Written by Christine Giordano, MD | Reviewed by Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH
Published on April 15, 2024
Key takeaways:
What you eat and drink affects the size, shape, and consistency of your stool. Certain drinks can make it easier to poop when you’re constipated.
Water helps keep stool soft so that it can easily pass through the gut. Coffee, tea, and probiotic drinks can also help ease constipation.
Avoid alcohol and milk if you’re constipated. These drinks can make constipation worse.
Table of contents
Water, Coffee, Warm drinks , Fruit juice , Probiotics, Drinks to avoid, Getting help, Bottom line
References
Kemal Yildirim/E+ via Getty Images
If you’ve ever struggled with constipation, you may have heard about home remedies like adding fiber to your diet and increasing your physical activity. These changes can make it easier to have regular bowel movements. But did you know that what you drink can also affect the size and consistency of your stool, too? Here are the five best drinks to help ease your constipation, and two that you should avoid.
Water
In order for stool to be solid but soft enough to move through the gut, it has to contain the right amount of water. When there’s less water in the stool, poop gets harder and more difficult to pass. Drinking enough water keeps your entire body — including your stool — hydrated. When you’re fully hydrated, you’re less likely to experience constipation.
Water also makes other constipation remedies work better. For example, more fiber in the diet helps with constipation. But there needs to be enough water to “plump up” the fiber in the stool.
Everyone’s water needs are a bit different. Eight glasses of water a day is a general rule of thumb, but you may need more or less depending on your weight, how active you are, and other medical conditions. Getting enough water throughout the day can help you get rid of constipation for good.
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Coffee
It’s no secret that coffee can make you poop. There are a number of ways that a morning cup of coffee may encourage a bowel movement. One way is by activating the gastrocolic reflex, which is when the filling of the stomach with food or drink leads to more movement in the colon. This effect is strongest first thing in the morning.
In addition, the caffeine in coffee can increase the chances of having a bowel movement. A large study found that people who had a high caffeine intake were less likely to have constipation. But caffeine may not be the whole story: Studies have shown that even decaf coffee stimulates movement in the colon, although to a lesser extent than regular coffee.
You can try adding a morning cup of coffee to your daily routine.
Warm drinks
If you’re not a coffee drinker, don’t worry — drinking other warm beverages may also help relieve constipation.
A small study looked at whether drinking warm water helped people recover bowel function faster after surgery. It found that the people who drank warm water started passing gas sooner than those who did not. Warm drinks like tea, broth, and water with lemon can all do the trick. And some warm drinks, like
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