Urinary tract infection or UTI is a type of bacterial infection. Urinary tract infection has various signs and symptoms including mild to severe pain and burning during urination, blood or pus in the urine, nausea, vomiting, weakness and malaise. When a person is diagnosed with urinary tract infections, he/she is mostly recommended a course of some strong antibiotics that goes on for around 7 to 10 days. In many cases of urinary tract infection, the bacteria seem to be cleared during the initial stage. However, it recurs after or within the time span of 6 months. This usually occurs due to the resistance that it develops to the antibiotics that are used for the treatment. This is the reason why the patient needs to be cautious during and after the urinary tract infection. Along with carefully following the prescribed medications, they also need to follow a well planned diet to make sure that the infection gets totally cured.
Sugar and sweets
Evidently, the bacteria that causes urinary tract infections feeds on sugar. It is the reason why the patients of urinary tract infections should stay away from all types pf sugars and the products made using sugar. Another study shows that presence of a lot of sugar in the body weakens the white blood cells that are crucial for fighting against all sorts of infections. All in all, when you are suffering from urinary tract infections, you need to avoid eating sugar and other sweets made of sugar. Not only sweets and sugar, you also need to stay away from the products like soda pop, carbonated drinks, cold drinks, alcoholic beverages, beer and other such drinks that are high on carbs. You can rather replace these foods with other healthy foods that are useful to cure the infections. For instance, fresh fruits, salads and soups.
Starchy foods
Similar to sugar and other products made using sugar, starchy foods should also be avoided when a person is suffering from urinary tract infection. Starchy foods, especially foods that are made using white flour, like bread, cereal, pasta, bagel, etc. should be avoided during urinary tract infection. When we eat starchy foods, out body converts its carbohydrates into sugar. As we know, sugar slows down the process of recovery from infections. So, when you are suffering from urinary tract infection, replace white flour foods with healthier options like wheat bread and other products that are made using wheat.
Dairy products
Another food item which is worth maintaining a distance while suffering from urinary tract infection are dairy products. Many foods act as bladder irritants and as a result a hindrance to the recovery from such infections. Dairy products like cheese, milk and yogurt are such foods that act as bladder irritants and hence they should be avoided when a person is suffering from urinary tract infection. However, it is important to understand that not all people have problems with the digestion of dairy products. The best solution in such situation is to consult your health care provider. He/she will be the best person to provide you with an ideal diet plan for urinary tract infection.
Alcoholic beverages
As mentioned in the beginning, you need to stay away from alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages like beer, wine, whiskey, liquor and other such beverages irritate the bladder and aggravate the situation of urinary tract infection. It is agreed that you need to consume lots of fluids during urinary tract infection. So, to get out of this situation, stick to drinking a lot of water and unsweetened fruit juices instead of alcoholic beverages. Talking about unsweetened fruits juices, cranberry juice is considered as the best fluid to consume during urinary tract infection. So, you can consult with the health care provider and then consume plain and unsweetened cranberry juice.
Acidic fruits
Fruits and fruit juices are recommended to include in the diet of urinary tract infection. However, certain acidic fruits are a strict no-no while suffering from urinary tract infection. Now, fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, limes, etc. should be avoided. Some people suggest that lemon juice should be consumed as it alkalises the body and speeds up the recovery from urinary tract infection. However, it is important to consult the health care provider and then drink lemon juice. As long as eating fruits is concerned, you can definitely eat fruits like apples, plums, grapes, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, peaches, watermelon, etc.
Spicy foods
Another kind of foods that are worth maintaining a distance while suffering from urinary tract infection are spicy foods. Foods that are made using a lot of spice and pepper should be avoided. Stay away from those stir fried spicy chickens, tacos, nachos, curry recipes, sausages and spicy buffalo wings. Also avoid topping your foods with red pepper flakes and jalapenos. Various spicy foods worsen the symptoms of urinary tract infection. Spicy foods should also be avoided for a few days even after the symptoms of urinary tract infection are cleared off. You can consume blander foods instead.
Caffeinated products
Caffeinated products are considered as stimulant foods that increase the rate of heartbeat. Increased rate of heartbeat hastens the blood flow inside the body and irritates the infected area of the body. Hence, when you are suffering from urinary tract infection, it is crucial to avoid foods that contain caffeine. Caffeinated products that you need to avoid include, coffee, tea, cigarettes, sodas, carbonated drinks, etc. should be strictly avoided. You can consume water, cranberry juice and herbal teas instead of such caffeinated products.
Red meat
While discussing about foods which are worth maintaining a distance while suffering from urinary tract infection, red meat just cannot be overlooked. Red meat is acidic by nature. Consuming red meat during urinary tract infection aggravates the symptoms of this infection and slow down the recovery speed. Hence, when you are suffering from urinary tract infection, avoid eating red meats like London broil, steak, round, rump roast, hamburger, steak, etc. Instead of red meat, you can eat white meat like turkey and chicken. However, don’t forget to consult the health care provider before planning your diet.
Other foods
Apart from all the foods that are mentioned in the above part of the article, you should also keep a few other foods away from your foods-to-eat-list for urinary tract infection. These foods include soy, dairy, gluten, peanuts, almonds and other types of nuts, butter, etc. In short, you need to avoid all that the foods that you might be allergic to. Such allergic foods act as irritants to the bladder. If you are not aware of any such food allergies, then you can get the tests done for it and then plan the appropriate diet for urinary tract infection.