Diet for urinary incontinence

To help control urinary incontinence, care should be taken to avoid eating too much coffee throughout the day and avoid excessive consumption of diuretic foods as they will increase urinary frequency.

Urinary incontinence is the loss of control of holding pee, which escapes during small efforts, such as coughing or sneezing, or comes in the form of a sudden urge to urinate, not giving time to reach the toilet.

So, here are 5 feeding tips to reduce the frequency and these urine leaks happen.

1. Reduce coffee consumption

Coffee is a diuretic drink because it contains caffeine, a substance that stimulates the production of urine and therefore should be avoided. A good tip is to take decaffeinated coffee or reduce the size of the cup and the frequency of coffees throughout the day, being aware of changes in your urinary frequency.

In addition to coffee, caffeine-rich beverages should also be avoided, such as cola and energy drinks, and diuretic teas, such as green tea, mate tea, black tea, parsley, and hibiscus. See all caffeine-rich foods.

2. Drink plenty of water

Although water stimulates the production of urine, it is important to stay well hydrated to avoid problems such as constipation and urinary tract infection. In addition, water is important to maintain control of blood pressure, to eliminate toxins from the body and to prevent dryness of the skin and hair.

3. Avoid diuretic and spicy foods

Diuretic foods stimulate urine production and help fight against fluid retention, but may increase the frequency of urinary incontinence. These foods are zucchini, melon, watermelon, asparagus, endive, grapes, loquat, peach, artichoke, celery, eggplant, cauliflower. Already spicy and pepper-rich foods can irritate the urinary tract, making it more difficult to control the bladder.

Thus, one should avoid consuming 2 or more of these foods at the same time, and observe whether any foods on this list have the influence to increase episodes of incontinence. See the complete list of diuretic foods.

4. Maintain controlled weight

Keeping weight controlled is important to have better bladder control because excess abdominal fat increases pressure on the bladder by forcing the urine out. By losing weight, the size of the belly decreases, reducing the amount of weight on the bladder.

5. Avoid alcoholic beverages

An important point is to avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages, as they have a strong diuretic power and greatly stimulate the production of urine, also leading the body to a state of dehydration.

The complete treatment for urinary incontinence is done with strategies like medications, physiotherapy, diet and, in some cases, surgery.