What Not To Eat For Enlarged Prostate

Foods To Avoid When You Have An Enlarged Prostate

When most men reach middle age, their prostate gland begins to expand. Often, a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia may occur. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate gland. BPH typically begins in a man’s 30s, slowly evolves, and usually only causes symptoms after he turns 50. In some men, it doesn’t ever become a problem, but for many men this condition causes much discomfort and needs to be treated.

Symptoms include difficulty urinating, increased urination and weak urination streams. There can be other symptoms such as pain during urination, depending on the individual. Many men with BPH may find that certain foods can aggravate or trigger their symptoms. Lets look into what foods you may wish to avoid, and which may help. You should also use the process of elimination to see how different foods affect you.

Foods to Avoid

Some foods may cause a strong reaction or flare-up of enlarged prostate symptoms. These foods may contain tyramines, vaso-active amines, and/or MSG.

Spicy Food

Spicy and acidic foods bother many men with enlarged prostates. If you notice more problems after eating chili, hot pepper sauce or other spicy or acidic foods, then youre among those men and you should tone it down.

Dairy

· Blue-veined such as Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Oregon blue, Maytag blue and French Bleus

Fruits

BPH symptoms may also be aggravated by soups.

· All soups should be avoided as they may contain protein extracts.

How To Add More Legumes And Soybeans To Your Diet

To add more legumes and soybeans to your diet, consider swapping meat for plant protein in at least some meals. This could mean trying Meatless Mondays or moving toward a plant-based diet.

Try making a black bean burger with lots of veggies. Alternatively, homemade hummus made with blended chickpeas makes a delicious dip for vegetables or whole grain bread.

Finally, tofu is an excellent source of soy. Try flavoring tofu with sauces and baking it or browning it on the stove, or adding it to stir-fries.

Summary

Superfoods For A Healthy Prostate

A balanced diet may reduce your risk for prostate problems.

The prostate, which is part of the male reproductive system, is a gland that surrounds the bladder and urethra. It is about the size of a walnut and grows throughout a mans life. As you age, its important to maintain a healthy prostate. The gland can become enlarged, and prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men.

Theres no definitive evidence that good nutrition can prevent prostate problems, but eating a healthy balanced diet may reduce your risk. Building a meal and snack around veggies and fruit is a smart idea for health in general, and particularly a healthy prostate, says Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, nutrition expert for New York Times bestseller LL Cool Js Platinum Workout and advisory board member for Mens Fitness magazine.

Here are six foods you can eat to boost your prostate health.

Read Also: Is Saw Palmetto Good For Enlarged Prostate

What About Herbal Supplements

Although some people have reported relief from bothersome BPH symptoms by using herbal supplements such as saw palmetto, beta-sitosterol, pygeum, stinging nettle and rye grass pollen extract, there’s really no evidence to back up their benefit. The same goes for turmeric.

“It’s all hypothetical,” Dr. Maria says.

And supplements bought over-the-counter may even be harmful. “Supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so that means that anything goes as far as bringing a product to market,” says Dr. Swenor. “They don’t have to prove what’s in the supplement, and there’s no standardization.”

Some supplements also have medications in them and can interact with other drugs, like blood thinners, adds Dr. Maria.

For these reasons, make sure to talk to your doctor before trying any herbal supplements.

The Mediterranean Diet For Prostate Health

The Mediterranean diet for prostate health incorporates the traditional healthy living habits of people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as Italy, France, Greece, and Spain.

A large fraction of Mediterranean cuisines are generally based mainly on vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, cereal grains, olive oil, and fish.

It is a diet that has been associated with good health, including a healthier heart.

A 2013 study found that people following a Mediterranean diet had a 30% lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

• Large sums of fruit and vegetables.
• More fish.
• Less meat.
• Products made from vegetable and plant oils, such as olive oil.

Many of you are aware that we strongly advocate a ketogenic diet for men with prostate cancer and metabolic disease.

