Many folks, especially women, are prone to repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs). Until recently, antibiotics were a dependable way to stamp out these problems, case by case. But the pathogens that cause these illnesses have caught up to the chemical warfare waged against them and have found ways to survive medications. So it is becoming increasingly difficult to find drugs that can kill them off.
“Many physicians can tell you that they see patients who are particularly susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTIs),” says researcher Jeffrey P. Henderson. “We often don’t know why certain people seem to be prone to recurrent UTIs. For a long time, we had inexpensive antibiotics that worked really well for this. But over the last 10-15 years, we have seen a huge jump in bacterial infections that are resistant to many of these drugs.”
That’s where research at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis comes in. A study there shows that the best way to fight these bacterial problems is with other bacteria — the probiotic, friendly bacteria, that inhabit your digestive tract. If you can keep those bacteria well-fed with fruits and vegetables, especially cranberries, they may produce compounds that limit or eliminate the infectious bacteria that attach to the urinary tract.
The research shows that the probiotic bacteria work in concert with your immune system to deprive the undesirable bacteria of minerals and nutrients it needs to survive.
But in addition to cranberries and probiotic foods there are four other foods you’ve probably heard little about in regard to urinary tract health, even though they provide powerhouse benefits. And the best way to enjoy the first three is to juice them.
Carrots, celery and asparagus are three potent vegetables that when juiced, can provide concentrated support for your urinary tract.
Celery, a known diuretic helps flush out your kidneys and urinary tract. Carrots are one of your best sources of vitamin A, a powerful immune system booster. And last but by no mean least, is asparagus. Asparagus is ripe with B vitamins and antioxidants, and fights bacteria. In fact, in a study [1] published in the African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, asparagus was found to effective against 18 strains of bacteria.
To enjoy as a preventative or to help boost your immune system during an infection throw about three each of carrots, celery and asparagus into a juicer or blender. For a little extra liquid try fresh coconut water. For taste, add a splash of cranberry juice and fresh blueberries.
But if you’d like something warm and satisfying consider making mung bean soup. The mung bean is native to India and is similar to lentils. It’s a food often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to help detoxify the body and clear it of infection. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try it.
Now, just as there are foods that can protect your urinary tract, there are foods that can irritate it, such as sodas, acidic fruits, chocolate, alcohol, coffee, and spicy foods.
Antibiotic resistance is a problem that is likely to only increase overtime. Making your body infection-proof is the best advice against this threat. The less you need to rely on conventional antibiotics the chances are higher that if you do ever absolutely need them, they should hopefully be more effective. But as always, if you can avoid the pharmaceuticals to begin with, you’re much better off in the end.
[1] http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajtcam/article/view/31278
