What's the Best Diet to Help Hemorrhoids

Posted on March 05, 2024

If you're living with hemorrhoids, changing your diet could help. After all, spending too long on the toilet and straining to pass bowel movements are both risk factors for these swollen rectal veins, so changing the way you eat may speed things up in the bathroom, helping you feel better. So, what's the best diet to help hemorrhoids? Keep reading to find out.

fiber rich vegetables including avocado and pepper on a wood table

Following a High Fiber Diet to Help Hemorrhoids

If you have hemorrhoids, following a high-fiber diet may help you manage your symptoms by allowing for softer stool that's easier for you to pass. Here are some of the best foods to include in your meals:

Whole grains, including bran and shredded wheat
Fruits such as pears, apples, prunes and raspberries
Veggies, especially green peas, collard greens, sweet potatoes and winter squash
Navy, pinto and/or kidney beans

Additionally, increasing your daily water intake and engaging in regular exercise can help prevent or relieve hemorrhoid symptoms.

When to Seek Further Intervention

For people with mild to moderate hemorrhoids, simple lifestyle changes may provide sufficient symptom relief. However, people with stage two or three internal hemorrhoids experience itching, discomfort, or bleeding with bowel movements. And so, to find lasting relief, you're likely to need additional medical support.

Luckily, when a diet to help hemorrhoids isn't working, the experts at the Texas Hemorrhoid Institute are ready to dive in! Our interventional radiologists perform a procedure known as HAE, or hemorrhoid artery embolization. This minimally-invasive treatment option provides relief by reducing blood flow to your hemorrhoids. Shortly after, they shrink and disappear. And so do your symptoms!

In contrast to surgical treatment options, patients who choose HAE experience fewer complications and a shorter recovery period. Ready to see if HAE is the right treatment for you? Click here to request an appointmentClick here to request an appointmentClick here to request an appointment