However, we also know that many men struggle with the ketogenic diet or that it is not practical for some.

The Mediterranean or Paleo Diet is the best alternative option for men who cannot maintain the ketogenic diet.

Therefore, below, I explain everything you need to know about The Mediterranean Diet.

Also Check: Prostate Cancer Erectile Dysfunction Treatment

How To Add More Pomegranate Juice To Your Diet

You can buy pomegranate juice at most grocery stores. If drinking the juice plain is too intense, consider diluting it with plain water or adding some sparkling water.

You can also add pomegranate seeds to homemade salad dressing to sweeten up your favorite salad.

Summary

Pomegranates are high in antioxidants. Animal and test-tube studies have shown that pomegranate juice could inhibit the production of some prostate cancer cells.

Foods To Eat If You Have Enlarged Prostate

Here are some foods that can help decrease the risk of BPH and also relieve the enlarged prostate symptoms, according to recommendations from certain studies.

• A low-fat diet
• At least four servings of vegetables a day
• A high level of physical activity
• Having no belly fat
• Use of vitamin C: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that may help in fighting BPH. Not all vitamin C is same. Only vitamin C obtained from vegetables lowers your risk of an enlarged prostate. Fruits dont provide same benefits. Foods containing vitamins C and helpful in BPH are such as bell peppers, broccoli, sprouts, kohlrabi, cauliflower, kale, snow or snap peas, and tomato or vegetable juices
• Zinc in diet: oysters, crab, duck, lamb and lean beef, and baked beans
• There’s little evidence that supplements can be useful in BPH
• The evidence for proteins to be helpful in BPH is unclear
• Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds are rich in zinc. Zinc is essential to the health of the prostate, according to a study published in the Indian Journal of Urology.
• Salmon: evidences suggest that increasing omega-3s along with exercise help in decreasing obesity and weight gain, which reduces the risk of developing BPH

Healthy habits such as exercising daily, maintaining your waistline, eating vegetables and limiting dietary fat may help with BPH.

You May Like: Prostate Cancer What Causes It

What Can You Eat On A Ketogenic Diet

• Meat: chicken and turkey.
• Fatty fish: Such as salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel.
• Eggs: Look for pastured or omega-3 whole eggs.
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds.
• Healthy oils: Primarily extra virgin olive oil.
• Avocados: Whole avocados or freshly made guacamole .
• Low-carb veggies: Most green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.
• Condiments: You can use salt, pepper, and various healthy herbs and spices.

Issues Concerning The Prostate Gland

Due to its location the prostate can affect urination and sexual functions.

• Prostatitis is an inflammation or infection which causes burning and pain during urination, the urgent need to urinate, and painful ejaculation.
• BPH or benign prostatic hyperplasia is the enlargement of the prostate. Men find it difficult to urinate because the prostate is pressing on the urethra. It is believed 75% of men over 60 suffer with this condition.

Don’t Miss: Prostate Cancer With Normal Psa

Why Choose Bens Natural Health Supplements

At Bens Natural Health, our motto is to combine holistic healing with modern science.

Bens Natural Health is the worlds first high-quality, all-natural, scientifically proven clinical supplement company.

Our supplements are effective, natural and 100% side effect free.

Moreover, at Bens Natural Health, we have four rules for all our supplements:

• We only use the highest quality ingredients
• We only use them if independent, peer-reviewed double-blind studies prove they work
• With all our supplements, we find a way to get every ingredient into a single bottle
• We always formulate them in clinically significant doses of the most bioavailable form

And, finally, all our supplements come with a 90-day money-back guarantee. So if you arent happy with the results, we will provide you with credit or a full refund.

