Nutrition And Lifestyle Changes To Help Prevent Haemorrhoids
According to research, haemorrhoids are extremely common, and several factors such as constipation, age, diet, and pelvic pressure during pregnancy can put pressure on your stomach, leading to the straining of your rectal blood vessels. In worst cases, they can cause bleeding, discomfort, and pain when you have a bowel movement. Read on to learn more about nutrition and lifestyle changes to help prevent haemorrhoids.
Simple Ways to Prevent Haemorrhoids
Increase Your Fiber Intake
A high-fibre diet is essential for maintaining a healthy gut and regular bowel movements. Most importantly, research suggests it can lower your risk of haemorrhoids by adding more bulk to your stool and ensuring smooth and rapid movement through your colon. To get the daily recommended fibre intake, consider more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, such as brown rice and oats.
Stay Hydrated
Did you know that dehydration can worsen haemorrhoid symptoms, such as bleeding and itching in your rectum? Drinking plenty of water stimulates bowel movement and helps flush out waste that can increase the likelihood of pressure caused by constipation. Staying hydrated is vital to ensure adequate movement of the food you eat and can make it easier to pass stools.
Avoid Constipation and Straining
According to research, irregular bowel movements and stools that are difficult to pass are the primary causes of haemorrhoids. Chronic constipation can add pressure on blood vessels in the rectum, leading to swelling and protrusion if you strain yourself when trying to pass a stool. Complications can result in anal fissures or tears on the skin, rectal bleeding, stools stuck in your colon and haemorrhoids.
Keep Your Body Active
It’s common for most people to develop haemorrhoids in their adult life. Regular exercise and a healthy diet can improve your digestive health and regulate bowel movements. Keeping your body active can reduce constipation and the pressure on rectal blood vessels, preventing the likelihood of haemorrhoids.
Seek Medical Help
Did you know that haemorrhoid symptoms differ depending on the type you have? For instance, there are internal haemorrhoids that cause rectal bleeding and external ones that lead to itching. If you experience abnormalities and discomfort, you should seek immediate medical attention for an accurate diagnosis.
Foods to Help Reduce the Risk of Haemorrhoids
Legumes
Ensuring sufficient fibre in your diet can help prevent or reduce flare-ups. Additionally, it can promote a healthy gut and ease symptoms associated with haemorrhoids. Legumes include:
- Peas.
- Kidney beans.
- Peanuts.
- Black beans.
- Lentils.
Whole Grains
You should consider consuming whole grains for their superfood benefits, such as regulating food absorption and glucose metabolism and preventing blood sugar spikes. They are also an exceptional fibre source loaded with positive health effects. Consider increasing your wholegrain intake with the following:
- Oats.
- Corn.
- Brown rice.
- Wholewheat bread.
- Rye bread.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Increasing your intake of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower can provide an impressive amount of dietary fibre. This can help improve the gut microbiome and your digestion. Other benefits of these vegetables include:
- Lowering cancer-causing agents in your cells.
- Improving cholesterol levels.
- Regulating blood glucose.
- Producing healthy new cells.
- Boosting your immune system.
Root Vegetables
Vegetables like beetroot, carrots, and sweet potatoes contain nutrients and gut-healthy fibre. You should remember that most of the essential fibre is found in their skin, and you should consider leaving it on to help ease underlying haemorrhoid symptoms. Some popular root vegetables can also provide these benefits:
- They contain high vitamin A levels, improving your eyesight and immune system.
- Some are loaded with betaine and nitrates, essential for heart health and better blood circulation.
- They are low in calories.
Prunes
Prunes, often referred to as nature’s laxative, can be a natural remedy for abnormal levels of constipation. They improve your stool’s consistency and help control an overactive bladder caused by chronic constipation. Other natural benefits of prunes include:
- Assisting in several bodily functions, such as regulating blood pressure and maintaining your heart’s rhythm and muscle contractions.
- Providing an excellent source of iron.
- Building strong bones to prevent bone density loss caused by osteoporosis.
- Reducing cholesterol levels.
- Providing antioxidants that help reduce inflammation.
5 Foods to Avoid: Preventing Haemorrhoid Symptoms
Red Meat: Red meat is low in fibre and takes longer to digest, which can increase your risk of constipation.
Dairy Products: While dairy products are loaded with calcium and protein, they don’t contain fibre and can make it difficult for your stool to pass.
Fried Foods: Foods high in fat can worsen haemorrhoid symptoms and affect your gut health, leading to constipation.
Salty Foods: Foods with a high salt concentration can lower hydration levels in your stool and make it challenging for it to pass smoothly through your colon.
White Flour: Refined flour is highly processed and contains low fibre, which can trigger haemorrhoid symptoms.
The best way to prevent haemorrhoid complications is to have a healthy diet, high fibre intake, regular exercise, and consistent hydration levels. If you experience discomfort and irregular bowel movements accompanied by bleeding, you should seek immediate medical attention for an accurate diagnosis. When you have health coverage with Affinity Health, you can access high-quality healthcare for acute and chronic illnesses as well as helpful advice to improve your quality of life.
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