Do you have hemorrhoids? When and how they appeared doesn't even matter… Maybe you've inherited the predisposition, maybe you've had to lift weights in your life, maybe you've had a slow bowel movement and spent hours in the toilet… How much hemorrhoids bother you depends on how big or how many of them there are. And the treatment depends on that too: if their inflammation and the pain that accompanies them aren't that bad, an ointment might be enough. But if it's more serious, you might need to see a proctologist, because you might need surgery.
But this article is not about treatments. In another way I would like to help you: to tell you what foods you should eat if you have hemorrhoids, i.e. foods that help your bowel transit, that allow you to have a normal stool, with as smooth a passage through the canal as possible.
When you suffer from hemorrhoidal disease, to relieve the discomfort caused by it, it helps a lot if you change some aspects of your diet, such as eliminating some foods and adding and eating others more often.
So vegetables, fruit and wholegrains are essential as they contain fiber. Vegetables to base your diet on are: potatoes, spinach, squash, celery, eggplants, beans, peas, tomatoes, beetroot, lettuce… and generally all types of greens.
Among the fruits I recommend: apples, pears, apricots, plums, peaches, cherries, raspberries, kiwis. These are the best for hemorrhoids. Also some dried fruits help to make the stool softer: figs, prunes, dates. As cereal products I suggest you consume whole grain bread, graham bread, rye bread, oatmeal, wheat bran, flaxseed and sunflower seeds.
Of dairy products, stick to buttermilk, kefir, cream and yoghurt.
Legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, soya); these can be boiled, mashed and seasoned with salt, olive oil and chopped fresh herbs to taste (parsley, dill, basil, etc.) and eaten with raw salads or mixed into stews with various vegetables.
In the 'don't eat' category are boiled carrots, rice, white bread, cheese, cottage cheese, pasta, canned food, pastry, chocolate, coffee bananas, blueberries, buckthorn, peanuts, walnuts and baked apples. And irritating spices, i.e. pepper, garlic and chilly, won't do you any good either.
Instead, you need to drink water, lots of water. Adequate fluid intake helps prevent constipation and other digestive tract problems. Constipation can irritate the anal mucosa and cause hemorrhoids. You can drink fluids other than water, but not alcoholic or diuretic drinks.
Here are also 3 menus to help you choose your hemorrhoid foods carefully:
Day 1
Breakfast: kefir with muesli;
Lunch: vegetable soup, pea stew with chicken.
For dessert: seasonal fruit.
Dinner: baked potatoes with beetroot salad.
Day 2
Breakfast: rye bread with butter and tomato juice.
Lunch: cream soup of lentils with croutons of integral bread; fish with a side of boiled or steamed green beans.
For dessert: an apple or a pear.
Dinner: polenta with cream and 2-3 figs.
Day 3
Breakfast: yogurt with raisins and oat tarts.
Lunch: bean soup; spinach with eggs.
For dessert: plum dumplings.
Dinner: baked potatoes with yogurt and green salad.
A basic balanced diet in small portions and light snacks between them allow to establish regular defecation and reduce the recovery period after the acute manifestation of symptoms of the disease. A gentle diet is prescribed until the remission stage, when inflammation passes, fissures begin to heal, and bleeding stops.
Moreover, the diet recommended for the treatment and prevention of hemorrhoids, unlike some hemorrhoid medications or creams, also covers the body's nutritional needs and is accessible to everyone. For best effects, it is advisable to combine moderate physical activity, done regularly, with the hemorrhoid diet.