Personal And Family Medical History

Taking a personal and family medical history is one of the first things a health care provider may do to help diagnose benign prostatic hyperplasia. A health care provider may ask a man

• what symptoms are present
• when the symptoms began and how often they occur
• whether he has a history of recurrent UTIs
• what medications he takes, both prescription and over the counter
• how much liquid he typically drinks each day
• whether he consumes caffeine and alcohol
• about his general medical history, including any significant illnesses or surgeries

Read Also: Prostate Cancer Types And Treatment

Stay Active To Support Prostate Health

In addition to eating a healthy diet, you should stay active. Regular exercise pares down your risk of developing some deadly problems, including heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer. And although relatively few studies have directly assessed the impact of exercise on prostate health, those that have been done have concluded, for the most part, that exercise is beneficial. For example:

Based on questionnaires completed by more than 30,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, researchers found an inverse relationship between physical activity and BPH symptoms. Simply put, men who were more physically active were less likely to suffer from BPH. Even low- to moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking regularly at a moderate pace, yielded benefits.

Using data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, researchers also examined the relationship between erectile dysfunction and exercise. They found that men who ran for an hour and a half or did three hours of rigorous outdoor work per week were 20% less likely to develop ED than those who didn’t exercise at all. More physical activity conferred a greater benefit. Interestingly, regardless of the level of exercise, men who were overweight or obese had a greater risk of ED than men with an ideal body mass index, or BMI.

Get more information and the latest news about prostate health at www.HarvardProstateKnowledge.org.

What Causes Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

The cause of benign prostatic hyperplasia is not well understood however, it occurs mainly in older men. Benign prostatic hyperplasia does not develop in men whose testicles were removed before puberty. For this reason, some researchers believe factors related to aging and the testicles may cause benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Throughout their lives, men produce testosterone, a male hormone, and small amounts of estrogen, a female hormone. As men age, the amount of active testosterone in their blood decreases, which leaves a higher proportion of estrogen. Scientific studies have suggested that benign prostatic hyperplasia may occur because the higher proportion of estrogen within the prostate increases the activity of substances that promote prostate cell growth.

Another theory focuses on dihydrotestosterone , a male hormone that plays a role in prostate development and growth. Some research has indicated that even with a drop in blood testosterone levels, older men continue to produce and accumulate high levels of DHT in the prostate. This accumulation of DHT may encourage prostate cells to continue to grow. Scientists have noted that men who do not produce DHT do not develop benign prostatic hyperplasia.

You May Like: Things To Do To Prevent Prostate Cancer

How Does A Mediterranean Diet Help Prostate Cancer

Recent studies show a diet incorporating seeds, nuts, avocado, and an oil-based dressing could decrease the chances of death for men with prostate cancer.

The 2.5 million men living in the US with prostate cancer may have to avoid the smell of those sausages and switch to a Mediterranean diet.

Researchers have found the fat intake of 4,577 men with prostate cancer from 1986 to 2010, who swapped as little as 10 percent of their daily carbohydrates and animal fats, reduced their prostate cancer mortality risk by almost 30% than those who didnt.

Consumption of healthy oils and nuts increases plasma antioxidants and reduces insulin and inflammation, which may deter prostate cancer progression. Lead author Erin L. Richman, ScD, a postdoctoral scholar in the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

How Does Diet Affect Urological Health

The male urinary system consists of many important organs aside from the prostate. The kidneys, ureter, Vas Deferens the tube that is modified during a vasectomy, bladder, urethra, testicles, and penis make up the male urinary structure from top to bottom.

Eating a healthy diet can help the urinary system prevent bacteria, inflammation, and decrease the acidity levels within your urine. These issues, especially if chronic, can lead to many serious health concerns that men of all ages must stay on top of. Again, prevention is key in this case.

Also Check: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Is Commonly Associated With

Is Drinking A Lot Of Water Good For Your Prostate

Is Drinking a Lot of Water Good for Your Prostate? Center

Doctors recommend drinking six to eight glasses of water daily. You may need more water when you exercise or work in a hot environment. Drinking more than the required amount can increase your trips to the bathroom. Hydration is necessary, but do not overdo it.

For prostate problems, limit water intake before going to bed at night. This will keep you from waking up at night to urinate repeatedly.

