Tis the season to be jolly, farlahlahlahlah, lah, lah, lah, laaaaahhhhh. But, not if you're peeing your pants.....
The festive season is a celebratory time for most of us. But along with all the fun and excitement that Christmas brings, it can also bring an increase in pelvic health symptoms…
Why? Simply because we are less active, and we are also consuming unhealthy and large diets which our bodies aren’t use to. There is no denying it seems fun at the time, but for many of us we end up paying the price for it afterwards.
Did you know that certain foods and drinks can irritate your bladder? In the run up to Christmas I thought it might be good to share some tips on foods and drinks that you might like to avoid. This way you can enjoy the festive period without having the additional discomfort of rushing to the toilet more often than usual. Who notices that their bladder reacts to different foods and drinks? Hmmm I wonder why that might be?
Drink…
What food and drink might we encounter over the Christmas period that could cause us some discomfort and bladder irritation. Remember that not all these food and drinks will irritate everyone, each body is different, so please take this advice and apply to your own situation. You may want to eliminate some of the drinks to see if it eases your symptoms.
The top of the list and probably really unsurprisingly is alcohol. All types of alcoholic beverages can cause bladder irritation, especially carbonated ones. So if you do experience these symptoms you may want to consider giving the Champagne a miss…sorry to be the bringer of bad news ladies.
For most people though these symptoms can be short lived, so you may consider its worth it, or you may find that a non-carbonated alcoholic drink causes less irritation. Carbonated drinks even when non-alcoholic can also irritate the bladder for some people.
Other drinks that can have an irritating effect include acidic drinks, and citrus drinks such as fruit juices and squashes which can often cause irritation. I know from personal experience that squash definitely irritates my bladder. Luckily, I seem to be able to drink wine without a problem…you may be the same. It may be surprising to know that some Teas can also affect the bladder, black or green tea, caffeinated and de caffeinated plus herbal blends call all be an irritant to some individuals.
Last but not least we all know how bad aspartame is, even though I know how bad it is, I sometimes can be caught reaching for a cold Diet Coke on a very hot day, but this too can be a bladder irritant.
What drinks seem to bother you? Are there any I have missed that you have noticed bother you?
That brings us to Food..?
Most common foods that can cause bladder irritation unsurprisingly are citrus fruits. But it may be surprising to know that there are a whole host of other foods that can unknowingly be irritating your bladder. For example, I found it surprising to learn that bananas are one…who would have thought, they look so unsuspecting. Others that are I find equally surprising, are figs, cantaloupe melon, chicken livers (who eats these anyway), nuts, mayonnaise, onions, cheese, chocolate…I think someone made this one up!
While those foods may be surprising it may not be as surprising to learn that many fruits can cause irritation such as apples, cranberries, grapes, guava, peaches, pineapple, plums, prunes, raisins, strawberries and tomatoes. While this list is not exhaustive it does give some food for thought and an idea of what to look out for if you suddenly experience an increased urge to pee, frequency or pain. 
Last but not least, don't forget dehydration. Often when socializing, we can forget to drink water. Especially when drinking alcohol or your 10th cup of tea by the fire. All these drinks are diuretics, and the fastest way to an irritable bladder is a dehydrated one. So make sure you are keeping tabs on your water intake. Nobody wants to be worrying about their bladder when they should be enjoying this festive season.
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