Diet and Overactive Bladder: Foods to Avoid with Overactive Bladder

An overactive bladder can result in the sudden urge to urinate or cause you to lose control of the bladder muscles. But did you know that certain food and drink can actually increase irritation in the bladder or urinary tract, exacerbating sensitive bladder issues? 

If you have an overactive bladder, eliminating certain foods and beverages could be beneficial and lead to improvement of your symptoms.  

We outline 8 examples of foods to avoid with overactive bladder below..  

It might require a little trial and error to figure out your overactive bladder diet and which foods affect your symptoms the most. It can be helpful to cut them out one at a time to see which foods to avoid. 

Please note, if you are experiencing urine leakage, this may be indicative of urge incontinence rather than overactive bladder.  The two are different conditions and have different characteristics. We advise you speak to your GP or doctor to get a diagnosis and advice to ensure you are treating the correct condition. If you find that you’re experiencing any pain alongside your overactive bladder symptoms, it may be indicative of a urinary tract infection, so we also advise consulting your GP as soon as possible, before the infection worsens. 

As well as making your eyes and lips burn, spicy foods can also irritate your bladder. You don’t have to completely cut out spice and chilli but consider limiting spicy peppers and sauces when cooking or eating out. 

As with all our suggestions on foods to avoid with overactive bladder , it may take a little experimenting, so cut back on the spice little by little and see if that helps ease your overactive bladder symptoms. 

2. Tomato

Due to their acidity, tomatoes are one of the main foods that can cause urinary incontinence. If you find that you’re particularly sensitive to tomatoes or experience bladder irritation after eating them, you may want to cut out tomato products such as pasta and pizza sauces, ketchup, and salsa.  

3. Chocolate

Unfortunately, chocolate contains a small amount of caffeine, and incontinence issues may be worsened because of this, making it a food to avoid with an overactive bladder.  Dark chocolate contains the most cocoa, and so has the highest amount of caffeine out of all the chocolate varieties. White chocolate contains no caffeine, whilst milk chocolate contains less cocoa than dark chocolate, so if you need a treat, try one of these flavours to satisfy your cravings and see if you notice an improvement in your symptoms.  

4. Processed foods

Anything processed contains a lot of artificial ingredients, flavours, and preservatives, which in turn makes them foods to avoid with an overactive bladder. 

A healthy, balanced overactive bladder diet should include lots of natural and fresh foods, such as vegetables and whole grains, especially if you have incontinence symptoms or a sensitive, overactive bladder. Salty, processed foods can be swapped out for low or no-salt options.  

1.  Coffee

Caffeine and incontinence  are unfortunately closely linked, and coffee is one of the main causes of urinary health conditions. This is because coffee is one of the key diuretic drinks (drinks that cause urination), and is therefore one to avoid, if possible. Coffee can increase bladder activity and result in symptoms such as higher urgency and frequency of urination. 

If you can’t imagine starting the day without a cup of coffee, then think about lowering the amount of caffeine you drink. Try brewing a cup that is half decaf and half regular. Remember to wean yourself off gradually to avoid caffeine withdrawal headaches. Eventually making the switch to totally decaf coffee could improve your overactive bladder symptoms and reduce urine leakage. 

2. Alcohol

Drinks such as beer, wine, and spirits are all diuretics that can irritate the bladder and disrupt the signals to your brain that alert you of bladder overflow.  

Some of the worst culprits are in fact champagne and prosecco, which contain both bladder-stimulating alcohol and carbonation. Try cutting down on drinking alcohol and see if you notice an improvement in urine leakage or overactive bladder symptoms.  

3.  Acidic fruit juices

Like tomatoes, fruit juices which contain lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit all contain high amounts of citric acid, which can result in the frequent urge to urinate.  

You should still eat lots of fruit as part of a healthy diet but try eating fruits that are less acidic, such as pears or blueberries. These fruits are also high in disease-fighting antioxidants, so they are beneficial to include in your overactive bladder diet, and filling up on these could help you avoid foods that make you urinate, such as chocolate or processed food. 

4. Carbonated drinks

The fizz in carbonated beverages can aggravate overactive bladder symptoms, so be wary of soft drinks, soda water, and energy drinks as these are all diuretic drinks to avoid. Some of the worst drinks are those that contain both caffeine and carbonation, so try and avoid these as much as possible to prevent overactive bladder issues.  

Remember to keep track of how your body reacts when you cut down on some of these foods that make you urinate. A bladder diary can also be a useful technique to help you monitor your urinary health and habits. Doctors will often request you do this when suffering from urinary health issues, so getting a head start on this is a great idea, helping you to identify any patterns!  

You can learn more about how the bladder functions  on our website, plus, don’t forget to take a look at our incontinence products online or try our product selector tool. We have products available for both men and women for those moments when you need a little extra protection. 

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