High Fibre Adivce for children with constipation

For further information about this information booklet
contact the paediatric dietitian on:
020 8725 2036
High
fibre
advice
Published by:
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
St George’s Hospital NHS Trust
Blackshaw Road
London
SW17 0QT
020 8725 3049/1950
HIGH FIBRE ADVICE, FOR CHILDREN WITH CONSTIPATION
Reviewed: April 2011
For next review: April 2014
For children with
constipation
•
Drink plenty of fluid, but try not to let them drink just
before a meal as this willl fill them up.
•
Toddlers who are still having milk as a drink, should
not fill up on it. 600ml per day is sufficient as this will
decrease their appetite for food.
•
It is very important to visit the toilet regularly, as
children often forget to go. Teach good toilet habits
by encouraging children to go at a regular time each
day, just after a meal is the best time. It is very
important not to ignore the urge to go to the toilet as
this can lead to constipation.
When your child has constipation, their bowel habits can
be irregular and stools are often small and hard.
Accidental bowel movements can also occur.
Constipation can cause stomach pain and poor appetite in
children. This can make the constipation worse.
Increasing the fibre in your child’s diet may help improve
their symptoms.
Fibre is necessary for normal bowel function. It acts as a
bulking agent and will absorb water. This makes stools
soft and easy to pass.
Fibre is found mostly in fruit, vegetables, cereals, grains
and pulses.
The advice contained in this leaflet will help you to chose
foods which are high in fibre.
High fibre foods
Breakfast:
•
Weetabix
•
Ready brek
•
Oats
•
Shreddies
•
Branflakes
•
Wholemeal bread or high fibre white bread toast
•
Dried or stewed fruit
•
Fresh fruit with skin
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Lunch:
Drinks:
•
Wholemeal bread or high fibre white bread sandwiches
•
Crackers or crispbreads - high fibre variety
•
Wholemeal pasta
•
Jacket potato
•
Baked beans
•
Lentils
•
Brown rice
•
Sweetcorn
•
Peas
•
All other vegetables - raw and cooked
•
All salads.
At least six to eight glasses
of water a day.
Fruit juice such as orange
or prune after meals.
Other tips:
Dinner:
As Above.
Snacks:
•
Oat crunchies or flapjacks
•
Fig rolls
•
Cereal bars
•
Digestive biscuits
•
All fruit, fresh with skin, dried or stewed
•
Raw vegetables, such as carrot or pepper sticks, baby
corn, cherry tomatoes
•
Bake with fruit - for example banana bread, apple tart,
fruitcake, carrot cake, add raisins to milk puddings.
•
Add chopped, stewed or dried fruit to puddings and
breakfast cereals.
•
Eat skins on fruit and vegetables wherever possible.
•
When baking use half wholemeal flour and half white
flour.
•
Use a combination of brown and white bread
sandwiches or use high fibre white bread.
•
If your child does not like vegetables, try adding them
as part of a dish. For example in stews, or add peas or
beans to minced beef to make a bolognaise sauce or
cottage pie. Also try adding lentils to soup.
It is very important to:
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•
Make sure your child eats three regular meals per day
and limit snacks between meals to encourage appetite.
A hungry child is more likely to eat their vegetables,
than a child who has been snacking on crisps and
biscuits! A full stomach encourages bowel movement,
therefore children who are picky eaters are more likely
to have constipation.
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