Foods that cause constipation: what to put on your plate if you have constipation

October 21, 2026approx. 14 minutesby mybody®x Editorial & Expert Team

In this article

Which foods are recommended for constipation?

Fiber-rich foods are recommended, along with enough fluids. The guideline for adults is at least 30 g of fiber per day (DGE, 2021).

According to MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased), the health encyclopedia of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, these foods belong on your plate if you have constipation:

• Fruit such as berries and plums, as well as prunes
• Vegetables with the edible skin left on
• Whole grains instead of refined flour
• Legumes and nuts

When changing your diet, the pace matters. Fiber can cause bloating, so MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased) recommends increasing the amount slowly. Switching from white bread to legumes overnight is therefore not the goal.

Why fiber? According to the DGE (2021), it affects how long food takes to pass through the stomach and intestines, as well as the amount and consistency of stool. The guideline applies equally to women and men (DGE, 2021).

The Federal Ministry of Health’s health portal lists a low-fiber diet as one cause of constipation, along with not drinking enough (BMG, 2023). It recommends drinking 1.5 to 2 liters a day (BMG, 2023).

Obstipation is the medical term for constipation. According to the BMG (2023), it is considered chronic if symptoms last at least 3 months. According to the BMG (2023), constipation affects around 15 percent of the population in Europe. Women are affected about twice as often as men (BMG, 2023).

Food is one of several approaches. The article Encouraging bowel movements covers other approaches beyond food.

Which foods cause constipation? The list

MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased) advises avoiding highly processed foods and fast food when constipated. Those looking for foods that can help firm up stool during diarrhea can find a separate list of well-tolerated foods in MedlinePlus (2025, paraphrased).

People search for this for different reasons. Some want to know what to avoid when constipated. Others have diarrhea and are looking for foods they can tolerate. MedlinePlus (2024 and 2025) addresses both questions in separate patient information resources.

What should you avoid if you have constipation?

According to MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased), people with constipation should avoid highly processed foods and fast food. Examples include:

• white bread
• sweet pastries and donuts
• sausage
• fast-food burgers
• potato chips
• French fries

According to MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased), lean meat and fish contain no fiber but do not worsen constipation. So you don't have to leave them off your plate as long as you make room for vegetables and whole grains alongside them. The article Eating with digestive problems explains how to think about food for other abdominal complaints.

Which foods are well tolerated during diarrhea?

According to MedlinePlus (2025, paraphrased), these foods are well tolerated during diarrhea:

• pasta
• white rice
• Oatmeal
• cooked carrots

According to MedlinePlus (2025, paraphrased), fried and fatty foods should be avoided in cases of diarrhea.

The Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel, the food database of the Max Rubner Institute, shows how much foods vary in fiber content (BLS 4.0, 2025). Cooked polished rice contains 0.6 g per 100 g, while ground flaxseed contains 21.6 g (BLS 4.0, 2025).

Fiber per 100 g · BLS 4.0 (2025)

The table shows fiber content, not effects. Whether a food has a laxative or constipating effect cannot be determined from its content per 100 g (BLS 4.0, 2025).

Which vegetables help with constipation?

MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased) lists broccoli and potatoes with their skins among high-fiber vegetables. As with all fiber, increase the amount gradually.

Here is the full list of vegetables from MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased):

• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Corn
• Pumpkin
• Potatoes, eaten with the skin

Keep the skin on. MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased) advises against removing edible skins and specifically mentions potato skins. For salads, the site recommends using lettuce and spinach as a base. Cabbage is also on the list.

In everyday life, this means making vegetables with their skins a regular part of your diet and increasing the amount over several days, rather than changing everything in one day. The source recommends increasing fiber slowly precisely because it can cause bloating (MedlinePlus, 2024, paraphrased).

A broader selection, including foods beyond vegetables, is covered in the overview of high-fiber foods.

Prunes and juice for constipation: What has a laxative effect?

One study found that prunes increased stool weight in healthy adults with infrequent bowel movements (Lever et al., 2019). A study from Japan found that prune juice reduced hard stools in people with chronic constipation (Koyama et al., 2022).

What did the study on prunes show?

With 120 g of prunes a day, stool weight increased by 32.8 g a day (Lever et al., 2019). These amounts were used in the study, not recommendations.

The study included 120 healthy adults who had bowel movements three to six times a week and ate little fiber (Lever et al., 2019). Randomized means chance determined who was assigned to which group. One group drank only 300 ml of water a day for four weeks, while the others ate 80 g or 120 g of prunes in addition to this water (Lever et al., 2019).

