The risk of prostate problems increases as men age, as the size of their prostate naturally increases. An enlarged prostate can lead to urinary issues, including the need to get up during the night (perhaps even multiple times). It’s a frustrating situation all around, but thankfully your diet can help. We’re not just talking about food either. You should also focus on the best drinks for an enlarged prostate.
After all, the drinks you choose will influence your bathroom habits, so it makes sense that they’re also relevant for your prostate.
Don’t stress though. An increase in prostate size is a natural part of aging. While the symptoms are frustrating and perhaps embarrassing, they’re not inherently dangerous. And, if the symptoms do become too much, there are medical approaches that can help.
While we’re talking about male health, you could also look at testosterone rich foods. These won’t necessarily help with your prostate, but they still offer many benefits.
Drinks For An Enlarged Prostate
- Water
- Lemon Water
- Green Tea
- Matcha Green Tea Latte
- Any Caffeine-Free Tea
- Smoothies
- Orange Juice
- Tomato Juice
- Green Juice
- Coconut Water
- Flavored Water
- Alcohol
Water
If you have an enlarged prostate, it might be tempting to keep your fluid intake low. Doing so means you need to go pee less often, which can be appealing. But, staying hydrated is a crucial part of managing an enlarged prostate.
Staying hydrated helps to dilute your urine. Doing this decreases the risk of bladder irritation and can lead to fewer enlarged prostate symptoms. You end up with better control and may feel more ‘normal’ than if you’re always dehydrated.
Not surprisingly, water is still one of the best ways to stay hydrated. It’s easy to find and contains no calories. This makes it much better than sugar-infused drinks. Plus, sugar is linked to inflammation and can make prostate problems worse.
If plain still water seems a bit boring, try sparkling water instead. Look for products that are literally just carbonated water, with no added ingredients. This way there is no extra sugar to worry about.
Lemon Water
There are plenty of ways to make water more interesting. Lemon water is one example. Here, you’re just adding some lemon juice to the water, which flavors it slightly. The flavor can make the water easier to drink.
There are many claims about lemon water, including the idea that it’s a potent health elixir. And yes, the drink could have some benefits. Lemons do contain many healthy compounds. However, you’re not getting that much lemon juice in a glass of lemon water.
Some of the claims about lemon water might be true. Others might be exaggerated. But, this doesn’t really matter. Either way, the lemon juice makes water taste better and makes it easy to drink. That’s reason enough to try this approach regularly.
Green Tea
Green tea is one of the most important drinks for an enlarged prostate. The antioxidants in green tea can be significant in decreasing oxidative stress, which then helps to improve health throughout the body.
Studies have even linked green tea to improvements in urinary symptoms. Plus, long-term green tea consumption is often linked to improved health and better quality of life.
While some of the research does focus on green tea extract, plenty of studies do look at people who drink green tea regularly. The hot drink also helps to keep you hydrated, an effect you wouldn’t get from green tea extract supplements.
Matcha Green Tea Latte
Matcha green tea gives you the same healthy compounds from green tea, but in a more concentrated form. This often means you’re getting more antioxidants per serving.
Green tea and matcha both have a grassy flavor undertone that takes a little to get used to. However, matcha tends to have a rich and buttery flavor. This can make it delicious and easy to drink, much more so than green tea.
A matcha green tea latte is a great way to enjoy matcha powder. The drink isn’t a latte in the traditional sense, as you’re not using any coffee. Instead, you’re using matcha powder and milk. Regular dairy milk could be used here, but many people turn to plant-based milk instead.
Any Caffeine-Free Tea
There are many types of tea out there, including herbal teas and ones made using tea leaves instead. Each type of tea has its own advantages and offers different potential health benefits. Even so, teas are all low-calorie drinks that mostly contain water.
This combination of features makes tea an easy way to stay hydrated. This effect alone is essential for anyone with an enlarged prostate.
Tea is also an excellent alternative for coffee, as the caffeine in coffee can make prostate problems worse. Caffeine-free tea will be your best choice here, which includes most herbal teas and decaffeinated versions of regular tea.
If you really want some caffeine, then non-herbal tea can still be worth drinking. After all, tea contains less caffeine than coffee, so it’s a better choice out of the two.
Smoothies
Smoothies can help with most health problems, as they’re packed full of nutrients and antioxidants. Drinking healthy smoothies regularly could even decrease the risk of an enlarged prostate to begin with.
Of course, smoothies aren’t all created equal. Many smoothies are loaded with sugar and fat, while being relatively low in nutrients. This is particularly true for smoothies that use bananas and fruit juice as ingredients.
To get the most out of a smoothie, you’ll need to choose your ingredients carefully. This includes focusing on fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants. Look for good sources of vitamin C too, as vitamin C can reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate.
The best smoothies will mostly rely on vegetables and use fruit sparingly. Thankfully, you don’t need to cut out fruit entirely – just watch the quantity. After all, fruit does contain essential nutrients and plenty of antioxidants.
