What you eat cannot make hemorrhoids disappear overnight, but the right foods can make bowel movements easier. That matters because hard stools, straining, and long bathroom visits can keep hemorrhoids irritated.
For prevention, the bigger goal is consistency. Eating fiber-rich foods throughout the day, drinking enough water, and responding to the urge to go can help lower the pressure that contributes to future flare-ups.
Add fiber gradually. Increasing your intake too quickly can cause gas, bloating, or cramping, especially if your body is not used to it.
Quick Answer: What Should You Eat When You Have Hemorrhoids?
A high-fiber diet for hemorrhoids should include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Good options include raspberries, pears, apples, prunes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, lentils, black beans, oatmeal, brown rice, chia seeds, and almonds.
Rather than focusing on one food, try to include fiber throughout the day. Oatmeal at breakfast, fruit as a snack, beans or vegetables at lunch, and whole grains at dinner can add up quickly.
How Fiber Helps Hemorrhoids
Straining and constipation cause additional pressure on the veins in the rectum and anus. This may worsen the hemorrhoids or induce symptoms.
Fiber can help by:
- Softening stool and making it easier to pass
- Supporting more regular bowel movements
- Reducing the need to strain
- Lowering the chance of hard, dry stools
- Helping you spend less time on the toilet
Fiber is not a cure for every hemorrhoid, but it can reduce one of the biggest sources of pressure.
How Much Fiber Should You Eat?
The daily intake of fiber for many adults may be around 25 to 30 grams a day, although individual fiber requirements may differ depending on the person. When you don’t have a high fiber intake at present, take it gradually rather than going straight for that particular quantity of fiber.
Begin by taking one or two types of fiber-containing food per day, like fruits at breakfast or vegetables for dinner.
18 High-Fiber Foods to Eat for Hemorrhoids
1. Raspberries
Raspberries are high in fiber and easy to add to oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, or whole-grain cereal. Fresh and frozen raspberries both work well.
2. Pears
Pears provide fiber, especially when you eat the skin. Slice them into oatmeal, add them to salads, or pair them with a small amount of almond or peanut butter.
3. Apples with the Skin
Apples are simple, affordable, and easy to keep on hand. Eat the skin when possible, since much of the fiber is found in or near the peel.
4. Prunes
Prunes are often used for constipation because they contain fiber and natural compounds that help draw water into the bowel. Start with a small serving to avoid gas or loose stools.
5. Oranges
Whole oranges provide more fiber than orange juice because the pulp stays intact. They also add fluid, which can help when increasing fiber intake.
6. Avocados
Avocados provide fiber along with healthy fats. Add them to whole-grain toast, salads, sandwiches, grain bowls, beans, or lentils.
7. Broccoli
Broccoli is an easy vegetable to add to lunch or dinner. Roast it, steam it, sauté it, or add it to soups. Start with smaller servings if it tends to cause bloating.
8. Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are fiber-rich and work well roasted, sautéed, or added to sheet-pan meals. Cooking them until tender may make them easier to digest.
9. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes provide fiber, especially when eaten with the skin. Try them baked, roasted, mashed, or added to soups and grain bowls.
10. Green Peas
Green peas are convenient and easy to keep in the freezer. Add them to soups, rice bowls, pasta dishes, omelets, or serve them as a quick side.
11. Lentils
Lentils are high in fiber and plant-based protein. Use them in soups, salads, curries, grain bowls, or pasta sauces.
12. Black Beans
Black beans add fiber to tacos, soups, salads, burrito bowls, and breakfast dishes. If using canned beans, rinse them first to reduce some added sodium.
13. Chickpeas
Chickpeas provide both fiber and protein. Add them to salads, soups, grain bowls, hummus, or roast them for a crunchy snack.
14. Oatmeal
Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which helps stool hold water and pass more easily. Add berries, apples, pears, chia seeds, prunes, almonds, or walnuts.
15. Brown Rice
Brown rice has more fiber than white rice because it keeps more of the grain intact. Use it as a side dish, in stir-fries, soups, or grain bowls.
