Incontinence & Seniors: Foods to Avoid

For those living with incontinence, a meal can make the difference between a good day and a bad one. Seniors and home health aides alike can find themselves strategizing the foods and liquids to promote healthful urination. If you are living with incontinence, are eight foods to avoid!

1. Coffee

Although it has become the breakfast drink of choice, coffee is also a diuretic. In effect, this means that the caffeine within the beverage effectively siphons sodium out of your system through urination. Although this process is helpful for those looking to improve their regular movements, coffee can be especially harmful for those living with incontinence.

2. Alcohol

Just like caffeine, alcohol is another culprit that over-stimulates the need to urinate. Even more so, alcohol actively saps the body of liquid, causing dehydration and hangovers. Thus, for those looking to master their incontinence, it is best to avoid alcohol.

3. Citrus

With such a high percentage of acidic compounds, citrus is a potential agitator for those living with incontinence. Patients should attempt to cut out overly acidic fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, clementines, lemons, limes, etc.

4. Tomatoes

As stated previously, acid can be a major agitator of overactive bladder symptoms. Thus, tomatoes are another potential food to avoid. For those living with incontinence, it may be best to cut out all tomato-heavy products; such as pasta sauce, salsa, ketchup, etc.

5. Carbonated Beverages

Regardless of whether or not they contain caffeine, carbonated beverages are believed to agitate incontinence. This could be due to the excessive carbon dioxide actively upsetting the body’s equilibrium, or the sugars associated with soda irritating the bladder.

6. Aged Cheeses

Those living with incontinence may find that the cultures within aged cheeses are especially irritating to their bladder. Thus, it’s best to avoid any particularly funky cheeses such as bleu or gruyere. It may be best to supplement for milder cheeses like sour cream or vegan nut based cheeses.

7. Chocolate

Just like coffee, chocolate has pronounced levels of caffeine. This caffeination can irritate the bladder and exacerbate existing incontinence. The added acid can further irritate the stomach, making chocolate a poor choice for a bladder-friendly diet.

8. Spicy Foods

Spices, although delicious, are another known culprit of bladder irritation. The capsaicin found in their chemistry can be especially detrimental to prolonged cases of incontinence. Thus, seniors may want to scale back on particularly spicy foods.