With 80 g, stool weight increased by 22.2 g per day (Lever et al., 2019). In the water group, it decreased by 0.8 g per day (Lever et al., 2019). The number of bowel movements with 80 g of prunes was 6.8 per week, compared with 5.4 in the water group (Lever et al., 2019).

The results also came with drawbacks. Bloating was more common with prunes than with water alone (Lever et al., 2019). Intestinal transit time, meaning the time it takes for the intestinal contents to be passed, did not change (Lever et al., 2019).

Important context: The participants were healthy and had only infrequent bowel movements (Lever et al., 2019). The results therefore cannot simply be applied to people with chronic constipation.

Prunes in numbers

Source: Lever et al., 2019; Max Rubner Institute, BLS 4.0, 2025

Which juice has a laxative effect?

There is a study finding for prune juice: people in Japan with chronic constipation had fewer hard stools when they drank it (Koyama et al., 2022). The findings were published as a brief research report.

The study was double-blind and placebo-controlled: neither the participants nor the study team knew who received the juice (Koyama et al., 2022). Those who drank prune juice had fewer hard, lumpy stools and more normal stools (Koyama et al., 2022). Loose or watery stools did not increase.

However, juice is not the same as the fruit. It is filtered before bottling and therefore contains almost no fiber (Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis et al., 2001). The same review cites the high content of sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, as a possible explanation for the laxative effect of prunes and prune juice (Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis et al., 2001). It noted that exactly how prunes work was unclear.

The amount of sorbitol in juice depends on the fruit. Prune juice contains 2.35 g of sorbitol per 100 g, and pear juice 2.77 g (BLS 4.0, 2025). Apple juice contains 1 g per 100 g (BLS 4.0, 2025). These figures describe the content, not its effects.

So the claim “a glass of juice, and things get moving” is an oversimplification. Juice contains little fiber (Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis et al., 2001), and the findings on juice come from a brief research report (Koyama et al., 2022).

Oatmeal and carrots for constipation: Is there anything to it?

Oatmeal contains 11.0 g of fiber per 100 g; cooked, it contains 2.1 g per 100 g (BLS 4.0, 2025). MedlinePlus (2025, paraphrased) lists oatmeal and cooked carrots as foods that are tolerated with diarrhea.

This puts both at the intersection of two categories. In the German Nutrient Database (BLS 4.0, 2025), they have a measurable fiber content, and MedlinePlus’s diarrhea information (2025, paraphrased) considers them well tolerated.

For oatmeal, it depends on which line you look at: The value of 11.0 g applies to the flakes, while the value of 2.1 g applies to the cooked preparation (BLS 4.0, 2025). For carrots, the raw and cooked values are closer, at 2.9 g and 2.5 g of fiber per 100 g, respectively (BLS 4.0, 2025).

For comparison: Raw kiwi has 3.9 g per 100 g (BLS 4.0, 2025). You can also sprinkle ground flaxseed over oatmeal in muesli, as described in the next chapter.

If you have oatmeal on your meal plan because of diarrhea, find out more in the article Oatmeal and oat porridge for diarrhea. This article is about eating with constipation.

Eating with constipation: What could a day look like?

A day of eating with constipation is made up of components, not fixed recipes. The guidelines are at least 30 g of fiber as a benchmark (DGE, 2021) and 1.5 to 2 liters of fluids per day (BMG, 2023).

Here’s what the components could look like spread throughout the day:

• For breakfast: Yogurt or muesli, topped with 1 to 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseed (MedlinePlus, 2024). If you eat bread, choose whole grain: rye whole-grain bread has 9.6 g of fiber per 100 g, while wheat toast bread has 3.9 g (BLS 4.0, 2025).
• At lunch: Vegetables with edible skins, such as potatoes with the skin on, along with legumes (MedlinePlus, 2024, paraphrased).
• Between meals: Berries or fruit with the skin on (MedlinePlus, 2024, paraphrased). Prunes also fit here; however, the 80 g or 120 g per day come from a study and are not a recommendation (Lever et al., 2019).
• In the evening: Soup, which can also be sprinkled with flaxseed (MedlinePlus, 2024, paraphrased), along with a salad with lettuce or spinach. According to MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased), lean meat or fish does not worsen constipation.
• Throughout the day: Drink 1.5 to 2 liters (BMG, 2023) and plan some physical activity, since the BMG (2023) lists a lack of exercise as one cause of constipation.