16. Whole-Grain Bread
Whole-grain bread is a simple swap for white bread. Look for a whole grain listed first on the ingredient label, such as whole wheat or whole oats.
17. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds absorb fluid and form a gel-like texture, which can help add moisture and bulk to stool. Add a small amount to oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, or overnight oats.
18. Almonds
Almonds provide fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Choose unsalted almonds when possible and keep portions moderate.
A Simple High-Fiber Day for Hemorrhoids
You do not need to rebuild your entire diet. A few small choices throughout the day can raise your fiber intake.
- Breakfast: Oatmeal with raspberries, chia seeds, and sliced pear
- Snack: An apple with a small handful of almonds
- Lunch: A whole-grain sandwich with avocado and vegetables, plus lentil soup
- Snack: Carrots with hummus or a few prunes
- Dinner: Grilled chicken or fish with brown rice, broccoli, and roasted sweet potato
Spreading fiber across the day is usually easier on digestion than eating a large amount at one meal.
Add Fiber Slowly
More fiber can help, but adding too much too quickly can cause gas, bloating, cramping, or loose stools.
Start with simple changes:
- Swap white bread for whole-grain bread
- Add one piece of fruit each day
- Include vegetables with lunch and dinner
- Add beans or lentils to a few meals each week
- Mix chia seeds into oatmeal or yogurt
Gradual changes are usually easier to maintain and more comfortable.
Drink Enough Water
Fiber needs fluid to work well. Increasing fiber intake without increasing water may result in difficult bowel movements.
Keep water nearby and drink throughout the day. If you have been told to limit fluids because of a heart, kidney, or other medical condition, follow your healthcare provider’s guidance.
Can Fiber Make Hemorrhoids Worse?
Fiber is helpful, but adding too much too quickly may cause bloating, gas, cramping, or diarrhea. Loose stools may further irritate the hemorrhoids.
If your stools become watery or urgent, reduce the amount temporarily and increase more slowly. The right amount should help soften stools and make them easier to pass.
Should You Take a Fiber Supplement?
A fiber supplement may help if you have trouble getting enough fiber from food alone. Psyllium and methylcellulose are among the most popular choices.
Whole foods are still important because they provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that supplements may not offer. Supplements usually work best as a way to fill in the gaps, not replace fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.
Drink enough water when taking a fiber supplement and follow the directions on the product label. Consult your doctor if you have any problems, such as difficulties swallowing, persistent abdominal pain, bowel stricture, etc.
Other Habits That Help Hemorrhoids
A high-fiber diet works best when paired with better bathroom habits. Go when you feel the urge, avoid pushing or straining, and keep bathroom visits short.
Leaving your phone outside the bathroom, taking short walks, using warm sitz baths during a flare, and cleaning gently after bowel movements may also help reduce irritation.
These habits can help current symptoms calm down and may also lower the chance of future hemorrhoid flare-ups.
When a High-Fiber Diet Is Not Enough
Mild hemorrhoid symptoms may improve with fiber, fluids, shorter bathroom visits, and less straining. Diet cannot treat every hemorrhoid, though.
Schedule an evaluation if you have:
- Bleeding that continues or keeps returning
- Pain that does not improve
- A tender or growing lump
- Symptoms lasting longer than about a week
- Tissue that bulges out and does not go back in
- New changes in bowel habits
- Trouble getting fully clean after bowel movements
Seek prompt medical attention for heavy bleeding, dizziness, fever, rapidly worsening pain, or black or tar-like stools.
Find the Right Treatment for Hemorrhoid Symptoms
Eating more fiber can make bowel movements easier and reduce the pressure that contributes to hemorrhoid flare-ups. However, if you experience bleeding, pain, swelling, and prolapse, then you might require more than just altering your diet.
At The Hemorrhoid Institute, we provide private evaluations and non-surgical treatment options when appropriate. Our primary in-office treatment for internal hemorrhoids is Infrared Coagulation, also called IRC. IRC uses brief pulses of infrared light to treat internal hemorrhoid tissue without incisions or anesthesia. Most patients return to normal activity the same day.
Contact us today to schedule an evaluation and find out what is causing your symptoms.