Blueberries, bananas, watermelon, pears, papaya, and apricots are generally “safe” fruits that should not irritate the bladder.
A person with interstitial cystitis can include the following foods in their diet: Certain fruits: avocados, bananas, blueberries, melons, pears, apricots, dates, prunes, and raisins.
The key is to know which foods are more likely to irritate your bladder and which ones are more likely to soothe. In general, you will want to avoid coffee, alcohol, citrus fruits, tomato-based products, artificial sweeteners and spicy foods.
-Drinking plenty of fluids: This will help to keep the urine diluted and reduce irritation. -Taking over-the-counter pain medication: This can help to relieve pain and inflammation. Tylenol is better than Motrin or Advil. -Using a heating pad: This can help to soothe pain and cramping.
You should start by eliminating, or at least cutting down, on the top seven irritants: coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate, alcohol, artificial sweeteners and cigarettes. You should allow at least two weeks without the food or drink before noticing any change in your bladder control.
What foods calm the bladder? The American Urological Association also recognizes some foods as potentially having a calming effect on sensitive bladders. These foods include pears, bananas, green beans, squash, potatoes, lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, bread, and eggs.
Coffee, soda, alcohol, tomatoes, hot and spicy foods, chocolate, caffeinated beverages, citrus juices and drinks, MSG, and high-acid foods can trigger IC symptoms or make them worse.
In fact, only banana skins or extremely overripe bananas may have enough tyramine to bother IC bladders. Unlike many other fruits, bananas are fairly low-acid so they make an ideal choice for IC patients to experiment with.
What is this? The best diet to promote bladder health and improve IC symptoms will include: Water: Drinking enough water helps you void your bladder regularly. Chamomile and peppermint tea: Chamomile tea and peppermint tea promote bladder health.
The following foods are acidic and have been shown to be irritating to the bladder. These items should be avoided: All alcoholic beverages. Apples.
Dairy products are known as bladder irritants. Those that can be especially bad are aged dairy products like aged cheese and sour cream.
Chocolate can irritate your bladder for the same exact reason: caffeine. While it has less caffeine than coffee and tea, it is still enough to exacerbate bladder symptoms. If you just absolutely need a sweet fix, though, stick with white chocolate for less caffeine.
Bananas and other high-fiber foods can be good for urinary tract health and preventing urinary tract infections by encouraging regular bowel movements and relieving pressure on urine flow.
Eat Yogurt
But not nearly as many people are aware that probiotics in yogurt could help their urinary systems, too. In fact, yogurt can help fight urinary tract infections, which could also help prevent the development of more serious urinary problems, including bladder cancer.
Nuts, when not covered in salt, can be an excellent healthy snack, providing non-meat protein and fats. But some of them can cause bladder irritation. The more soothing choices are almonds, cashews, pine nuts and sunflower seeds.
Tomatoes – The acidity in tomatoes may irritate your bladder. Foods that contain tomatoes, such as pasta or pizza sauce, ketchup and salsa, may also affect symptoms. Citrus fruits – Foods like oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes are also acidic and can affect bladder control.
Other common bladder irritants include: Caffeine (sodas, diet pills, etc) Chocolate, sugar, honey and corn syrup.
Moreover, low magnesium concentrations can lead to bladder spasm and urinary frequency. High extracellular magnesium concentrations reduced the magnitude of the electrically-induced phasic contractions, as well as spontaneous contractions of the human detrusor smooth muscle in vitro.
Step Three: Peppermint Herbal Tea
You might be surprised to learn that peppermint has been proven in research studies to reduce smooth muscle bowel spasms. We think it has a calming and soothing effect on the bladder as well.
Nonacidic foods with healthy monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, flaxseed and avocados are quite soothing to the bladder.