Curious about what the “hemorrhoid diet” is? A hemorrhoid diet is simply a set of foods designed to help you recover from hemorrhoids as quickly as possible. These foods are all selected because they will bulk up your stool and make it easier to pass. This is crucial when you have painful bowel movements, and is further complicated by the fact that straining during bowel movements likely caused your hemorrhoids in the first place.
In this blog, we’re going to take a look at what foods help hemorrhoids go away, what food shrinks hemorrhoids fast, and what foods trigger hemorrhoids. Hang tight and let’s dive in.
What Foods Help Hemorrhoids Go Away?
If you’re wondering what food shrinks hemorrhoids fast, we have a great list for you. Following some general tips and tricks will help you recover quickly if you have a hemorrhoid flare-up. You’ll notice that many hemorrhoid treatment guides will tell you to “eat high-fiber foods” but they won’t list them for you. Let’s dive in:
High-Fiber Fruits
As you might already know, the fiber in your food makes it easier to pass a bowel movement. What you might not know is that the majority of dietary fiber is found in fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, some fruits have more fiber than others. Whenever hemorrhoids flare up and you need a strategy to beat them, including the following high-fiber fruits is the way to go:
Berries, like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries.
Any fruit with peels (bonus points if you eat the peel), for example, pears, apples, and kiwi.
Bananas, passion fruit, and avocado.
Dates and figs.
Dried fruits, like apricots, apples, mango, and more.
High-Fiber Vegetables
Another great source of fiber is the vegetable food group – and there are so many vegetables that you can eat in this category. Let’s go over some of the highest-fiber options:
Acorn squash, butternut squash
Collard greens, artichokes, raw cabbage, spinach, kale
Skin-on potatoes, sweet potato
Corn
Other Great Sources of Fiber
If you don’t love fruits and veggies enough to increase your intake by a whole lot, nuts and legumes can be another great source of fiber. Almonds, pecans, pistachios, split peas, green peas, lentils, black beans, and more are amazing choices.
What Foods Trigger Hemorrhoids?
It might seem odd to think that certain foods could trigger hemorrhoids, but it’s actually true. If you eat binding foods, they will digest slowly and make it more difficult to have bowel movements. This, in turn, will lead to straining and pushing during your trip to the bathroom – something that causes hemorrhoids in and of itself.
Here are a few foods you can avoid:
Dairy products
Low-fiber sides that might have replaced high-fiber foods on your plate
Red meat
Desserts
Underripe bananas
Fatty foods
How Do I Know If I Need to See a Doctor?
In general, hemorrhoids will go away on their own. However, if your hemorrhoids persist for longer than a week (and haven’t gotten any better), you’ll know something else might be going on. Knowing when to see a doctor for hemorrhoids means listening to your body and contacting a medical professional when you think something is wrong.
If you need a referral to a colorectal specialist here in Tampa, have your primary care physician refer you to the Colorectal Clinic of Tampa Bay!