Foods that help you poop: fiber, fruit and fluids that keep things moving

If you are feeling backed up, what you eat and drink is usually the first thing to look at. Here is what NIDDK, the NHS, MedlinePlus and Mayo Clinic say about the foods and fluids that help you poop, how much fiber to aim for, and how to add it without a bloated week.

Updated October 28, 2026 · 7 min read · By the Log For Your Log team · 6 sources

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General information, not medical advice. This page can help you notice patterns and talk with a clinician. It cannot tell you what is causing a symptom.

Why fiber helps you poop

Fiber is the part of plant foods your body cannot digest or absorb. Mayo Clinic explains that it passes through your stomach, small intestine and colon fairly intact, and that it increases the weight and size of stool and softens it. Bulky stool is easier to pass, which lowers the chance of constipation.

Mayo Clinic describes two types. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel, and is found in oats, peas, beans, apples, bananas, citrus fruits, carrots and barley. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve, supports the movement of material through your gut and adds bulk to stool, and is found in whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, beans and vegetables such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes. Most high fiber foods contain both.

NIDDK sums up the plan for constipation in two lines: eat enough fiber, and drink plenty of liquids to help the fiber work better.

How much fiber do you need?

Health bodies give slightly different targets, but they land in the same place. Most adults could do with more.

Fiber-rich foods to choose

NIDDK lists these as good sources of fiber:

• Whole grains. Whole wheat bread and pasta, oatmeal and bran flake cereals.
• Legumes. Lentils, black beans, kidney beans, soybeans and chickpeas.
• Fruits. Berries, apples with the skin on, oranges and pears.
• Vegetables. Carrots, broccoli, green peas and collard greens.
• Nuts. Almonds, peanuts and pecans.

Easy ways to fit more in

The NHS suggests a higher fiber breakfast cereal or porridge, wholemeal or granary bread, wholewheat pasta, bulgur wheat or brown rice, potatoes with their skins on, and adding beans, lentils or chickpeas to stews, curries and salads. For snacks it suggests fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, oatcakes, rye crackers and unsalted nuts or seeds.

The NHS constipation page also suggests adding some wheat bran, oats or linseed to your diet.

Fruits that help, including prunes

Prunes have a reputation for a reason. MedlinePlus says most fruits will help ease constipation, and names berries, grapes, peaches, apricots, plums, raisins, rhubarb and prunes as some of the fruits that may help. It suggests not peeling fruits that have edible skins, because a lot of the fiber is in the skin.

The NHS points to fruits that contain the sweetener sorbitol, such as apples, apricots, grapes and raisins, raspberries and strawberries, as part of a healthy balanced diet when you are constipated.

Dried fruit counts too. The NHS fibre page suggests fresh or dried fruit for dessert, but notes that dried fruit is sticky and can increase the risk of tooth decay, so it is better eaten with a meal than as a snack between meals.

Do not forget fluids

Fiber needs water to do its job. Mayo Clinic says fiber works best when it absorbs water, which makes stool soft, bulky and easier to pass.

NIDDK suggests water and other liquids, such as naturally sweetened fruit and vegetable juices and clear soups, and says to ask a health professional how much you should drink based on your size, health, activity level and where you live. MedlinePlus suggests 8 to 10 cups (2 to 2.5 liters) of liquids a day, particularly water, when you are constipated. The NHS adds that it helps to avoid alcohol.

Add fiber slowly

Going from very little fiber to a lot overnight can backfire. Mayo Clinic says adding too much fiber too quickly can lead to gas, bloating and cramping, and suggests adding it slowly over a few weeks so the natural bacteria in your gut can adjust. NIDDK and the NHS both say to increase fiber gradually, and MedlinePlus says the same, because more fiber can cause bloating and gas.

One simple approach is to make one swap at a time: porridge instead of a low fiber cereal this week, beans in your lunch next week, then fruit with the skin on as a snack. Keep drinking enough as you go.

Foods with little fiber

NIDDK suggests limiting foods with little to no fiber when you are constipated, such as some frozen meals and snack foods, and processed foods such as hot dogs or some microwavable dinners. MedlinePlus lists white bread, pastries, doughnuts, sausage, fast food burgers, potato chips and French fries. Mayo Clinic explains that refining grains removes the bran, and that removing the skin from fruit or the pulp from juice also lowers fiber.

What a higher fiber day can look like

The NHS gives these example meals and their approximate fiber content. It notes the amounts depend on how food is made and how much you eat.

Track what works for you

Changes can take a little while. The NHS says you may notice a difference within a few days, but sometimes it takes a few weeks. Logging what you eat and drink next to your bowel movements helps you see whether things are shifting, for example from hard Bristol type 1 or 2 stools towards types 3 and 4 (our Bristol stool chart guide explains each type). A week of notes might include:

• Monday. Breakfast: porridge with raspberries. Water: 6 glasses. No bowel movement.
• Tuesday. Lunch: lentil soup, wholemeal roll. Snack: 4 prunes. Bowel movement: Bristol type 2, straining.
• Thursday. Dinner: baked potato with skin, beans. Bowel movement: Bristol type 3.
• Saturday. Morning walk. Bowel movement after breakfast: Bristol type 4, easy.

When to get advice

Fiber is not right for everyone at every time. Mayo Clinic says a healthcare professional may suggest less fiber after some bowel or stomach surgery, during flare ups of conditions such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, or with gastroparesis, and recommends checking with a professional before making big changes to your diet.

MedlinePlus says to contact your provider if you have not had a bowel movement in 3 days, are bloated or have stomach pain, have nausea or are throwing up, or have blood in your stool. The NHS says to see a GP if constipation is not getting better with treatment, keeps coming back, or comes with tummy pain, blood in your poo, weight loss without trying or tiredness all the time. Our when to see a doctor guide brings the warning signs together.

Sources

1. Eating, diet and nutrition for constipation, NIDDK (NIH)
2. Treatment for constipation, NIDDK (NIH)
3. Constipation, NHS
4. How to get more fibre into your diet, NHS
5. Constipation: self-care, MedlinePlus (NIH)
6. Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet, Mayo Clinic

How this page was made. Written by the Log For Your Log team with AI drafting help, then checked line by line against the sources below. Read how we write Learn.

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