Dietary Tips for Faecal Incontinence

A balanced diet is an important factor for a healthy lifestyle, it is even more so when you are suffering from incontinence and other stomach and bowel related ailments - eating well can have an impact on your symptoms as well as your general wellbeing.

With that in mind, there are a number of foods which can affect the stomach and cause bad reactions in the gut, and  those with incontinence may find that it worsens their symptoms. Avoiding these foods, or limiting their intake might help your incontinence, and help you improve your lifestyle.

Some of the things to avoid are the following, as they may provoke symptoms such as abdominal cramps and diarrhea:

• Portions that are too large.
• Meals that are high in fat.
• Lots of fried food.
• Coffee, or too much caffeine in general.
• Large intake of alcohol.

There are also a number of foods that are considered gas producing (e.g., beans, cabbage,  cauliflower, broccoli etc) and eating too much may cause increased gaseousness which can lead to uncomfortableness in the stomach and also become odor forming with gas which can lead to embarassament.

If you sufferer from a senstive stomach, the bowel can also be ineffective in absorbing some types of sugar, eating too much of some types of these sugars can cause cramping or diarrhea (e.g., sorbitol, commonly used as a sweetener in candies, and gums; and fructose, also used as a sweetener and found naturally in honey as well as some fruits).

The effects of diet on incontinence symptoms are unique to the individual and therefore there is no perfect dietary plan for avoiding incontinence, it is important to get a diagnosis from a healthcare profressional as they will be able to best guide you on the treatment of your individual needs and can provide dietary guidance while assessing individual circumstances and helping make sure that nutritional needs are being met through a balanced diet, and healthy eating habits.

For the best diagnosis incontinencechoice.co.uk always recommends you speak to your local GP or a healthcare professional. NHS.uk offers a healthcare service finder to give you information on your nearest health centre and the services it offers. The NHS also run a number of incontinence clinics, with specialist teams providing support and medical advice for people with bowel or bladder incontinence. To find out more about these services, please contact your local hospital.

The NHS also offer a plethora of information on eating healthy and the best foods to help maintain an active lifestyle, for more information please visit the NHS Good Food Page.