Urinary Incontinence - How Can Diet Avert It?

A common problem that is not restricted to older people is urinary incontinence, and many are not aware that behavioral strategies play an important role in controlling urinary incontinence. These include alterations in the diet, urinary habits, and lifestyle changes.

The required changes and alterations to be made are entirely dependent on the individual conditions of the patient. However, these are the most common tips as far as the diet to overcome urinary incontinence is concerned:

1. Have the optimum amount of water: If you do not drink enough water, you are likely to get dehydrated. When you have incontinence, drinking a lot of water can also be detrimental. It means that drinking the recommended dose of 6 to 8 glasses of water could also pose a problem. On the other side, when you drink little water, you may end up irritating the bladder. That is why it is important to ask the doctor how much water you must drink.
2. Avoid alcohol and smoking: Alcohol has a negative influence on the bladder as it can potentially affect the messages from the bladder which tells it to hold urine and to release it. When you are consuming alcohol, you are likely to lose the control over the signaling, and it would invariably result in incontinence. If you can cut out alcohol completely, it can definitely fetch the best results. If you cannot cut it down completely, you should consider reducing the amount considerably.
3. Shun spicy foods: When you have to deal with an overactive bladder, you should refrain from eating spicy foods such as chilli peppers and horseradish. This is because spicy foods irritate the lining of the bladder and therefore they should be avoided at all costs. A viable alternative to these could be salads and fresh fruits and vegetables.
4. Say no to caffeine: Caffeine makes you feel the urgency to use the toilet along with prompting the body to get rid of the liquid contents of the body. It is best to remove caffeine from the diet as much as possible. It is really difficult to get rid of teas, coffees, soft drinks and chocolate and if you feel that you are not able to cut it down, you should try to have your caffeine dose in the morning rather than night. It is, however, necessary to limit caffeine intake to one serving in a day.
5. Stay away from citrus: Though fresh fruits and vegetables are always recommended, you should not consume citrus fruits such as lemons, pineapple, oranges since they can bother your bladder and make you feel the urge to go.

Along with these diet changes, if you are overweight, you should try to lose some weight since overweight can cast pressure on the bladder and result in incontinence. Thus, by making such minor yet crucial changes, the condition can be overcome easily.