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How to get enough fiber (fibra) in Madrid, Spain to stop constipation


Fri, November 28, 2014 6:46 AM

I don't know if my constipation has anything to do with my Crohn's disease, but it's something I've struggled with all my life. If I have less than 25-30g of fiber per day for more than 1-2 days, I don't poop at all. Period. I want to be an ESL (English as a second language) teacher and I ended up taking a job with an exchange program in Madrid. The problem is that I'm having a hard time getting enough fiber.

I eat dinner every day with my host family, and the dinners have hardly any fiber (e.g. meat, mashed potatoes, regular pasta (not the extra fiber kind), french baguettes, pizza, soup with pasta, croquettes, etc.) I have a fiber supplement that gives me 3g, but I still need to get at least 22g between breakfast and lunch. I bought a fibra plus cereal from carrefour that gives 32.5g fiber/100g cereal, but it tastes so terrible I can't eat more than a few spoonfuls, and 100g is a LOT of cereal.   

Back in the good old US of A, I would have Vita Tops for breakfast. They taste just like normal muffins, but each vita top would have about 9g fiber, AND they were only 100 calories! I think they were kind of expensive, $3 or $4 for a box of 4, but for such a fiberful food that's actually edible, I would have paid even more. The problem is, I can't get my family to ship them because they need to be frozen (or you can make them, but the mix is heavy and too expensive to ship).

So, I need SOME food here in Madrid that has like 10g fiber per serving and is actually edible. Any suggestions would be helpful! Please post the name of the food in Spanish.

FPO snowfaire
Joined Nov 27, 2014

Tue, December 02, 2014 8:47 AM

 Reply posted for christinec.

You can get it online? Nice! Thank you!!!!

FPO snowfaire
Joined Nov 27, 2014

Mon, December 01, 2014 11:40 PM

 Reply posted for snowfaire.

I have UC with constipation which I understand is rare - so bad that I ended up in the ER for impacted colon prior to diagnosis of UC. I have totally found what works for me: "Dr. Shultz's Intestinal Formula #2" - it's got the fiber including the soluble fiber that made the difference for me and it helps pull water back into your colon so you don't get blocked up. I started it 2 weeks after diagnosis with bloody pellets as my normal BM for 2 months, and now I'm at 4 weeks post diagnosis with normal BMs again for the first time in over 4 months. I highly recommend it if constipation is part of the problem. Order online and it's reasonably priced - I just do one dose/day. Good luck!

FPO christinec
Joined Nov 22, 2014

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