The following evidence is known as “anecdotal” which means it will affect some people, but not others, according to Kelly O’Connor, R.D., L.D.N.

Citrus fruits, tomatoes, while full of healthy vitamin C are also full of acid. This can irritate conditions such as urinary incontinence and over-active bladder. Spicy foods can do the same thing, so watch the jalapenos.

Water is good because it flushes bacteria out of your system. Alkaline foods like pears or bananas are goodbecause the balance an overly acidic system. Broccoli is good and is considered a cancer-fighter. Other members of the cruciferous family including brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower may help, too. Eat ‘em up. Good stuff.

Yogurt with acidophilus helps to fight toxins in the bladder and look for plain rather than flavored, because sugar is no hero to your bladder. It promotes the growth of bacteris and can lead to urinary tract infections. Artificial sweeteners aren’t a good substitute, because they are like acidic or spicy foods, they can increase the symptoms of overactive bladder.

Cranberry juice. Everyone knows this one, right? But just how does Cranberry promote better urinary tract health?  It’s the hippuric acid, which keeps bacteria off of the walls of the urethra.

Coffee, alcohol, and cigarettes. None of these are good. The coffee and alcohol act as a diuretic, flushing out the good stuff. Smoking cigarettes increases your risk of bladder cancer - it doubles it. If you smoke, please quit.

For more information, please click here to read the entire article.

Image credit: All Posters.com

Post from: Blisstree

Happiness Is A Healthy Bladder

Cranberries are not just rich in vitamin C, they also help fight bacterial infections, particularly in the bladder.

While searching for recipes, I’ve come across a website that sounds remarkably similar to mine: Fabulous Foods. A fabulous website, with fabulous resources and articles! Back to recipes, though, here are some cranberry sauce recipes you can try. The tangerine-apricot-cranberry combo makes me salivate! And when Thanksgiving is over, you may try these other cranberry recipes, too!

Of course, for those that are culinarily-challenged like me, you can also get ready made sauces, chutneys, and even port wine spiked varieties.

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Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving

A specific type of tannin found only in cranberries and blueberries interacts with the little projections on the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria (the most common cause of UTI), preventing them from sticking to the walls of the bladder and causing infection.

If you’re up for more scientific reading, read the report from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

How much are you supposed to drink? This article from the Mayo Clinic offers guide based on scientific research and publications:

Recommended doses range from 90 to 480 milliliters (3 to 16 ounces) of cranberry cocktail twice daily, or 15 to 30 milliliters of unsweetened 100% cranberry juice daily. 300 milliliters per day (10 ounces) of commercially available cranberry cocktail (Ocean Spray®) has been used in well-designed research.

Other forms of cranberry used include capsules, concentrate and tinctures. Between one and six 300 to 400 milligram capsules of hard gelatin concentrated cranberry juice extract, twice daily by mouth, given with water 1 hour before meals or 2 hours after meals has been used. One and a half ounces of frozen juice concentrate twice daily by mouth has been used, as well as 4 to 5 milliliters of cranberry tincture three times daily by mouth. One study suggests that 500 milliliters of cranberry juice with 1500 milliliters of water was sufficient in helping prevent the formation of oxalate kidney stones.

Remember though, that this is for the prevention of bladder infections. Once the infection sets in, cranberry juice may no longer help.

Post from: Blisstree

Cranberry Juice Against Bladder Infections