Diet and Urinary Incontinence Symptoms
| Food or Drink | Effect on Incontinence | What to Do |
| Too much water or other fluid | Overfills the bladder. | Drink no more than 2 liters (about 2 quarts) of fluid a day. Drink most fluids during the daytime and limit fluids in the evening. |
| Too little fluid | Irritates the bladder. Promotes infection. |
Drink at least 1 liter (about 1 quart) of fluid every day. |
| Alcoholic beverages | Causes dehydration by increasing the amount of urine. Interferes with brain’s signals to the bladder about when to release urine. |
Cut down on or eliminate alcohol. |
| Caffeine-containing drinks and foods (such as coffee, tea, colas, or chocolate) | Stimulates the bladder. Act as diuretics, producing more urine. |
Reduce or eliminate caffeine from your diet. |
| Acidic foods and drinks (such as citrus fruits, coffee, tea, and tomatoes) | Irritates the bladder. | Cut down or avoid these items. |
| Carbonated drinks | Irritates sensitive bladders. | Use sparingly or not at all. |
| Spicy foods | Irritates the bladder. | Avoid these foods. |
| Sugar, honey, and artificial sweeteners | Irritate the bladder. | Limit your use of these foods, if possible. |
Medicine and Urinary Incontinence Symptoms
| Medicine | Effect on Incontinence | What to Do |
| High blood pressure medicine (diuretic ''water pills," calcium channel blockers, and others) | Some increase urine output. Some relax the bladder, allowing urine to escape. |
Let your doctor know that medication may be making incontinence worse. Ask your doctor if you can adjust the dose or switch to another medication to lower blood pressure. If you cannot switch or adjust medications, ask your doctor about ways to limit the incontinence symptoms. |
| Antidepressants, sedatives, and tranquilizers | Some hinder ability of the bladder to contract. Some decrease awareness of the need to urinate. (Note that some may improve incontinence symptoms.) |
Ask your doctor about switching to another medication or to another type of therapy to treat depression. |
| Muscle relaxants | Relaxes bladder muscles. | Use only if necessary. Ask your doctor about steps to limit incontinence side effects. |
| Sleeping pills | Reduces awareness that the bladder is full. | Explore alternatives to sleeping pills, such as exercising regularly or starting a bedtime ritual. |
11 Foods to Avoid if You Have OAB
Tomato products
According to the Cleveland Clinic, tomatoes are an acidic food that can potentially irritate your bladder and worsen OAB symptoms. People who are particularly sensitive should also cut out tomato products, such as:
pasta
pizza sauce
ketchup
salsa
Coffee and tea
The culprit in coffee and tea is caffeine. It can increase bladder activity and result in exacerbated symptoms, including higher urgency and frequency of urination, as well as increased incontinence. Reducing or eliminating caffeine intake or switching to decaffeinated varieties can decrease symptoms.
If you are particularly sensitive to caffeine, keep in mind that even decaf coffee and tea contains some caffeine.
Chocolate
Like coffee and tea, a serving of chocolate also contains some caffeine — about 1/4 the amount in a cup of coffee. Try white chocolate, which usually doesn’t have caffeine, or dark chocolate, which contains more cocoa and might satisfy your craving with a smaller amount.
Oranges, limes, and lemons
Like tomatoes, citrus fruits contain high amounts of citric acid, which can worsen bladder control. Citrus fruits to watch out for are:
oranges
limes
lemons
grapefruits
You should still include fruit as part of your healthy diet, so try less acidic kinds such as apples or bananas. Because everyone reacts differently to foods, experiment to see which fruits cause you more trouble.
Alcoholic beverages
Along with chocolate and coffee, add adult beverages to the list of vices you may want to limit if you have an overactive bladder. This includes:
beer
wine
liquor
Alcohol can irritate the bladder and disrupt the signals to your brain that make you aware of bladder overflow
Carbonated beverages
The fizz in carbonated beverages can potentially aggravate OAB symptoms. Be wary of drinks such as:
soft drinks
soda water
energy drinks
Drinks with both carbonation and caffeine can be extra trouble, and so can champagne, which has carbonation and bladder-stimulating alcohol.
Spicy foods
The same foods that make your eyes water and burn your lips can also irritate your bladder, the Urology Care Foundation advises. Be wary of spicy peppers and sauces. Be extra cautious of spicy salsas, which contain another food on this list: tomatoes.
Again, everyone reacts differently. Before you cut out spicy foods altogether, experiment to see which ones affect you and which ones don’t
Sweeteners
According to the Cleveland Clinic, there’s some evidence that both artificial and natural sweeteners can increase OAB symptoms. As with other foods, you might not have to cut out sugar altogether, but it might be wise to experiment and see if your symptoms lessen when you limit these in your diet.
Processed foods
Processed foods contain a lot of artificial ingredients, such as flavoring and preservatives, which can irritate your bladder and worsen OAB symptoms. A healthy, balanced diet should include natural and fresh foods, such as vegetables and whole grains. This is especially true for people who have OAB.
Onions
Like spicy and acidic foods, onions can cause bladder problems and increase the urge to urinate. Raw onions are the main culprits, so try cooking them before you eat them to reduce the adverse effect they may have on your bladder.
Cranberries
Many people claim that cranberry juice relieves symptoms of urinary tract infections, but cranberries are acidic. Much like tomatoes and citrus fruits, cranberries can potentially irritate your bladder and cause urge incontinence. You might be tempted to try cranberry juice for relief, but it may worsen your symptoms. If you are going to take in fluids, water is your best bet (see next slide).
Balanced water intake
Conventional wisdom might suggest that to avoid the constant urge to urinate, one might drink as little fluid as possible. But that isn’t the case. When it comes to water intake and OAB, the word to remember is “balance.”
Too much water will certainly cause you trouble, but too little fluid will make your urine more concentrated and acidic and can cause an increased need to use the bathroom. Limiting fluid intake can also potentially make you constipated.
Your doctor can tell you the right balance, but most experts suggest drinking the equivalent of six 8-ounce glasses per day and limiting intake in the evenings.
Keep a food diary
Because the effects of food on the body can be different from person to person, it’s impossible to say for certain that you should or shouldn’t avoid each of these foods. A food diary can help you identify which foods cause your symptoms to worsen.
In the diary, note what foods you ate, when you ate them, and any symptoms you experience after. This will allow you to see any patterns or connections between the foods you eat and your OAB symptoms.
