Summarize the following:
Small snack-sized servings are easier for your body to digest than the full meal you may be used to. Aim to eat between 4 and 6 times a day, maybe once every 2 hours. Stop eating before you feel "full." This can decrease the risk of undigested food making its way to your small intestine, potentially causing a blockage. To ensure proper digestion, always eat in a relaxed setting. The more thoroughly you chew your food, the easier it is for your body to digest. Cook everything you eat so it is moist and tender. If something is difficult to chew, it is likely also difficult to digest. Many stringy fruits (pineapple, rhubarb) and vegetables (celery, bean sprouts) contain tough fibers that your body cannot digest. These fibers can build up in your small bowel, causing obstruction. Similarly, processed foods are harder for your body to digest. Meats, especially steak, take the longest to digest. Water helps your digestive system to function properly. Drinking a glass of water while eating and after every meal may help prevent blockage. Aim to drink between 8 and 10 full glasses of water each day. In addition to water, other fluids such as broth, tea, and juice are good. Milkshakes can also be good as long as you aren't lactose intolerant. Even though they contain a lot of water, don't use other drinks as a substitute for your 8 to 10 glasses of water. Rather than drinking rapidly, sip on water regularly throughout the day. You may have heard that raw vegetables provide more nutrients than cooked vegetables. However, if you've had problems with small bowel obstruction, raw vegetables may exacerbate the problem. Look for canned vegetables that are well-cooked and have had the seeds and skins removed, such as carrots, tomatoes, squash, and cauliflower. Frozen vegetables can also be a great option once they're cooked, especially peas, carrots, and potatoes. In particular, you want to avoid leafy greens (spinach, cabbage), stringy vegetables (celery, asparagus), and vegetables with tough outer skins (eggplant, green or red pepper). The seeds and skins of fruits contain types of fiber that humans cannot digest. In many cases fruit is peeled before eating. However, with some fruits, such as apples, the peel is routinely eaten. Avoid fruits with small seeds, such as berries or kiwi fruit, because you won't be able to remove the seeds before eating them. It's fine to drink the juice, however. As with fruits, nuts and seeds generally have fiber the human body can't digest. If you eat nuts and seeds, this fiber can build up in your small bowel, causing an obstruction. Similarly, popcorn isn't a good snack if you want to prevent small bowel obstruction, as it's a leading cause of bowel obstruction. Your body can't digest the fiber in popcorn kernels. Nut butters are fine as long as they are creamy rather than chunky. Caffeinated and alcoholic drinks can irritate your bowel. Caffeine and alcohol also are diuretics that can cause dehydration, leading to other bowel problems. Coffee itself can also irritate your bowel, even if it is decaffeinated.
Have small meals more frequently. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. Drink plenty of water. Cook vegetables well. Remove seeds and skin from fruits. Avoid nuts and seeds. Limit consumption of alcohol and caffeine.