Fiber Gummies.

Sine your kids are young, I'd definitely advise double-checking with your pediatrician before acting on any of our advice.

For many months, our 2 year-old daughter has suffered from encopresis. Per the pediatrician, we have to give her Miralax daily as she withholds her poop for fear of the pain of passing it. Fun, let me tell you.

When I was in chemo, the drugs constipated me horribly. I was advised to add a stool softener/laxative. I ended-up with Senna-S. However, I'd definitely ask your pediatrician first.

Most additives that you find (FiberSure, Benefiber, etc) are vegetable inulin - fiber! Prunes, pears, etc. have more inulin than other foods, so they're advised to help get things moving.

I'd check out the FiberOne products. They are HIGH fiber. Shredded Wheats say they are, but they only have 3 g. Most FiberOne products have 30-50% of daily fiber in 1 serving. Their cereals are actually pretty good - not a fan of the yogurt aftertaste personally.

Good luck!

Bran muffins! With raisins and other fruits, these are generally a hit with kids. I have a great recipe that uses buttermilk )powdered is fine) and two boxed cereals, Grape Nuts and some kind of stick-like stuff that all softens nicely and I am sure you can find the recipe on the Net. If you make them in mini-muffin tins, you will have a nice cookie jar full.
:-) bon appetit!
Mama S.

give them dried prunes or dried figs as a snack, those help greatly. also prune juice and pear juice are great and sweet...I would add extra virgin olive oil to each meal (in minestrone soup or in any soup for example), that helps things along you could not believe it. Also I would give them raisins for snacks, besides yougurt and cereal in the mrnong as other moms mentioned. Above all, water is hugely important; without fluids the fibers become packed and hard, making it more difficult to go, so watch out for that. Good luck.

Def make sure they are getting enough liquids in as that can be a big culprit with constipation, you can add wheat germ to their yogurt or cereal, give them oatmeal, raisin bran, pears.

I eat snack bars with soluable fiber and add it to my protein shakes. Strawberries have fiber and most kids just love them.

Also be sure your kids are drinking lots of water, especially when they have fiber.

When you add more fiber, which is GREAT (Americans DO NOT eat the 20-30 grams needed daily), build up slowly as not to upset your kids stomaches.

This is what I do for a living so if you would like some product recommendations just contact me.

make sure all the grains they get are whole grains and add some prunes to their diet. I was surprised at how much my daycare kids LOVE prunes! I have to limit them. Also watermelon is a natural laxative so have a bit of that every day or so.

Benefiber is great and so is steel cut oatmeal. Don't forget raisins and prunes and prune juice. Try to avoid the things you would take if you were suffering from diarrhea (Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast). Have them drink plenty of fluids because the fiber needs it to bulk up.

Ground up flaxseed is a really good source of fiber. You can mix it into smoothies and such. It's also a great source of Omega 3s.

I agree with the prunes/ prune juice. My 7 year old daughter had constipation so bad when she was little. It was so bad that she would be in the middle of playing and stop dead in her tracks and start crying. When she was little I would put a tablespoon of Karyo syrup in her milk. That worked but I didn't like the fact that I was adding a sugary taste to her milk. Now I give my daughter Benefiber. I use it for myself & the rest of the family to add more fiber to our diet. I add it to water, milk, pancake mix, spaghetti sauce, you name it. It really helps my oldest go, and there is no more crying. Now, if she hasn't pooped and feels like she really needs to, she asks for some. She even knows that the Benefiber is what helps her go easier. Good luck. I remember those horrible days and I don't wish that on any child.

Try figs. The small seeds in figs gently scrub the colon walls and will aid in eliminating content that has attatched itself to the colon walls. One or two daily will do the trick for children. Blend it with other foods if your kids won't eat it, or try fig newtons. Another remedy that I discovered by complete accident is mineral oil. After the children have had their bath, rub mineral oil
on their tummies and the bottom of their feet. It may take a few times, but it really works. Make sure they are hydrated with water or diluted juice.

Lots of water in addition to fiber. The intestines are the first thing to dry out.

If it's an ongoing issue with your kids, I would look to see what to <cut out> of their diet. Dairy is the number one culprit that should be eliminated completely first and see if that improves the situation. If not, work thru eliminating/trialing the top 8 allergens (gluten is a biggie). Look to see what they're eating on a daily basis and that may give you some clues. A food journal may be helpful.

I'm sure other moms with more experience with kids will pipe up with suggestions for kids. As a for the whole family, we eat as much whole grains as possible - whole wheat or whole grain bread, oatmeal, whole wheat bagel or English muffin or whole grain cereal (we like Quaker Oat Squares) for breatfast most days, whole grain pasta (get the pasta that is 100% whole grain; some are not). Eat more beans--chili, bean burritos, homemade black bean burgers, bean salads, etc. For the adults, you can take Fiber Choice (2 T per day) (and it doesn't taste nasty). Benefiber is another supplements and is something you can add to drinks or meals if you have someone who needs "extra" but won't take it. Dried fruit (especially prunes, but also apricots, etc) are usually high in fiber. You can add stewed prunes or apricots to oatmeal or add them to homemade muffins, etc.

I think for your LO, you should probably talk to the pediatrician about Miralax usage and other options--I'm not familiar with it very much, but it might be one of those things that you need to take for a few days instead of just 1 day to help out with the problem.

I have read that drinking a lot of water can help. Also a lot of cereals have fiber. Anything with whole grains is probably good. Prune juice, but I don't know too many kids that like it. Good Luck - I hope they find some relief soon!

Good old fashioned Raisin Bran will do the trick! Good luck! ;0)

my girls eat alot of raisen bran and bran flakes for breakfast and that pretty much keeps them regular. I buy this cereal by Kelloggs called Bran Buds. I wouldnt like it as a bowl of cereal but I put it in alot of my other foods. It doesnt really have any flavor but it is small and crunchy. 1/3 cup has 14 grams of fiber in it(somewhere around there and I just ran out this morning so I cant check the box). I put some in yogurt that Ive mixed with fresh fruit, I add it to my cereal in the morning. I love it on salads and at night when I have a bowl of ice cream I put it in there, with some cool whip and fresh fruit! My mom puts it in her bran flakes every morning and she said she has never been more regular! I like it cause it doesnt leave me gassy like other high fiber things will. I used to eat Fiber One bars but I always had bad, smelly gas! Also make sure they are drinking plenty of liquids! good luck!