The term “hemorrhoids” does not actually refer to bleeding hemorrhoids which need medical attention but rather, it refers to the blood vessels inside our anuses that aid in controlling the release of our stools if we’re not yet ready to hit the restrooms. Such unnoticed blood vessels become a big deal to us once they got swollen due to many factors including low dietary fiber intakes.
Preliminary treatments that doctors recommend for patients with “hemorrhoid” problems (note that the quoted word, as well as its plural form, is not used as it is to name the disorder) include high-dietary fiber diets. Dietary fiber, which is predominantly-present in plant foods, is classified into two main components: 1) the soluble fiber that alleviates diarrhea, constipation, and other abdominal discomforts that can become culprits of the bleeding of these anal blood vessels; and 2) the much-more important insoluble fiber which aids in the easy release of stools out of the body.
Foods with soluble fiber include: 1) certain legumes such as peas, soybeans, and lupines; 2) certain grains such as oats, rye, and barley; 3) certain fruits such as plums, berries, and ripe bananas; 4) juices from certain fruits such as prunes, apples, and pears; 5) certain veggies such as broccoli, carrots, and artichokes; 6) root tubers like sweet potatoes; 7) bulb veggies like onions; 8) flax seeds; and 9) nuts, most especially almonds for having the highest level of dietary fiber content.
Foods with insoluble fiber include: 1) whole grains and its products; 2) bran from wheat and corn; 3) skins of root tubers; 4) hemp seeds; 5) certain veggies such as green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, and celery; 6) certain fruits such as avocados and unripe bananas; and 7) the skins from certain fruits such as kiwifruit and tomatoes.
Aside from plant foods, doctors can include dietary fiber supplements to the patients’ high-fiber diets; even on pregnant women who also have such bleeding problems. Dietary fiber supplements include: 1) the inulin supplements (often extracted from vegetables such as chicory and artichokes) that are always in powder form, replaces sugar, and acts like the soluble fiber to the body; and 2) the currently-popular dietary fiber supplements from vegetable gums (such as guar gum and gum Arabic) that are also in powder form and acts like the insoluble fiber to the body.
In order to prevent swollen hemorrhoids in adults, the Medicine Institute of the US National Academy of Sciences recommends the consumption of 20-35 grams of dietary fiber everyday; while the British Nutrition Foundation suggests an 18-gram daily dietary fiber intake. Prevention from swollen hemorrhoids in children, according to the American Dietary Association, needs dietary fiber intakes that amount to the age in years plus 5 grams a day – for example, a 5-year old kid will need 10 grams of dietary fiber a day (5 years of age + 5 grams a day = 10 grams of dietary fiber a day for a 5-year old kid). Dietary fiber intake recommendations haven’t yet been set by any public health agency for the elderly.
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