Bowel Program Tips and Tricks
When people with spinal cord injuries have problems with their bowel programs, it is usually one of two things: the stool is too hard, or the process is too slow. Here are some ways to handle the problems.
If your stool is too hard…
• Drink more fluids, ideally water (8-12 cups or 2-3 litres per day)
• Eat more soluble fibre (e.g. oats, fruit flesh)
• Use stool softeners
• Keep a bowel program log tracking high fibre foods, drinks, medications and results
If your bowel program is too slow…
• Drink more fluids, ideally water (8-12 cups or 2-3 litres per day)
• Eat more insoluble fibre (e.g. fruit skin, bran, corn kernels)
• Use laxatives
• Keep a bowel program log tracking high fibre foods, drinks, medications and results
A few ways to eat more fibre…
• Eat raw fruits and vegetables as often as possible
• Start your day with a bowl of high-fibre cereal
• Read food labels to find whole-grain breakfast cereals with five or more grams of fibre per serving.
• Add fruit to your cereal – this can add 1-2 more grams of fibre.
• Add beans to salads, soups and stews
• Buy and eat whole grain foods.
• Eat fruit and vegetables as snacks between meals or toss in extra vegetables in dishes you make
• Make a smoothie with fresh fruit and yogurt as a quick breakfast or a snack
• Use whole wheat or oat flour for up to half of the flour in pancake, waffle, muffin or other flour-based recipes
• Drink more water as you eat more fibre
Quick guidelines for reading labels:
• Look at calories and fat
• Compare two similar products – pick whichever has less calories and fat
• Make sure the portion size they describe is what you’re actually going to eat
• Try to keep the milligrams of sodium and total calories no more than twice the total grams of food