Foods To Eat and What To Avoid When You Have A Urinary Tract Disease

September 30, 2024

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a painful medical condition symptoms that can spreads to the kidneys and have life-threatening effects when left untreated. Its symptoms include a burning sensation, abdominal pain, and cloudy urine.

Although a portion of your urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra, can be affected by this infection, UTIs often impact the lower urinary tract, specifically the bladder.

There are two basic steps to get better from a urinary tract infection. First, consult a certified professional urologist to receive the right treatment and medication. Second, be conscious of the food you intake and adjust your diet.

Let’s discuss further about this urinary tract disease, as well as what you can eat and the foods to avoid with UTI.

Symptoms of UTI and How to Treat It

Everyone hates having urinary infections. And if untreated, the symptoms may get worse over time. You may have a UTI if you’re experiencing these telltale signs:

  • A more frequent need to urinate

  • Painful sensation when urinating

  • Passing urine that’s cloudy and has an unusual color

  • Pain or pressure around your pelvis

These are only some of the symptoms of a UTI. When experiencing any of these, seek immediate medical help from a reputable urologist.

Antibiotics are usually prescribed by doctors to treat UTIs. Along with adhering to your doctor’s treatment plan, managing your painful UTI symptoms and hastening the healing process at home can be done by following a particular diet. In consideration, we have created a helpful guide on what to eat, drink, and avoid when suffering from a UTI.

What Foods to Eat When You Have UTI

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You may want to consider eating the following meats, fruits, and vegetables good for urinary tract infection recovery:

Berries

Eating berries helps ward off a UTI. However, specialists are still continuously studying their efficacy. They contain proanthocyanidin, which has been shown to prevent bacteria from clinging to the urinary tract barrier and generating bacterial infection.

Here is a list of berries that you may include in your diet while recovering from a UTI:

  • Cranberries

  • Blueberries

  • Raspberries

  • Strawberries

  • Blackberries

Cranberries are often associated with keeping good urinary tract health. Still, any of the listed berries will provide the same positive effects while getting treated for a UTI.

Probiotic-rich foods

Probiotics are healthy bacteria that can support your body’s system when fighting off infections. Some foods can provide probiotics such as:

  • Pickles

  • Kimchi

  • Plain yogurt

  • Sauerkraut

  • Miso

  • Kefir

  • Tempeh

  • Kombucha

These healthy bacteria also prevent harmful bacteria from attaching or attacking the urinary tract to lower the reoccurrence of infections like UTIs.

Fiber-rich foods

When getting treated for a UTI, it’s also important to increase your fiber intake since it helps flush out harmful bacteria from your system. This will eventually lead to healthier digestion and bowel movement.

Here are some of the best fiber sources that can help support your recovery from a UTI:

  • Bananas

  • Soybeans

  • Peas

  • Almonds

  • Oats

  • Lentils

  • Chia seeds

  • Quinoa

  • Barley

  • Brown rice

Remember to keep your digestive system on track to reduce the strain on your bladder when you have a UTI.

Salmon

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold-water fish like salmon, can aid in reducing inflammation brought on by a UTI. Fish oil pills are a good alternative for those who don’t consume fish. However, before introducing any supplements to your diet, always consult your physician.

If you don’t prefer salmon, there are other sources of omega-3 such as:

  • Mackerel

  • Sardines

  • Herring

  • Anchovies

  • Flaxseeds

  • Chia seeds

  • Walnuts

What to Drink When You Have UTI

It’s almost common knowledge that consuming pure cranberry juice, cranberry extracts, or cranberry capsules may help lower the incidence of recurring UTIs. However, there isn’t much to gain from cranberry juice for a UTI.

What should you consume to treat a UTI? – The best beverage for someone with a UTI is water, without a doubt.

While you have an infection, drinking at least twelve 8-ounce cups of water daily will help flush out the bacteria from your body and accelerate the healing process.

What Foods to Avoid with UTI

Foods To Avoid With UTI

Changing your diet for a UTI requires more than just adding particular foods and beverages. There are a lot of food items that are often prohibited when getting treated for a UTI.

If you have a UTI, you must steer clear from sweets. Presently, an overwhelming number of processed foods and beverages include sugar which can make an infection worse.

To maximize your UTI treatment and relieve your exposure to these sugar sweets, steer clear of the following:

  • Refined carbohydrates

  • Sugary and carbonated beverages

  • Alcoholic drinks

  • Artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes

Although there is no verification that sugar substitutes can make a UTI worse, they have been known to make bladder sensations worse for those with recurrent chronic cystitis, so you may want to avoid them.

Other drinks and foods to avoid with UTI are:

Spicy food

Some spicy foods might trigger bladder irritation. Spicy foods have capsaicin, a common irritant that worsens UTI symptoms like burning sensations or increased urges to urinate.

When you have a UTI, it’s better to follow a bland diet with easy-to-digest food items until the infection clears.

Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, limes, and grapefruits are rich in vitamin C which supports the immune system. However, they can also cause bladder inflammation that can make your UTI symptoms worse.

Since you still need a balanced diet, you can opt for other vitamin C sources like broccoli, strawberries, and sweet potato.

Caffeine

It’s essential to keep hydrated when you suffer from a UTI, but try to avoid coffee, and other caffeinated beverages. Caffeine will increase your urges to urinate which is not what you need when you have a UTI. So, stick to water instead until your UTI symptoms go away.

Processed meats

Processed meats like bacon, salami, and sausages contain high levels of preservatives and additives. These can irritate your bladder as well and would not be ideal when you have a UTI.

They’re also high in sodium which can dehydrate your body. This isn’t an ideal situation when trying to flush out bacteria during a UTI.

Identify the Foods to Avoid with UTI for a Quick Recovery

What To Eat And Foods To Avoid With UTI

A urinary tract infection is easy to treat as long it’s been detected early and treated appropriately. If you need a professional urologist you can trust, you can contact us at URO Diagnostic Clinic and let us treat your UTI or other urinary health concerns.

But keep in mind that total recovery will still depend on you and your discipline with holding back on drinks and foods to avoid with UTI. Once you’re rid of this painful infection, consider keeping a healthy diet and lifestyle to avoid a UTI from happening again.