There’s another advantage too. Smoothies can be helpful for weight loss. Many people make protein-packed versions and have a smoothie instead of one of their meals. This works well, as a smoothie can be filling and is lower in calories than a full meal.
The weight loss effect isn’t to be taken lightly. It’s always best to keep your weight in check, especially as excess weight can worsen prostate problems.
Orange Juice
While orange juice is high in sugar, it also offers some critical nutrients, including vitamin C. Vitamin C is very relevant for male health, as it can influence prostate growth. Getting enough vitamin C in your diet might help to slow prostate growth and perhaps reduce symptoms at the same time.
Because of the sugar content, orange juice shouldn’t be your only source of vitamin C. Many other fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C too.
When choosing orange juice, pay close attention to the label. Look for products that are as natural as possible, ones that have few added ingredients and no extra sugar. The best option is to squeeze the orange juice yourself.
Tomato Juice
We can’t forget tomato juice either. It is high in both antioxidants and vitamin C. Plus, tomato juice is lower in sugar than other types of fruit juice.
Tomatoes also contain lycopene. This carotenoid compound is found in many red fruits and vegetables, but not all of them. Lycopene may be very relevant for the prostate, helping to slow prostate enlargement and also decrease some of the symptoms that come with an enlarged prostate.
You could also look for tomato juice products that contain other vegetables too, like beetroot and carrot. Such products give you a wider range of beneficial nutrients, so they could be even better for your prostate.
Even a virgin bloody Mary could work well, as long as the drink is made from fresh tomato juice.
For that matter, a regular bloody Mary from time-to-time could be helpful. Men are often told to avoid alcohol if they suffer from an enlarged prostate.
However, there’s surprisingly little evidence linking alcohol and enlarged prostate symptoms. In some cases, drinking alcohol could even help with your symptoms.
Green Juice
You can get more creative with juice too. Green juices often combine juice from multiple green vegetables and at least one type of fruit (the fruit helps make the drink palatable). You can make this type of juice at home using a juicer or buy the juices from many stores. There are even websites that sell green juice and deliver it these days.
Just like with smoothies, you’ll need to pay close attention to the recipe. Some green juices rely too heavily on fruit juice, which gives you a very sweet product without that many nutrients. You’ll get the most benefits from one that mostly uses vegetables instead.
Similarly, if you buy pre-made juice, check the ingredients label carefully. Look for products that use whole food ingredients and keep the sugar to a minimum.
Coconut Water
Coconut water is a natural choice that’s relatively low in sugar. It also contains some important electrolytes, so it can be a good way to stay hydrated.
Once again, you’ll need to pay close attention to the product that you choose. Some brands use more additives than others. You certainly don’t want one that adds in extra sugar.
Of course, coconut water can be divisive. Some people drink it regularly, while others cannot stand the flavor. If you fall into the latter group, don’t worry, there are plenty of other good drinks to focus on.
Flavored Water
We mentioned lemon water earlier, but that’s just one way to flavor your water. There are many other approaches that you can try. They all make your water taste better.
- Infuse your water by adding sliced fruits, vegetables, and/or herbs. Let the water sit for a few hours or overnight before you drink it. You can even find infuser jugs or water bottles that make the process easier still.
- Add a splash of juice to your water. This doesn’t need to be pure juice either. Any type of juice product can work well as long as you’re not using too much.
- Look for low-calorie or no-calorie flavoring products. Some of these use natural flavors while others use artificial ones instead, but they’re all designed to make water taste better.
- Buy flavored water. If you’re going to do this, spend some time looking closely at the products. You’ll want one that’s as natural as possible, with barely any added sugar.
- Don’t forget about iced tea either. You can even make iced versions of herbal teas.
In the end, plain water is one of the healthiest options, but only if you can regularly drink enough water. Many people struggle to do this. Even with the best intentions, drinking pure water can take a lot of effort. If adding some flavor makes water enjoyable rather than a chore, why not do it?
Here’s a trick if you still struggle with water. Start by drinking juice and then slowly dilute it over time. This could mean that you dilute it a little more every day. If that doesn’t work, go slower and dilute your juice every few days. Before long, your drink will be more water than juice.
While the process takes time, it’s a good way to adjust your taste buds and get to the point where you enjoy drinking water on its own.
Alcohol
As we mentioned earlier, alcohol isn’t as bad for your prostate as you might expect. People who drink regularly appear to even have reduced symptoms and improved sexual function. How’s that for good news?
The mechanism for the effect isn’t well-known, but there is a link between prostate symptoms and stress, so perhaps alcohol helps in this area.
This doesn’t mean that you should increase your alcohol intake just to combat enlarged prostate symptoms. After all, alcohol isn’t exactly a health tonic. But, if you already drink regularly, you can keep doing so even with an enlarged prostate.
Gregory
Alcohol good for prostate?! State your sources for this informaton. My research says otherwise….
Food For Net
The source is linked in the article. WebMD
Charles Steiner
The source for the claim that alcohol is okay for your enlarged prostate is linked in the article? Where did you hide it?
Food For Net
I hid it in a little machine called Google. You can read the article on WebMD.