5 Foods To Help You Poop (That Aren’t Prunes)

It’s true that punes and prune juice really do help you go, and could even be better at getting things moving than psyllium husk.

That’s because they’re high in a sugar alcohol called sorbitol, which draws water into your colon and softens the stool. The added pressure it places on your bowels encourages motion, too.

Prunes have a lot of gut-friendly fibre, though the drink doesn’t.

But if you don’t like the dried plums or are looking for a little variety, here are some other foods to get the show back on the road:

In a remarkable opening line, health myth buster, GP, and surgeon Dr Karan Rajan said in a video that “chewing gum could help you in your quest to churn out fresh colon sausage”.

That’s for two reasons. Firstly, it tricks your body into thinking you’re eating, which kick-starts the motion of the digestive ocean.

And secondly, sugar-free gum often contains that helpful ingredient, sorbitol.

Popcorn is surprisingly high in fibre. And the type of fibre it contains, insoluble fibre, provides “roughage,” Johns Hopkins Medicine said.

It’s also slow to digest, which keeps you fuller for longer, and may even help to lower your blood pressure.

But be careful not to overdo it, and make sure you drink enough water, as “fibre belly” can paradoxically back you up again.

A 2023 study found that 8g of dragonfruit a day helped to feed the good bacteria in your gut.

And the fruit’s fermentable fibres, Dr Karan Rajan said, give you “prize-worthy poops” because they bulk out and soften stools.

These are high in both sorbitol and fibre. But it seems to keep things moving without the fibre; the juice seems useful as a mild laxative.

However, apple sauce might not work as well. That’s because it’s high in pectin, which makes stools harder and therefore more difficult to pass.

Pears have even more sorbitol than their apple counterparts. And they’re also higher in fructose, another sugar that can sometimes double up as a mild laxative.