Repost from Russiandoll 2006
http://www.minimins.com/very-low-calorie-diets/1343-fao-lesley-psyllium-husk-post-2.html
FAO - Lesley: psyllium husk post
Hi
Pierce said you were looking for something I posted about PH and the mechanics of 'the bowels'. I've just hunted it out for you and here it is:
Everything you wanted to know about Poo (but were too scared to ask!)
I suffered terribly from constipation in the early days. It got so bad that I had to resort to suppositries and I even considered giving up the diet I was in such discomfort.
Then I tried psyllium husks and I haven't looked back since. So here's the low down on psyllium husks and your innards. (Biology lesson coming up)
Your bowels work by being 'triggered' to contract and expel waste when the contents are bulky enough to press against the walls. All the time that waste sits in your bowels, water is being extracted. Therefore, if there's waste sitting in there for any period of time, it soon becomes dry and hard: this makes it difficult to expel.
On a VLCD, we don't have a lot of waste products as an end product of digestion so it can often be days before there's enough to press against the bowel walls. Cue constipation ....
Laxatives are a solution .... but only as a short term 'fix'. If you use laxatives regularly, then they can interfere with the natural mechanisms of the bowels and make them 'lazy' and reliant on being artificially stimulated.
The best solution is a bulking agent which will enable your bowels to work naturally like they're supposed to. This is where psyllium husks come in. They are 100% natural and contain no calories or carbs so they don't interfere with the diet. The body cannot absorb or digest them. They absorb 20 times their own weight in water which means when you take them and drink plenty of fluid, they bulk up the contents of your bowels and hey presto!!
They are also gentle and so are suitable for people with IBS. You can buy them in powdered husk form (this is how I take them). I add 2 teaspoons to my morning shake and another 3 teaspoons to my evening soup. It thickens them up - in fact the soup is like a broth - I love it!
If that's not something you fancy, then psyllium husks can be bought in capsule form. They are not a cure and should be taken every day as a preventative.
They absolutely transformed my experience on this diet and I haven't had to take a laxative since.
Remember to drink extra water when taking them though.
I buy my PH online (cheapest way to do it) - here's the link to the company 'Healthspan'.
Buy vitamins and supplements online from the UK's No1 direct supplier | Healthspan
and if you prefer the idea of capsules, Holland & Barrett sell them -here's the link
Holland and Barrett &CID=15&Page=4
Hope this helps!!
