I drink mostly seltzer water because regular water is quite boring. Regular bottled water from Costco is MUCH CHEAPER! But, it just completely lacks any pizazz!
Lately I’ve been wondering if seltzer water might in some way be connected to how I’ve been a bit constipated lately. I understand that may not even seem like a reasonable speculation! Even I don’t think it really makes sense.
But, I’ve learned to have some trust in gut-level speculations—no pun intended—that don’t make sense on the surface. Then what I do, though, is proceed to research a bit.
I most certainly don’t just embrace a visceral sense without investigating it! Let me be sure to emphasize that part!
So, let’s search around a bit.
The consensus seems to be that on the contrary…sparkling water/seltzer water might decrease constipation!
“People who experience digestive problems may find some relief from sparkling water. Research indicates that consuming it may help soothe symptoms of constipation, such as stomach pain and irregular bowel movements.”
Okay, that’s good enough for me. But, if that’s the case, what’s contributing to this recent constipation? I don’t feel like much has changed in my diet or life. Let’s look into that now.
Mayo Clinic says that being constipated once in a bit is quite normal. This is the category that I fall into. Chronic constipation is an all together different matter!
After reading more about this topic, I don’t feel like I have anything to worry about. It’s never the case that I can’t have a bowel movement. The only time I experienced that was after my back surgery when I was on very very strong painkillers. I actually had to return to the hospital because of this constipation, and it was quite scary. Everything turned out all right, though.
So, I think I might be making too much out of this. I don’t believe there’s anything to worry about. And, as long as the sparkling water doesn’t have sugar added, it’s a damn healthy beverage that actually helps with bowel movements.