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Food for an Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder is a real medical condition that describes a host of symptoms that affect the bladder's function and can cause a sudden urge to urinate. This urge can be difficult to curb, so overactive bladder may even lead to urinary incontinence. While there may be physical problems that lead to overactive bladder, controlling your intake of food and drink can greatly alleviate the symptoms so that you can control your bladder instead of it controlling you.

  1. Managing Fluid Intake

    • The natural tendency for people with overactive bladder is to reduce fluid consumption. However, this move can actually exacerbate the symptoms. Yes, reducing fluid intake will cut down on the bathroom breaks, but a higher concentration of urine is the result---which can irritate the bladder as well as contribute to constipation. Six to eight glasses of water a day is the best thing to drink, but mild juices such as cherry, apple and grape are acceptable as well.

    Avoid Caffeine

    • There are plenty of food and drink products with caffeine that should be avoided if you have overactive bladder. Caffeine is not only a stimulant but it also acts as a diuretic, which increases urine production. Tea, coffee and soft drinks with caffeine can pose bladder problems. Chocolate also contains this stimulant, so you should remove all of its forms---including chocolate milk, candy, ice cream, cakes and puddings---from your diet. Diet pills, certain headache remedies and cold and allergy medications can also contain caffeine and should be avoided.

    Food and Drink to Remove From Your Diet

    • Certain types of food and drink can worsen overactive bladder. Tomatoes and tomato-based products are acidic and can cause bladder irritation. Citrus fruits and juices as well as spicy foods cause similar reactions. Most types of liquor, including wine, beer and liqueurs, increase urinary urgency. Milk products and most types of sweeteners, from artificial to regular table sugar and honey, also contribute to symptoms of overactive bladder. While you may not be able to eradicate them from your diet, you can reduce your intake of these food and drink irritants.

    The Best Foods to Eat

    • Constipation is a common problem for people with overactive bladder because of the tendency to reduce fluid intake. Therefore, it is important to choose foods with plenty of fiber, as they can soften stool and help reduce the occurrences of urinary incontinence. Virtually any noncitrus fruits are good for you in addition to vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Lean cuts of fresh meat are acceptable, as are fish and shellfish. Nonacidic foods with healthy monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, flaxseed and avocados are quite soothing to the bladder. Steer clear of processed or refined foods.

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