Diet & incontinence

Try to minimize or exclude the following from your diet:  

• Coffee and tea  
• Carbonated drinks (with and without caffeine)  
• Milk/milk products  
• Tomatoes and tomato-based products  
• Spicy foods  
• Chocolate  
• Fruit juice 
• Artificial sweeteners 
• Some evidence points to alcohol being an issue as well 
• Certain acidic fruits, i.e. grapefruit, lemon, lime, oranges etc.  

You don't need to cut these products out of your diet entirely but try avoiding them for a week to see if it makes a difference for you. You can slowly reintroduce them into your diet one at a time but remember to take note of any changes in your urination pattern.  

Increase your intake of:  

• Vegetables: Eat a healthy and varied diet with lots of fiber. Generally, a healthy and varied diet can have a positive impact on your condition. Vegetables and fruit contain liquids and can increase urine production, but they are crucial for your overall health.  

Overweight is commonly linked with incontinence, because it weakens your pelvic muscles and the fatty tissue adds pressure to your bladder. Your symptoms may improve, and could go away completely, if you lose excess weight.  

If you're diagnosed with an overactive bladder, you might want to:  

• Watch your fluid intake: When you’re experiencing bladder issues, you might feel less encouraged to drink lots of water if you feel like it increases your problem. However, not drinking enough can worsen your symptoms. Rather than minimizing your fluid intake, try timing this along with your bathroom visits to keep track of your urination. For example, it might work better to drink smaller amounts throughout the day rather than drinking a lot at once. Minimizing your fluid intake is not advisable, as drinking too little can result in a buildup of toxins and body waste in your urine. The darker your urine is, the more concentrated it is. Highly concentrated urine can irritate your bladder and cause an urge to pee more often.