Everyone finds it extremely frustrating to run to bathroom every few minutes. Imagine sitting in a very important meeting and you suddenly feel the urge to pee. Although you went to the bathroom just went a few minutes ago. And then this urge comes every few minutes. Or the anxiety about going out for a ‘girls night out’ because you know you’d end spending the night looking for a bathroom everywhere. These extremely common and frequently occurring symptoms are called as Urinary tract infection a.k.a. UTIs.
What is Urinary Tract Infection:
It is the infection occurring in any part of urinary tract I-e. kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra. Although the site of infection may vary from person to person; however, the obvious symptoms are same.
What causes Urinary Tract Infection:
The culprit for UTIs is none other than bacteria and microorganisms. However, other culprits are equally invasive, frequent and serious. Some of these causes are as follows:
UTI due to E. coli:
The bacteria enter the urinary tract either from the gastric sac or any other part of gastrointestinal tract. The bacteria induced infection will likely have the same symptoms as caused by other reasons. However, the bacteria can be detected in Urine Culture analysis. Upon confirmation; antibiotics against E. coli are the treatment of choice.
Sexually transmitted UTI:
No! UTI isn’t a sexually transmitted disease. It can however cause physical travel of bacteria from one partner to another. This is esp. true for vaginal sex. It is advised to perform hygienic cautions after sexual intercourse to prevent possibility of infection.
Unclean and unhygienic sanitary conditions:
Infection in urinary tract is likely to occur by using unclean washrooms and toiletries that have been contaminated with bacteria.
What are the symptoms of UTI?
- Increased frequency and urge to urinate
- Pain while urinating
- Stinging sensation while urinating
- Cloudy coloration and foul-smelling urine
- Fever and body aches
- Pain in the bladder region
- Foods to eat for UTI:
Infections like UTI can become extremely serious and require proper antibiotic course. It is always advised by health professionals to consult a urologist. However, in some people; esp. among woman the frequency of reoccurrence of infection is relatively high. This means that even after completing the antibiotic course there is a good chance the symptoms will come back after every few weeks.
In such case; taking the antibiotics over and over again will diminish the natural immunity of the body. But hey! Worry not! There are plenty of tested and approved ways to get rid of those nasty symptoms of UTI.
Following are the dietary changes you needed to adopt yesterday to treat your urinary infection. But you know what they say! It’s never too late…
Take lots and lots of fluids:
Any form of urinary tract infection particularly that of kidneys require sufficient fluids. The role of kidneys and urinary tract is to remove toxic waste and metabolic byproducts in the form of urine. Formation of urine requires ample water supply. UTI causes resistance and pain in urine outflow. This difficulty can lead to accumulation of toxic waste in the blood. It is therefore essential to eat foods that release water instead of absorbing water from the body. such foods include:
- Fruits such as Watermelon, melon, peach, apple, citrus fruits
- Vegetables such as celery (almost 95% water), lettuce (almost 95-96% water), radish (>90% water) and cucumbers.
- Mushrooms such as portabella mushrooms also have high percentage of water content
- Drink atleast upto 18oz of water in a day. This will allow high stream urine excretion which will in turn flush out the bacteria from urinary tract.
Cranberries can do it:
You must have seen cranberry sachets on your local pharmacy. They are a potent OTC treatment for UTI. And rightfully so! Cranberries are packed with useful constituents that help prevent recuring urinary infection episodes. They help treat UTI by:
- Preventing the attachment; proliferation and replication of bacteria in urethra and bladder
- Increase removal and excretion of bacteria from the tract
- Help flush out toxic agents in the form of urine
Drinking fresh cranberry juice is also an excellent everyday therapy for woman who are more prone urinary infections.
Bring in those berries:
Like cranberries; it is extremely important to realize the benefits of eating all other berries esp. those tiny little blue ones; the blueberries. They have high anti-inflammatory properties which will help treat any bacteria induced inflammation in the urinary tract.
Berries also help reduce the pH to acidic strength. Acidity will help fight off bacteria and prevent them from sticking to the urinary tract walls.
CAGO Punch
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cup Cranberries
- 1 Orange
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 Apple
Nutrition
Partner with Parsley:
Believe it or not; but your common kitchen ingredient such as Parsley is going to be your best friend in treating UTI. For the treatment of UTI; there are two main goals. One is to kill the bacteria. And second is to wash off the bacteria from the urinary tract. Parsley plays a key role in achieving the second target. Parsley contains Flavonoids, coumarins, and myristicin etc. are useful in following ways:
- Strong antioxidants: help treat inflammation and reduce the chance of bacterial infection
- Strong Diuretics: increase the urinary output and therefore; removal of bacteria is observed
Apple cider vinegar:
Adding a spoonful of apple cider vinegar to your salad is all you needed today to treat those nasty symptoms of UTI. It helps treat UTI by following ways:
- Help make the overall pH to acidic strength. Acidic pH will kill off bacteria sticking to urethral wall.
- It is also a potent diuretic. It helps increase the urine volume and outward flow esp. in men.
- Provide anti-inflammatory anti-bacterial properties to the body.
However, don’t go about pouring yourself a glass of apple cider vinegar as its strength can be potentially harmful to the GI tract
Take away:
Your body is stronger than you think. Frequent urge to urinate is also a way your body is pointing out that something is wrong. Don’t ignore the symptoms. If you change your diet right when the symptoms start you can easily treat the infection before it gets worse.
