Backed up? Eat This $5 Snack Before Bed and You’ll Poop in the Morning, Says Dietitian

If you often suffer from a slow-moving system, there is a midnight snack that can help.

The best nighttime snack to unclog your bowels is a fiber-filled snack that costs about $5 per pack, according to Isabel Vasquez, a New York-based registered dietitian.

She’s talking about crispy chickpeas: packets of legumes that are roasted, fried, or roasted until dry and crunchy.

They can be mixed with sweet or salty spices, depending on your preferred palate, Ms. Vasquez said.

These crunchy little tidbits are packed with gut-friendly fiber and minerals that ease digestion and feed the healthy bacteria in your gut.

This means they’re a “great late night snack to help you poop,” Vasquez wrote in one column for EatingWell.

Research shows that fiber-rich foods such as chickpeas thicken stools, making them easier to pass, reducing the risk of constipation – something that affects about a fifth of Americans on a regular basis.

It also softens the waste in the intestine, further facilitating its exit from the body.

But not all fiber is equal. Chickpeas contain a particularly high amount of insoluble fiber.

Ms. Vasquez did not recommend a particular brand of chickpea snacks, but said you can buy them at a store or make them at home

Insoluble fiber is not easily dissolved by water and adds bulk to your stool, helping food pass through your intestines more quickly. according to Mount Sinai. It is found in whole grain products and vegetables.

Soluble fiber, on the other hand, easily turns into a paste in your stomach and doesn’t do much for digestion. It is found in citrus fruits, apples and nuts.

Chickpeas contain almost three times as much insoluble fiber as soluble fiber, the paper said North Ottawa Wellness Foundation– which allows them to digest better.

Chickpeas – and snacks derived from them – also help grow healthy bacteria in your gut, according to a 2021 study by food scientists at Volcani Institute in Israel. The researchers discovered that the molecular components of chickpeas provide an ideal food source for the bacteria, called prebiotics.

Many Americans likely struggle with constipation simply because they don’t get enough fiber in their diet, Ms. Vasquez said.

Only five percent of Americans get enough fiber in their daily diets according to a 2017 review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that people consume 25 to 38 grams of fiber per day, depending on age and gender. According to Vasquez, Americans consume an average of about 14 grams per day. That is equivalent to eating about 3 apples, which contain 4.5 grams of fiber.

Eating insufficient fiber is also linked to chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, according to the report American Nutrition Association. Some studies have also linked this to the recent increase in colorectal cancer.

A leading cause of constipation in America is a lack of fiber, experts say

A one-ounce serving of Biena Chickpea Snacks, which cost $4.49 per bag and are available at stores like Target, contain six grams of fiber — and only 120 calories.

Eating these late at night, compared to other crunchy snacks like Lay’s chips, which contain a gram of fiber, can help put you on the path to a healthy poop.

In addition to snacking on chickpeas, Vasquez has some recommendations to keep you regular throughout the day.

This includes eating other fibrous fruits and vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts and raspberries. Drinking plenty of water can also help your poop maintain a healthy consistency.

Finally, she recommends eating sugar and salt in moderation, as research shows linked overconsumption to constipation.