Foods to Eat

• Focus your diet on vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains. Fiber from such foods keeps stool soft and lowers pressure inside the colon, allowing bowel contents to move through with ease. The Mayo Clinic recommends women consume 21 to 25 g of fiber a day and men, 30 to 38 g a day. Try eating a high-fiber cereal every morning which can range from 8 to 36 g per cup, depending upon the product. Most beans have 10 to 16 g per cup. There are many books and web sites like Mayoclinic.com that list fiber counts in foods to help you get the recommended amount. You should increase your water intake along with the increase in fiber, aiming for a minimum of 8 8-oz. glasses daily. Cranberry juice can also help prevent the formation of hemorrhoids. Not drinking enough liquids along with the fiber can actually make constipation worse.
  
  

Supplements That Help

• Supplement with vitamins. Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and bioflavonoids (quercetin, grape seed extract and green tea extract) all help strengthen the cells and connective tissue in the blood vessels to aid healing. Try taking capsules or pills containing probiotics, or "friendly" bacteria like lactobacillus and bifidus, which can help prevent and heal hemorrhoids. Consider using other herbs often used to treat hemorrhoids, including ginkgo biloba, an anti-inflammatory; horse chestnut, an astringent usually taken in tea form; and dandelion root, which acts as a laxative, also taken as tea. Many studies have shown that over-the-counter fiber supplements, such as Metamucil and Citrucel can also improve hemorrhoid symptoms and bleeding.
  
  

Things to Avoid

• Avoid alcohol and caffeinated tea and coffee, since they can lead to dehydration and constipation. Decrease or eliminate other foods that cause constipation, including animal protein, processed and refined foods, sugar, ice cream, fried foods, cheeses, peanuts, junk foods and salt.