If you haven’t gone #2 in a few days and you’re looking for a quick, natural remedy to help get things moving, snacking on some dried fruit could help. But one dried fruit reigns supreme when it comes to kicking things into motion.

“Several dried fruits are known to help with constipation, but the most well-known are prunes,” says Rabia de Latour, MDa gastroenterologist at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Ahead, learn a few reasons why dried plums (aka prunes) specifically can be so helpful for alleviating constipation and keeping your gut happy.

Why Prunes Can Help You Poop

Adding prunes to your weekly menu plan can be a helpful preventative measure so that you don’t get “backed up. But, in case you do feel plugged, prunes can have a fast-acting effect on your body. Like other foods that can have a laxative effect, prunes are loaded with fiber, which isn’t digested by the body—meaning it moves through your digestive system to feed your beneficial gut bacteria and add bulk to stool.

The dried fruit also contains sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that has been shown to help produce a bowel movement. Prunes are also packed with polyphenols, which are an antioxidant compound in plants that can support digestion. Here’s a bit more about how they can help.

Rich in Fiber

One serving of prunes (think: ¼ cup or four to six prunes) offers about 11% of your daily fiber needs. While that may not sound like a lot, it’s the type of fiber that it’s most rich in that matters. “Prunes are jam-packed with insoluble fiber, which helps promote bowel movements and keep you regular,” de Latour says.

About four prunes contain 1.8 grams of insoluble fiber, compared to one serving of raisins (2 tablespoons), for example, which only contains 0.2 grams. Insoluble fiber helps to bulk up your stool, making it soft and easy to pass. (Often when you’re constipated, it can be because there’s a piece of hard stool stuck in your intestines, which disrupts normal digestion). Because foods that contain insoluble fiber don’t absorb water, they instead draw water to the colon which is important for healthy bowel movements.

Research indicates that prunes really do “bulk up” stool. A 2019 study found in Clinical Nutritionrevealed that those who ate at least ½ cup of prunes daily—and drank about 10 ounces of water with it—for a week had significant increases in their stool weight compared to the control group. They also pooped more than those who didn’t have prunes.

Contains Sorbitol

Sorbitol is a type of sugar alcohol that naturally occurs in certain foods, such as prunes, peaches, pears and dates, just to name a few. The sugar alcohol can also be produced synthetically from glucose, which is why it’s pretty common to see sorbitol as a sweetening agent in certain chewing gums and sugar-free treats. Interestingly, sorbitol has also been linked to helping people go “number two”.

This is because sorbitol helps draw water into the colon to aid digestion, de Latour explains. “Both sorbitol and insoluble fiber keep water from getting absorbed back into the body from the large intestine and colon, preventing stool from becoming dehydrated and hard to pass,” she says.

Packed with Polyphenols

Polyphenols are a type of compound that is naturally found in a lot of plant-based foods. They’ve been shown to have an antioxidative effect on the body, meaning they can help protect you from free radicals, or harmful molecules that can damage cells. Research has also shown that polyphenols can help stimulate the growth of good gut bacteria and suppress the bad variants, creating a healthy balance for digestion. Prunes have more phenolic compounds (one of the forms of polyphenols) than most other fruits, which is yet another reason why they may help relieve constipation more effectively than other options.

Other Tips for Relieving Constipation

Prunes aren’t the only way you can encourage a bowel movement. Here are some other ways to keep things moving through your intestines.

• Drink fluids. “Maintaining adequate hydration is key,” de Latour says. In general, aim to drink at least 64 ounces of water, or eight, 8-ounce glasses daily. If water gets to be a little boring, try coffee or tea (peppermint tea may be especially helpful).
• Find some movement. Physical activity is linked with a variety of health benefits, and it can help stimulate more regular bowel movements, too. Aim for about 150 minutes per week, and focus on types of exercise that you enjoy so you’re more likely to stick with it.
• Enjoy one tablespoon of olive oil. If you don’t mind the taste or texture, consider pouring a tablespoon of olive oil onto a spoon and taking it like cough medicine. The healthy fats can help lubricate your intestines and reduce inflammation, making it easier to pass stool.

The Bottom Line

Eating dried fruit like prunes is an accessible way to get relief from constipation—and to prevent it from happening in the first place. Prunes is one of the best options for keeping digestive processes in motion because of its high insoluble fiber. But research also suggests sorbitol and phenolic compounds may also play a role in the dried fruit’s laxative effect. Remember, fiber can’t do its magic without water, so stay hydrated to keep stool soft so you can pass it comfortably and regularly.