Besides flaxseed, MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased) also mentions bran and psyllium seeds as toppings. Find out what is known about psyllium husks in the article Psyllium husks.

Constipation and gut flora: What a stool test can and cannot show

A stool test shows what the gut flora is made up of, that is, the bacteria in the gut. By contrast, the causes of constipation listed by the BMG (2023) start with food and drink.

The BMG (2023) lists the following causes of constipation:

• A low-fiber diet
• Not drinking enough
• Lack of physical activity
• Deliberately suppressing the urge to have a bowel movement
• A sudden change in circumstances, such as while traveling

The BMG (2023) also calls an examination of the gut flora in stool a gut microbiome profile. According to the BMG (2023), there is no scientific evidence to date that testing stool for bacteria or fungi provides information to guide treatment. Treatment-guiding information would mean that the findings could show how to treat the condition.

If you still want to know what your own gut flora is made up of, mybody®x’s (MYBODY Lab GmbH) Gut Microbiome Test analyzes a stool sample using DNA sequencing for €189.00 (as of October 20, 2026; subject to change). Among other things, it reports species diversity and the stool’s pH. It does not provide a diagnosis, and the results do not yield dietary recommendations. The results can help you prepare for a doctor’s appointment but do not replace medical evaluation.

Constipation: When should you see a doctor?

You should have bowel movement problems checked by a doctor if they come on suddenly and are accompanied by warning signs (BMG, 2023). According to MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased), this also applies if you have not had a bowel movement for three days.

The BMG (2023) lists the following warning signs:

• Blood in the stool or at the anus
• Major fluctuations in stool diameter
• Anemia
• Weight loss
• Family history of colorectal cancer

MedlinePlus (2024, paraphrased) also recommends seeing a doctor for abdominal pain or vomiting. Read more about this connection in the article Abdominal Pain with Constipation.

Anyone looking for constipating foods because of diarrhea should watch for different signs. The IQWiG (2023) lists the following reasons to seek medical help for diarrhea:

• no improvement after 48 hours (IQWiG, 2023)
• high fever
• blood in the stool
• mucus coating the stool
• severe pain

According to the IQWiG (2023, paraphrased), dizziness and circulatory problems can point to a severe loss of fluids and salts. If this happens, seek medical help promptly.

Constipating foods: What are the limits of our knowledge?

The dietary tips are based on information for the general public from health portals, and the findings on prunes are based on individual studies. Both have limitations worth knowing about:

• MedlinePlus is a US health information resource for the general public (MedlinePlus, 2024). Its recommended fluid intake differs from that of the BMG (2023); this article follows the German recommendation.
• The prune study involved healthy adults who had infrequent bowel movements, not people with chronic constipation (Lever et al., 2019).
• The juice study is a brief research report from Japan (Koyama et al., 2022).
• The overview of sorbitol dates from 2001 and analyzed US and French varieties (Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis et al., 2001). Its sorbitol values differ from those in the Federal Food Code (BLS 4.0, 2025).
• The Federal Food Code lists amounts per 100 g, not their effects (BLS 4.0, 2025).

The components in this article point you in a general direction. They are no guarantee of how your own gut will respond.

What to eat when constipated: What you can do now

Start with your plate, not a list of foods to avoid. Swap white bread for whole-grain bread and increase your fiber intake gradually so your gut can adjust. Drink enough and stay active. If you also notice blood in your stool or other warning signs, constipation is something to discuss with a doctor, not a reason to change your meal plan.

Frequently asked questions

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Sources

1. Federal Ministry of Health: Constipation in adults (as of 2023); German Nutrition Society: Reference values for fiber (as of 2021); Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care: Diarrhea (as of 2023) – gesund.bund.de · dge.de · gesundheitsinformation.de
2. U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus: Constipation, self-care (as of 2024); When you have diarrhea (as of 2025) – medlineplus.gov · medlineplus.gov
3. Max Rubner Institute: German Nutrient Database 4.0 (as of 2025) – blsdb.de
4. Lever E. et al., Clinical Nutrition (2019); Koyama T. et al., Am J Gastroenterol (2022); Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis M. et al., Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr (2001) – europepmc.org · europepmc.org · europepmc.org

Statements about constipation and fluid intake are based on [1], as are the recommended fiber intake and warning signs of diarrhea. Recommendations and foods to avoid come from [2], and fiber and sorbitol content per 100 g from [3]. Findings on prunes and prune juice come from [4]. Product information and price: mybody®x shop, as of 20.10.2026; subject to change. Compiled on 21.10.2026.