It’s a new year, and that means it’s a prime time for starting new habits that can have a big impact on your health. if you suffer from benign prostatic hypertrophy (enlarged prostate), you may have noticed some initial signs of incontinence, like an increased urge to urinate or needing to get up during the night to empty your bladder. Sound like you? Then this article has some great tips on how to keep your prostate healthy so you can reduce those incontinence symptoms or avoid them altogether:
- Fill your plate with lots of fruits and vegetables, especially the highly colorful ones. Avoid trans fats and limit butter and other saturated fats.
- Eat healthy portion sizes. The USDA offers guidelines for determining just what constitutes a healthy portion. Have a look at their site: You might be surprised how much you’re overeating.
- Increase your grain intake. Opt for whole grain breads and incorporate oatmeal, bulgur wheat, couscous and other grains into your diet. Fill your cereal bowl with whole grain choices each morning.
- Skip red meat when you can, and cut out the processed cold cuts and hot dogs.
- Limit your salt. Read food labels and check the sodium content. Total daily intake should not exceed 2,300 mg per day; a limit of 1,500 mg per day is recommended.
- Be more active. A Harvard University study found men who are more active were less likely to have BPH. Sports not your cup of tea? A regular program of walking works, too. (Note: Rigorous exercise was associated with a lower incidence of erectile dysfunction, so if that’s a problem, you might want to consider taking up running or another type of rigorous activity.)
If you’ve been experiencing incontinence symptoms, make an appointment with the Incontinence Institute today. There are plenty of treatment options so you don’t need to suffer in silence.