Today many seem to suffer from the condition called piles. This is a direct result of constipation and straining when passing stools. It is more common nowadays because people are drinking less water and prefer to drink colas which relieve thirst for a few minutes but later cause dehydration as they are very concentrated in their sugar content. All people above age 15 need to drink 2 1/2 liters of plain water with nothing added to it. You cannot count any other liquid as water. Those doing heavy exercise, work outs, sports people and lactating women need 3-4 lts to keep away constipation and piles.
The second cause is the consumption of more and more refined foods like maida (white) bread, noodles, pasta, rice, idllis, maida rotis, etc. instead of oats, ragi, whole wheat bread, atta rotis etc. Also people and children today hardly eat cooked vegetables or raw salads and they prefer ice creams, pastries and desserts to fresh fruits. Veggies and fruits are the best fiber as they absorb and hold lots of water in the colon relieving constipation and hard stools.

A patient suffering from piles can wonderfully change the situation, if they follow some diet rules, very strictly, for 4-6 weeks.

1) Change to a whole wheat diet, avoiding rice and maida items.Breakfast must be whole wheat bread or roties, dhalia (broken wheat) porridge, oats porridge or ragi items, cornflakes or wheat flakes.

At lunch a little rice may be eaten but along with wheat rotis. Never eat rice alone.Also cooked vegetables and raw salad must be included surely.
At dinner no rice, noodles, pasta, rava, vermicelli or any such refined items to be eaten. Only whole wheat rotis or whole wheat bread or dhalia (broken wheat) may be eaten. Here again a raw salad of atleast 2 cups must be consumed. Cabbage and carrots have the highest water holding capacity. Similarly oranges and apples also hold a lot of water so try to include these fruits and vegetables daily.
Along with the above, pulses like channa, rajma, moong and sprouts are also good sources of fiber.

2) 2-3 liters of water is a must for a piles patient daily, unless otherwise advised by a doctor for some medical purpose.

3) Regular out door exercise like walking is seen to relieve stress and this relaxation is seen to sometimes regulate the motion.

4) Some people are very sensitive about their stool and even after the regular stool is passed the tend to want to force themselves and clean the rectum more. This habit must be stopped.

5) Some foods must be strictly avoided for the 4-6 week period.

a) All fried snacks cause dehydration.
b) All concentrated sweets and bakery items cause dehydration.
c) Chinese foods and preserved foods like pickles, canned foods and smoked meats are high in salt so they too cause dehydration.
Dehydration leads to water being held back from loosening the stool and is a leading cause of constipation and therefore very dangerous when you are treating piles. Avoid for 4-6 weeks and then thereafter restrict to 1 or 2 times per week with an extra glass of water when you eat them.