What causes pile and what food should a person avoid if he/she has pile

Are you okay?”, one of her colleagues asked the pale looking Kikelomo, as she came out of the restroom. “Yeah!” replied Kikelomo very casually. But in fact, her every visit to the restroom was a dreaded one.

It all started around 2 months back. She had constipation from last 4 days which she thought to be normal as she was pretty habitual in exerting pressure for passing out stools. But it was when she felt some hard painful lump around the anus and blood in the poop, she got really worried. But this was not it, even her daily activities like sitting, standing, and walking were becoming difficult.

Have you also gone through the same agony? Do you take your constipated days or itchy red anal area too lightly? Do you also take it easy to live with painful bowel movements and bloody stools very often? These may be alarming indicators of an extremely troubling condition, known as “Piles”. Piles are inflamed and swollen collections of tissue in and around the anal area resulting in painful stools sometimes accompanied by blood as well.

When you are suffering from piles, there are days when you feel more pain than some other days. It is your food habits or the kind of diet you consume playing a pivotal role to improve or worsen your bowel movements and eventually what you pass! Pondering about your last night meal that intensified those pangs of pain?

Foods To Avoid

1.Spicy food

Love eating spicy food? But if you have piles, think twice as this may lead to more painful bowel movements. 

While spicy foods are actually good for your digestive system, you want to eat less of ginger, pepper, and hot peppers if your piles are swollen and inflamed. At that stage, spicy foods will aggravate the itching, discomfort, and pains. Also avoid eating too much salt, as it makes your body hold on to water, instead of using it to help flush wastes.

2. Alcohol

Do cut out on your alcohol intake. Alcohol not only disrupts the digestive balance by depleting few nutrients but also have a dehydrating effect on the gut.

3. Dairy products

Dairy products many times leads to gas formation, cramps in the stomach, and constipation. Milk, cheese, and other dairy are more bothersome during an outbreak or flare-up of the disease. So, keep a track of your daily consumption of dairy products!

4.Chocolates

Chocolates too increase constipation and should be completely avoided by people suffering from piles.

5.Deep-fried and processed food items

Processed foods such as frozen meals, fast food and deep fried food items are heavy and difficult to digest. They contain fewer nutrients, plenty of salt and unhealthy fats. All these contribute to poor digestion and constipation.

6. Iron supplements and some other medicines

You may have been taking iron supplements before suffering from piles. But, iron is a known constipating supplement. Also, some commonly used medicines (for example, cold and cough) come with unwanted effect of constipation. Never stop or alter doses abruptly. It is better to consult your doctor and let him decide the best regimen to address all your health concerns.

7. Processed Meat

Processed and red meat are a strict no. They too are difficult to digest. Processed meat contains preservatives that lead to indigestion.

If you are not the water drinking type, I want you to embark on this simple routine. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, and last thing before you go to bed. Do this for a period, and you will observe an improvement in your toilet habit, as the constipation, hard stools and straining would be resolved.

Water, and all kinds of healthy beverage, like tea, natural fruit juice, are excellent for keeping the digestive system running smoothly. The experts recommend a minimum of 2 litres of water daily, or about 8 – 10 glasses of water daily. If you drink more, the better for your digestive system.

Quick Tips

Sitting in warm water (Sitz bath) provides great relief.

Drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated.

Try not to exert pressure while passing stools.

Exercise regularly.

 Do not neglect or feel embarrassed if you have piles. Consult your doctor immediately.

So, just don’t be afraid! Having piles is not the end of the world. There is no miracle fix. But, yes knowing what you need to know is surely going to help!

References 

https://www.1mg.com/articles/live-well/

http://ideyhot.com/piles/

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