Your Diet And Your Prostate

What you eat can have a big influence on the health of your prostate. While some foods can help reduce the risk of developing a benign prostatic hyperplasia or enlarged prostate , as well as lessen the severity of the symptoms, there are others which can actually aggravate your symptoms.

The more inflammation present in your body generally, the more likely you are to have inflammation in the prostate, so avoiding or limiting certain foods which trigger an inflammatory response is a good place to start, as well as staying clear of food and drinks which irritate the bladder and cause frequent urination.

Unfortunately gentlemen, it is often some of our favourite foods that can cause inflammation flare ups and bladder problems. Knowing the main culprits however could help you manage your symptoms better.

Also Check: Vitamin D3 For Prostate Health

Five Foods To Protect Your Prostate

Good news if youre worried about your prostate health: What you eat can make a difference. There is plenty of strong evidence that good nutrition and an active lifestyle can reduce the likelihood of prostate cancer and slow its progression, says Mitchell Sokoloff M.D., Chair of the Department of Urology and Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

There are a few categorical changes you can make to your diet that make a big difference in overall health, as well as prostate health. What you eat can potentially disadvantage your prostate health e.g. foods you might want to avoid or protect the prostate in various ways. The Science of Living Well, Beyond Cancer recommends a diet that is high in colorful vegetables, low in sugar and processed carbohydrates, and moderate in animal-based protein . Some might refer to this as a version of the Mediterranean Diet. PCF-funded epidemiologist Lorelei Mucci, M.P.H., Sc.D., at Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health notes that people in Mediterranean countries not only eat more vegetables and fruits they also eat less fatty foods, processed food, and red meat categories that can increase insulin resistance, increase inflammation, raise cardiovascular risk and be a part of a dietary pattern that may increase obesity, as well.

Side Effects And Nutrition

Cancer treatment often causes side effects, such as nausea, mouth sores, and taste changes that may make it difficult to eat or drink. Follow these tips to help you get the nutrition you need:

• If water tastes unpleasant to you, take in more liquid though items such as soup, tea, milk or milk substitutes such as almond milk, or a sports drink. Or, flavor your water by adding fresh cut fruit.
• If food tastes bland, try seasoning it with flavorful spices such as garlic, cayenne, dill, and rosemary.
• Eat several small meals throughout the day instead of trying to eat large amounts of food at one time.
• Enhance your protein intake with protein from foods such as fish, egg whites, cheese, beans, or high protein smoothies.
• Suck on mints, chew on gum, or try fresh citrus fruits if you have a metallic taste in your mouth. Brushing your teeth before eating, using plastic utensils, and cooking in glassware can also help.
• If you have mouth sores or a gum infection, use a blender to make vegetables and meats smooth. Try juicing or making smoothies.Some side effects are often treated with medication, so talk with your doctor or another member of your health care team for more information.

Recommended Reading: Methods Of Treating Prostate Cancer

Can Men Prevent An Enlarged Prostate

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. But prostate enlargement affects even more men- about half of all men over age 50 and up to 90 percent of men over age 80. This condition, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia does not indicate prostate cancer risk. Yet some researchers suggest that whatever hormones or other influences cause BPH to develop may also spur the onset of cancer.

BPH occurs when normal prostate cells grow abnormally. As the prostate enlarges, it presses down on the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the bladder for voiding. This pressure can lead to the following symptoms: sensation that the bladder is not empty, even after urinating feeling an urgent need to urinate a weak urinary stream and dribbling the need to stop and start several times when urinating and the need to urinate several times during the night.

Although a few studies have been done in this area, it is still uncertain why some men get BPH and not others, or what might prevent the condition. The only established risk factors for BPH are age and family history. Hormones are believed, however, to promote prostate cell growth.

Study links high calorie intakeOne study of the problem links higher calorie intake, as well as diets higher in protein and some kinds of polyunsaturated fats, with prostate enlargement. Researchers suggest that excess calorie consumption could somehow directly stimulate prostate enlargement.