Your favourite foods and beverages could be making your case of bladder incontinence worse. While the condition is not something you can control, you can reduce your chances of leakage by cutting back on foods that are not kind to a leaky bladder. In partnership with Depend, we list five foods you should stay away from if you're prone to accidents.
Chocolate
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, chocoholics, but your favourite sweet fix is not helping your case of bladder incontinence. The same is true for coffee and cola. All of these foods and beverages contain the diuretic caffeine which can causes your body to produce more urine. More pee produced can translate to increased chances of leaking.
Oranges
Citrus fruit, as refreshing and juicy as they are, is also a type of food you should stay away from if you experience incontinence. This is because they're acidic and sour foods can irritate the bladder. Research shows that limiting the intake of acidic foods can reduce the number of leaky accidents.
Spicy Foods
From Indian cuisine (butter chicken, anyone?) to Thai dishes, the spicy foods we love can also irritate the bladder to the point or leakage. When you eat a dish with kick, your lips may begin to burn and your eyes may tear up. The bladder can respond to the heat in a similar way.
Sugar
Sugar, along with honey and artificial sweeteners, is not so sweet to those who suffer from bladder incontinence. Research shows it too can irritate the bladder. Try cutting sugar from your diet to see if symptoms improve as everybody reacts to irritant differently.
Fizzy Drinks
What do soft drinks, champagne and sparkling water all have in common? They are carbonated and while that lovely fizz can satisfy a craving, caving into the bubbly bliss could lead to an irritated bladder. It’s not clear why carbonated beverages cause such a reaction, but most soda contains three types of bladder irritants -- caffeine, sweeteners and carbonation. It’s essentially a recipe for disaster.
By staying away from these foods and with Depend you can claim your life back and not let bladder leakage get in the way.