Health
5 tips to alleviate constipation after Thanksgiving from a top gut health doctor
Americans eat an average of 3,000 to 4,500 calories at Thanksgiving meals, according to estimates by the Calorie Control Council — and much of that comes from foods that are richer and heavier than people might typically eat.
For many, that can lead to digestive challenges in the hours and days following Thanksgiving — with constipation topping the list.
Even outside the holiday, the condition affects 42 million Americans each day, according to Dr. Daryl Gioffre, gut health specialist, celebrity nutritionist and founder of Alkamind in New York.
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“In fact, the average person has 5 to 15 pounds of impacted fecal matter inside their gut,” he said in a video shared with Fox News Digital.
If things aren’t moving like they should, it may be tempting to reach for the laxatives — but a doctor says this isn’t a good idea. (iStock)
If things aren’t moving like they should, it may be tempting to reach for the laxatives — but Gioffre cautions against that approach.
“When used long-term, laxatives can cause significant harm to your digestive system and overall health,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“They work by forcing water from your organs into the colon to soften stools, which massively dehydrates your body and leaves vital organs like your kidneys and brain underhydrated.”
Over time, this can lead to dependency, weakening the muscles in the intestines and making it harder for your body to have natural bowel movements, Gioffre said.
“Laxatives can also disrupt your gut microbiome, cause nutrient deficiencies and trigger dangerous electrolyte imbalances,” he added.
“The average person has 5 to 15 pounds of impacted fecal matter inside their gut,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
The doctor shared with Fox News Digital his top natural tips for getting digestion back on track.
“Add these things on a daily basis, and I promise this will help you gently get the bad stuff out and move you into a much healthier, stronger gut state,” he said.
1. Increase fiber intake
Fiber is critical to digestive health, according to Gioffre.
“When we have more fiber-rich foods, it’s like brushing the inner walls of our intestines — and that’s going to help us remove the constipation and get to where we want to go,” the doctor said.
Constipation affects 42 million Americans each day.
Some of his suggested fiber-rich foods are quinoa, wild rice, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, and squashes like winter squash and spaghetti squash.
“Add fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut for probiotics and enzymes that optimize digestion,” the doctor added.
When planning fiber intake, Gioffre’s guidance is to add half a cup per meal, not to exceed one full cup per day.
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The doctor also recommends what he calls an “internal shower shot,” which is a mixture of 6 ounces of water, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, the juice from one lemon slice and a pinch of sea salt.
“When you drink this on an empty stomach, it’s going to go into all the little nooks and crannies of your gut … and it’s going to help you start to detoxify and gently give you that ‘internal shower’ effect.”
2. Reduce inflammation
“At the end of the day, we don’t die of old age — we die of inflammation,” Gioffre cautioned.
The doctor compared the gut to a “big, hollow tube.”
“When it’s open, you’re good. When you’re inflamed, not so good.”
Suggestions for fiber-rich foods include quinoa, wild rice, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, and squashes like winter squash and spaghetti squash. (iStock)
Some plant-based foods that lower inflammation include chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, avocado and coconut oil.
“These are packed with omega-3s and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which reduce inflammation, support gut lining repair and lubricate the digestive tract to ease constipation,” Gioffre said.
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For those who eat animal products, the doctor recommends wild-caught salmon, mackerel, trout, anchovies and sardines.
He also offers a recipe for detox tea on the Alkamind website, which includes turmeric, ginger, pepper, lemon and his “Acid-Kicking Greens.”
3. Add magnesium-rich foods
Magnesium is a nutrient that is commonly used to relieve constipation.
“It’s the fourth most abundant mineral in the body, but the biggest single deficiency in the American population,” Gioffre said.
“Magnesium is a game-changer for digestion, brain health and beating constipation, yet the standard American diet is severely lacking it,” Gioffre said.
The doctor recommends consuming magnesium-rich foods, including leafy greens like spinach, kale and chard, as well as green juice, green smoothies and green soups.
“These magnesium-rich powerhouses relax your intestinal muscles, soften stools and keep things moving, all while feeding your healthy gut bacteria,” Gioffre told Fox News Digital.
“Water is essential for softening stools and promoting regularity, yet 90% of us are chronically dehydrated.”
A high-quality magnesium supplement can also combat this deficiency and give the body the support it needs, he added.
“You can also do an Epsom salts bath, which is magnesium sulfate,” he added, or apply magnesium lotion to the skin.
4. Stay hydrated
Hydration is “absolutely critical” for relieving constipation and promoting healthy digestion, the doctor told Fox News Digital.
