What To Avoid When You Have Hemorrhoids

What to avoid when you have hemorrhoids?

1. Drinking coffee and alcohol
2. Having a low-fiber diet
3. Having a sedentary lifestyle
4. Heavy lifting

When you have hemorrhoids, you would want to do everything you can to heal quickly. One of the sacrifices you have to make is to avoid some things that would make your condition worse. Unfortunately, there may be some activities that we like to do every day that will could worsen your hemorrhoids. Knowing what to avoid when you have hemorrhoids is a requirement to recover faster from the condition. The risk factors you need to avoid are some foods, drinks, activities, and habits that you may be accustomed to doing. But full recovery from hemorrhoids could force you to sacrifice some of them to avoid complications.

Hemorrhoids are formed when a vein in your anus or rectum becomes inflamed. The swelling is usually caused by excessive strain around those parts. There are plenty of ways to treat this, but there are also a lot of ways that you can exacerbate the problem. If you want to know what to avoid, keep reading below!

Drinking coffee and alcohol

Coffee is known to cause more bowel movements than normal. However, it can also cause dry stool. The combination of increased strain caused by more bowel movements and dry stool can easily irritate and worsen your hemorrhoids.⁶ some studies deny the correlation between coffee and hemorrhoids. But it is still advisable to either avoid or switch to decaffeinated coffee when you have the disease.³

On the other hand, alcohol has an indirect relationship with hemorrhoids. Drinking alcohol and getting intoxicated will increase your blood pressure significantly, putting more strain on your veins and the entire circulatory system. With more stress on your veins, you would have a higher chance of getting venous diseases like hemorrhoids.⁵ 

Having a low-fiber diet

When you have hemorrhoids, bowel movements may be unpleasant. Patients sometimes experience pain and bleeding during bowel movements, making it a dreaded daily activity. One way to help with this problem is by sticking to a high-fiber diet. Fiber is the nutrient that helps break down and soften your stool. By keeping a high-fiber diet, your stools will be soft and easy to pass.¹ 

If your diet consists largely of low-fiber foods, then you would have a higher chance of getting constipation. And when you have constipation, the strain on your hemorrhoids and veins will make the condition worse.^1/2 Here are some of the low-fiber foods that you have to limit while you have hemorrhoids:

• White bread^1/2
• Meat^1/2
• Dairy products^1/2
• Fast food^1/2
• Processed foods^1/2

Many people believe that eating spicy foods like those with chili or pepper would make the hemorrhoids worse. Researchers have found out that this is not true, and there is no reason for patients with hemorrhoids from eating spicy foods.⁷ You should avoid too much salt in your diet because it could slow your digestive system and make your bowel movements painful.⁶

Instead of those listed, make sure your diet consists of high-fiber foods such as cereals, whole grain bread, oatmeal, peas, and dark leafy green vegetables.²

Having a sedentary lifestyle

Being inactive for long periods of time puts more pressure on the veins in your anal area.⁴ Studies have found that people with occupations that require them to stay seated for long periods of time are more likely to develop hemorrhoids.³ It may sound counterintuitive to some, but being more active when you have hemorrhoids is beneficial. No need to do heavy exercises — some stretching and walking and making sure you don’t stay still for a long time should be enough.

Heavy lifting

On the opposite side of the spectrum, heavy lifting can also put much strain on the blood vessels in the anal area. If you already have hemorrhoids, it puts strains on the blood clots of external hemorrhoids.⁴ And also similar to sedentary lifestyles, jobs that require heavy lifting increase your chances of getting hemorrhoids, according to some studies.⁴ Additional strain on the blood vessels can worsen the severity of your hemorrhoids. To avoid this, patients with hemorrhoids should avoid heavy lifting and being too sedentary. Having the right balance for your lifestyle will promote better health and faster recovery from hemorrhoids.

Key Takeaway

Now that we’ve gone over what to avoid when you have hemorrhoids, your road to recovery should be a quick one. These lifestyle and diet changes aren’t too big and drastic, and they’ll make you healthier in general. So if you want those hemorrhoids gone sooner, avoid the things listed above.

Another great way to make hemorrhoids disappear quickly is by addressing the problem as soon as possible with the right medication. MPFF: Diosmin + Hesperidin (Daflon® 1000) is one of the most effective over-the-counter medicines for hemorrhoids. If you want to learn more about it, read our product overview or our answers to frequently asked questions. Feel free to contact us through this link if you want to report a side effect or if you have any inquiries!

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1https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/best-worst-foods-hemorrhoids

2https://www.mwhtc-stl.com/blog/best-and-worst-foods-for-hemorrhoids

3https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jarc/1/3/1_2017–018/_pdf

4https://www.medicinenet.com/what_should_you_not_do_if_you_have_hemorrhoids/article.htm

5https://www.chicagoveininstitute.com/alcohol-and-hemorrhoids/

6https://terra-lab.com/foods-to-avoid-during-a-hemorrhoid-flare-up/

7https://www.siccr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/006.05.pdf