Anal Fissure Support Forum

[Luka]

What foods work for softening your stool naturally? I’m just curious what works for everyone on here, food-wise. I know prunes are the most popular choice, but I’m not a big fan of them. I’ve been eating a lot of pears lately (which I love), which I read are good for preventing and treating constipation. Beans work for me, too, but tend to bulk my stools up too much. I've heard mixed opinions about apples. Some say they help with constipation, while others say they can contribute to it. I don't even touch bananas, although I've heard the fully ripe ones are fine; it's the unripe ones that lead to constipation problems.
My stool is soft, but not “soft serve ice cream” or “toothpaste” soft like the ideal for dealing with fissures. Is it possible to get this consistency with just diet (and lots of water) and no stool softening medications like Colace and Miralax?
Any other foods that soften stool for you guys but don’t bulk them up too much?

[delasama]

i dont know about any besides prunes and i dont like prunes.
i do drink the hell out of miralax, but i also try to find foods that come out soft like quinoe and boiled veggies and applesauce and sweet potatoes and raisins and lentil veggie soup...these foods dont soften stool like miralax, but they come out soft by themselves.also eating a spoon full of coconut oil before a big meal helps and a cup of ginger tea after meal.i hate taking medicines. i dont even take tylenol when i have a headache. but since my fissure became chronic, i take miralax cap full at night and morning.there are natural diets that can keep consistant soft poops, but even with consistancy it just takes one thing to throw your imune system off and have soft bile become a hard poop.i wish i had done that diet before my fissure! since my fissure became chronic i started eating soft, but i still take miralax religiously just incase.it just takes one hard one to re tear and start healing process all over again.

[CrackinUp]

Try eating olive oil with your meals. If you're not keen on the taste, just have a spoon of it before you eat - that's what I do. I also use Lactulose but I found I can still vary the consistency with the olive oil quite dramatically, so i guess it does the same job. I don't have a big table spoon like some people but perhaps you would need that amount without any other stool softeners.

[Luka]

Hi CrackinUp,
Actually, I do love olive oil and have it with my dinner most days. I tend to use a lot of it (like 1-2 tablespoons or more), mainly for the calories (I've lost a lot of weight because of this fissure issue... I'm down to about 99 pounds, which is not healthy for me). I just eat less food in general when I have this, although I was never a big eater to begin with.
The olive oil does seem to help stave off extra weight loss and I have heard of it being used as a stool softener, so I'll keep taking it. :)

[delasama]

Nuts Peanuts and almonds are great natural foods to make you poop. If you enjoy chunky peanut butter and are the sort of person who tends to pause and admire his bowel movements, you already know this. Not only a great source of protein, nuts are mostly indigestible which means they carve their way through your intestinal blockage and help push out all that junk food that is backing you up.
Pineapple Citrus is a natural food that will definitely make you poop. When you eat fresh pineapple, you are getting huge doses of fiber and citrus. Eat about a cup and let it work its magic.
Papaya The various children of Polynesia scattered across the liquid continent love their pork. They cook it up thousands of ways but traditionally, it is considered a special treat rather than a staple. They also know a coconut and kukui nut-fattened hog is delicious, but like any meat, it can be hard to digest. The island cure is tasty--they eat papayas. Papayas are also used for softening up tough steaks, too. Eat one for breakfast on days you know you will overly carnivorous to ensure a smooth transition.

[Luka]

Hi delasama,
I can't eat citrus fruits (or anything with high acid content) due to my acid reflux, so pineapple is out for me. Papaya I'm not sure about.
I've heard mixed opinions about nuts. Aren't nuts a no-no if you have a fissure? I read that sharp pieces can cut you on the way out, but I've never had issues before and I usually chew my food very, very well. Doesn't stomach acid soften and digest it anyway?
I've been avoiding nuts (like pecans and walnuts) since they are usually on the "do not eat" list when you have a fissure, but would like to include them in my diet again since I really don't see the issue with them. Pecans are pretty soft, anyway. They also have a lot of calories, which I REALLY need right now! My energy has been so low because of how little I eat and it's not helping my mood at all.

[CrayonOfDarkness]

I've found soft nuts to not be a problem, as long as you chew thoroughly. I've been eating walnuts and macadamias without issue; if anything they help.
I'd recommend taking a multi-vitamin too. I started taking one a couple weeks ago and I've been feeling a lot better mood-wise, not to mention you need balanced nutrients if there are foods you are avoiding and your diet is thrown off. It just takes time to get up a regimen of foods that work, and how much of them, and if you get that balanced you won't really need to take supplements much.
I think baked sweet potatoes, oil-sauteed spinach, and dried figs and prunes have been the best foods for me as of yet. Though I'm sure the Miralax is half of it. I never liked prunes before, but there is a company that sells dried fruits and nuts online (nuts.com), and I swear they have delicious prunes. I didn't know that was possible.

[Luka]

Hi CrayonOfDarkness,
I haven't had any problems with soft nuts lately, so I'm continuing to eat them. Pecans are really yummy and as long as I chew them thoroughly and eat them sparingly, I'm fine.
I also take a multivitamin for the extra vitamins I might not be getting since I don't eat much food in general.
I'm still enjoying my pears, brown rice, baked potatoes, peas, and broccoli. They all work well for me. I hear quinoa is good, too. Never had it before and am going to try it this week.

[CrayonOfDarkness]

:)
Sounds like you have it down. I really need to get some pecans.
For some reason quinoa hasn't worked well for me, but I know it has for other people. It seems like it makes it harder and more dense, not softer, though I've learned you need to balance certain foods with other kinds of foods to achieve the right consistency, and sometimes it's just experimentation and doesn't always work.
So far the most effective thing overall has been the switch from sitting to squatting. For some reason that seemed too drastic and that I should be able to solve this with food, but even the softest BM would end up with blood and painful to varying degrees when I was still sitting. Not so with squatting.

[redbug12]

Hi Luka,
Even I have had a real tough time keeping my stool soft ever since I got my fissure 6 months ago. Even though I had a BM every day my stool would still be hard at the tip, which was enough to cause damage. So I figured that one way of keeping my stool soft is by having at least 2 BMs a day and not allowing it time to harden. I recently started eating really high fiber diet and I have seen a huge difference in my BM - no pain, regular (2 BMs) and soft.
I make sure I get atleast 25 to 30gms of fiber everyday. So here is what my fiber intake looks like -
* High fiber bread like FiberOne (I usually get my bread from a local baker). I have 3-4 slices as one of my meals.
* 1 pear
* Whole chia seeds - about 1Tbsp (usually with yogurt)
* Whole flaxseeds - about 1 Tbsp
* Fiber supplement Konsyl - about 1 tsp
* And lots and lots of water
This ensures I get more than enough fiber I need for the day. For my other 2 meals I try to stick to eating whole grains like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, and some lentils and beans. I also eat a lot of salads and plenty of carrots.
I hope this helps you!