Hydration is “absolutely critical” for relieving constipation and promoting healthy digestion, a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“My mantra is solution by dilution first — water is essential for softening stools and promoting regularity, yet 90% of us are chronically dehydrated,” he said.
“Think of your body like a wilting plant — when it lacks water, it struggles and dies, but when properly hydrated, it thrives.”
Instead of turning to medications and laxatives for constipation, he recommends drinking more water.
“Aim for at least half your body weight in ounces of water each day to keep your digestive system functioning smoothly,” he advised.
5. Keep moving
Movement is also key to promoting digestive health, Gioffre said.
“Physical activity increases blood flow to your digestive organs and stimulates bowel motility,” he told Fox News Digital.
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One of his favorite, cost-effective exercises for relieving constipation is using a rebounder (mini trampoline).
Movement is also key to promoting digestive health, Gioffre said. “Physical activity increases blood flow to your digestive organs and stimulates bowel motility,” an exprert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“This gentle, low-impact exercise not only improves circulation, but also stimulates the digestive tract, helping to get things moving naturally,” he said.
“Combining proper hydration with regular movement creates a powerful, drug-free strategy to support digestive health and prevent constipation.”
When to see a doctor
If you suffer from persistent constipation that lasts for more than three weeks — even after making lifestyle changes like improving diet, increasing hydration and exercise — it’s recommended to see a doctor.
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Gioffre added, “You should also seek medical attention if you experience severe pain, blood in your stool or unexplained weight loss, or if constipation alternates with diarrhea, as these could indicate more serious underlying conditions requiring further evaluation.”
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A distraught mother who thought she was having a heart attack was instead hospitalized with broken heart syndrome — otherwise known as takotsubo syndrome (TTS) — less than a year after her veteran son tragically took his own life.
Dawn Turner, 57, of the U.K., lost her son in August of last year.
Just last month, the mom of three awoke with “unbearable” chest pains, she said — and called an ambulance, worried she was going into cardiac arrest. But when she arrived at the hospital, doctors told her she was suffering from the effects of grief caused by a broken heart, as news agency SWNS reported.
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TTS is a temporary, reversible heart condition often triggered by extreme emotional or physical stress, such as grief, fear or severe illness, according to experts.
Symptoms usually mimic a heart attack, with sudden and severe chest pain and shortness of breath the most common — and it primarily affects women over the age of 50.
A mom whose soldier son took his own life feared she was suffering cardiac arrest — only to be told by hospital doctors that she was feeling the effects of grief caused by a broken heart. Dawn Turner, mother of deceased soldier Rob Homans, is pictured above, April 2026. (SWNS)
Turner, of Eckington in Worcester, said, “I was [sitting] downstairs earlier that night and thought I had a bit of indigestion. I went to bed and just couldn’t get comfortable — I was breaking out in a sweat and had heart palpitations.
“Then, around midnight, I had pain down my arm and in my jaw. I was still putting it down to indigestion… My partner Paul asked me if I was all right, and I said, ‘I think I’m having a heart attack.’”
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She said she couldn’t catch her breath — “and my heart felt as though it was missing a beat and then [started] thudding again. For those moments, I truly believed I was having a heart attack.”
“Your heart is all over the place — there’s an extra beat,” Turner was told.
She said her partner called emergency services, and an ambulance arrived within five minutes.
“They came in and linked me up to an ECG. They said, ‘Your heart is all over the place — there’s an extra beat, and it’s all over the place,’” she said, as SWNS reported.
Turner was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.
Turner is shown with her son in full dress uniform. He worked as an artilleryman and spent 10 years in the U.K.’s Royal Horse Artillery after joining in 2006. He was battling mental health challenges after his military service, and ultimately took his own life. (SWNS)
In emergency care, Turner was also given blood tests.
She added, “They came back and said I didn’t have the enzymes produced from a heart attack in my blood. But they said there [was] something going on.”
After undergoing more tests and seeing a cardiologist, Turner was told she had takotsubo syndrome.
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“I told [the doctor] that my heart feels broken. I told her about [my son] Rob, and she said it’s exactly that. She said it’s a real thing, and that I’d been under so much stress. The body can only take so much, and the grief and the stress can be quite physical.”
Turner’s son committed suicide in August 2025 after struggling to get help with his mental health.
He spent 10 years in the Royal Horse Artillery after joining in 2006, when he worked as an artilleryman.
Turner’s son did two tours of duty in Afghanistan, she said. After he returned to civilian life, he began suffering from a number of health conditions. She’s shown above with a flower-draped memorial to her son. (SWNS)
He did two tours of duty in Afghanistan, she said, and returned to civilian life in 2016 before suffering several worsening health conditions.
