Really useful list of foods to avoid/increase here:
http://www.thefooddoctor.com/Article-Ahealth_fst_constipation/
took me a lot of trial and error to come with an almost identical list!

owowow,
Thanks for posting!! I copied to my personal e-mail and will peruse later!!

It's strange, when i first developed a fissure, i developed a natural aversion to certain things, even though i had no idea how they affected me..suddenly after drinking nearly a pot a day, i couldnt look at coffee, or red meat or anything fried..i craved salmon, pears..and oddly, butter? Unfortunately except a few things that i still wont go near, my diet is slipping back to some bad habits because i'm not in active pain. I wish i'd kept the aversions (was losing weight, which was a huge bonus), but i'd like to keep those aversions, minus the pain that compelled them!

clarit,
I think it is only natural to backslide a bit when we are feeling better!! I recently tried eating olive oil (instead of margarine) on my bread products, and I like it. Keep getting mixed signals on which is better to eat--margarine or butter!!

Olive spread is way better than marg less bad fats 'l have not touched white bread or cheese for 6 months nor really touched red meat either''loads of chicken and whole meal foods 'and water '

I'm continuing with the olive oil for now!! A diet for AF is really a diet for good health!! Continually working on cholesterol levels and BP!!

Good stuff. My fissure has been healed since May and I still adhere to those recommendations, and consume lots of olive oil. When I have foods that are more attractive with butter, I use Ghee butter and have experienced nothing but good results.

Hi, I'm new hear and I am learning the hard way what to eat and what not to eat....As I type the tears are flowing down my face, I'm in so much pain. I just took a warm bath, 2 advil and still the urge is ripping me apart. Please, I have taken the stool softners, the water.....I just want relief and I want it now......help!!

GGky, how much stool softener are you taking? It took a while for mine to kick in before I started having soft stools (I started with 1 -100 mg pill a day, now take 3 -100g pills a day). Also, even though the stool is soft, I don't know if you will be pain-free until the fissure completely heals, and even then, there's always a possibility for re-tear.
For now, take deep breaths and calm your mind. Really emphasize deep breaths (think yoga breaths) while you are having a BM and go slowly. It won't eliminate the pain, but will help you manage it. i'm not sure 2 ibuprofen will cut it. I've been taking up to 3-4 ibuprofen at a time and I don't think it helped much. Some people have mentioned heat pads for pain. I suggest looking at the second post I posted under the "new to this forum" page. I posted a very comprehensive method for managing AF's, which I found on another site. I've been re-reading it often for the past week to understand what to do to manage the AF.

I can tell you, for me, the absolutely worst thing I can eat is white rice. I'm asian and I grew up on white rice, which is one reason my AF makes me so sad. In spite of what white rice can do to me I still love it but it's just that it turns everything into a thick heavy paste. The whole veggies and fiber thing makes everything soft and passable but as soon as I introduce rice...there's hell to pay. In the topic about stool softening I mention how cauliflower has been my go to softener. In short, steamed cauliflower has been my savior in getting everything really, really soft.