Turner, who is also the CEO of a veterans charity called Stepway, “When he left the army, he got married, and they settled down in London. He walked straight into a job as a delivery driver. But then his health took a downward spiral, and he started having digestive troubles.”
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He was eventually told he had PTSD — but those symptoms may be similar to those of mild traumatic brain injury, Turner said.
“He was deaf in one ear from using the guns,” she said. “He realized he was putting so much pressure on his marriage, so he moved back up with me. He started to build himself up — then COVID hit.”
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Turner said there were unfortunate delays as her son tried to get access to various services and facilities.
“When people lose loved ones, you’re obviously distraught, but you eventually find closure,” she said, per SWNS. “I found peace when I lost my sister in 2015. But with Rob, I can’t find closure because there’s no justice there.”
“I had never really understood that a person could become so overwhelmed by stress and grief that it physically affects the heart,” said the grieving mom. “Broken heart syndrome can look and feel like a heart attack.” (iStock)
Turner is now on the mend and hopes to be fully recovered in a couple of weeks, SWNS reported.
“Until that moment, I had never really understood that a person could become so overwhelmed by stress and grief that it physically affects the heart,” she shared. “Broken heart syndrome can look and feel like a heart attack. It was a warning sign for me, and for anyone. It can change the shape of one of your heart chambers … it can cause some serious damage.”
She added, “The cardiologist told me that thankfully, my heart itself is healthy and there was no damage, but that it will take around two weeks to a month for my heart to reboot itself.”
“Maybe the extra [heart]beat is for Rob. You are carrying on living for him,” her partner told her.
Turner was told she needed to rest, seek counseling and make lifestyle changes to reduce stress.
“Things have settled down, and I’m taking things easy — I’m pacing myself now, and I feel a lot better. Paul said, ‘Maybe the extra beat is for Rob. You are carrying on living for him.’”
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Turner said, “That broke me and healed me a little bit all at once.”
Fox News Digital previously reported that broken heart syndrome, which causes the heart to temporarily weaken, has been linked to the brain’s reaction to stress, as studies have found.
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In an article published in the European Heart Journal in March 2019, Swiss researchers said they found that the syndrome is linked to the way the brain communicates with the heart.
Broken heart syndrome, which causes the heart to temporarily weaken, has been linked to the brain’s reaction to stress, studies have found. (iStock)
Caused by intense emotional events, TTS is a rare, temporary condition that weakens the left ventricle and disrupts its normal pumping function.
The syndrome causes the heart’s main pumping chamber to change shape and get larger. The heart muscle becomes weaker, and its pumping action loses strength.
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Symptoms include sudden, intense chest pain, pressure or heaviness in the chest, along with shortness of breath.
It is treated with beta blockers and blood-thinning medicine to reduce risks of clots and other flareups.
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Eating too much salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but new research suggests it could trick the immune system into prematurely aging the blood vessels.
A preclinical study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has identified a biological chain reaction that links a salty diet to cardiovascular decay.
Scientists at the University of South Alabama observed that mice on a high-salt diet experienced rapid deterioration in their blood vessel function.
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After just four weeks of high sodium intake, the small arteries responsible for regulating blood flow lost their ability to relax, according to a press release.
The team found that the cells lining these vessels had entered a state of cellular senescence, a form of premature cellular aging in which cells stop dividing and release a mix of inflammatory signals that can damage surrounding tissue.
Excess salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but a new study goes deeper into its effects on the cardiovascular system. (iStock)
The researchers tried to replicate this damage by exposing blood vessel cells directly to salt in a laboratory dish, but the cells showed no harmful effects.
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This suggests that salt isn’t directly causing damage to the vascular lining but that the real culprit may be the body’s own defense mechanism, the researchers noted.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16, which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study. (iStock)
Once these cells age, they fail to produce nitric oxide, the essential gas that tells arteries to dilate and stay flexible.
To test whether this process could be reversed, the team turned to a class of experimental drugs known as senolytics.
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Using a cancer medication called navitoclax, which selectively clears out aged and dysfunctional cells, the researchers were able to restore nearly normal blood vessel function in the salt-fed mice, the release stated.
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By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system into stopping the cells from dividing, the study suggests. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations. The transition from mouse models to human treatment remains a significant hurdle, the team cautioned.
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Senolytic drugs like navitoclax are still being studied for safety, and the team emphasized that previous trials have shown mixed results regarding their impact on artery plaque.
Additionally, the researchers have not yet confirmed whether the same IL-16 pathway is the primary driver of vascular aging in humans.
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