Cystitis is very unpleasant and often a recurring problem. But you can prevent and treat it really easily. The diet for cystitis can be both treatment, prevention, but also trigger. What you should look for in food, you can read here now!
There are some really unpleasant things in life. They then weigh us down tremendously.
Cystitis is right up there with these things for me! Do you also suffer from this nasty disease again and again?
The constant need to go to the bathroom is only one of the negative consequences of a bladder infection. Since this very annoying problem tends to return even when you've just gotten rid of it, a solution is needed!
In addition to a visit to your doctor, an adapted diet can also help with cystitis and have a preventive effect.
Which foods can help with cystitis and which you should better keep your hands off, you can find out here!
Table of contents
What is cystitis?
As the name suggests, cystitis (in most cases) is caused by a bacterial inflammation of the bladder. Medically, this is also called cystitis.
Mostly bacteria come from the intestine and somehow get into the urethra. They multiply there quite quickly and strongly. If they then ascend to the bladder, an infection develops there.
Unfortunately, this disease can be passed on relatively easily. Especially in public toilets, the chances are very good of contracting a Infecting cystitis.
The typical symptoms, which you probably also know, are:
- persistent urination
- Bladder weakness
- Burning pain when going to the toilet
- cloudy and intense smelling urine
- cramping pain in the lower abdomen, kidney area and
- Fever
Good2know: Women suffer from urinary tract infections much more often. This is due to two things. First, the female urethra is shorter than the male urethra. Secondly, the anus and the urethra are much closer together in women than in men.
In addition to clean intimate hygiene and regular hand washing, nutrition also plays an important role in cystitis!
A much larger one, in fact, than previously thought.
This diet can help with cystitis
And again, we have to agree with the very familiar advertising slogan, "You are what you eat." right. The right choice of food can help with an active urinary tract infection or even prevent the disease!
In the worst case, you may even be promoting urinary tract infections through your eating habits.
Important: If you suspect a bladder infection, you should go to your doctor and have your urine tested. Alternatively, you can do a quick test at home. If you are susceptible to urinary tract infections, you should always Have urine test strips at home*.
To avoid the unpleasant and painful "urge to pee" in the first place, you should take certain nutrients. Especially important are nutrients that strengthen your immune system and reduce inflammation.
What diet can be most effective for cystitis, you read now.
There are basically three major goals you want to achieve:
- strengthen your immune system
- Reduce inflammation
- Promote healthy intestinal flora
At first, that sounds like a pretty lofty resolution. But in most cases, you don't need to change your diet that much. A few improvements here and there can make all the difference.
Drinking a lot helps a lot
Actually, that's half the battle: Drink a lot! If you want to get rid of cystitis, you need to drink at least two to three liters.
Kidney and bladder teas are especially good because they flush harmful germs out of your body. This prevents them from adhering to the intestinal wall.
Caution: Drinks with too much carbon dioxide may irritate the bladder and should be avoided.
Drinking a lot also has a preventive effect, because the bladder is constantly well flushed.
Fats and healthy oils inhibit inflammation
Foods such as fish, nuts, avocados or vegetable oils contain good fats. The known omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to prevent inflammatory processes in your body.
So can a delicious breakfast cereal with Flaxseed* or a small evening snack of nuts for a better immune system. A diet for cystitis can be really varied and, above all, delicious.
Also, a homemade pesto with zoodles are an optimal meal if you suffer from this unsightly infection.
Packed with healthy fats: Zoodles with avocado sauce!
Spicy diet and essential oils for cystitis have antibacterial effect
Many experts advise foods containing mustard oils for a urinary tract infection. Spicy and good for the intestines? That sounds a bit absurd at first. But it is not at all!
Mustard oil glycosides have both urinary tract disinfectant and anti-inflammatory effects. Mustard, chili, cress and radish are pungent helpers if you want to expel bacteria. The pungent substances kill bacteria.
Essential oils, for example in ginger, also have an anti-inflammatory effect in active infections. They help with pain. That is why spicy foods are considered as very good home remedies for urinary tract infections.
We recommend the power spice turmeric. You can do super much with it and it has extremely many positive properties. It also has anti-inflammatory and cell-protective effects.
Probiotics support your intestinal flora
Your third goal is to to bring the intestinal flora up to speed. Through the right diet for cystitis is done quickly.
If you have a bladder infection, your doctor will often prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria. However, the medication can also mess up your intestinal flora.
Once the intestines are out of balance, this can lead to abdominal cramps, diarrhea or flatulence. To make matters worse, this also weakens your immune system.
Foods with good bacterial cultures that rebuild the intestinal flora help here. Probiotic food are sauerkraut, kefir or yogurt. It is important that you do not use any machine-processed products. Unfortunately, they are usually full of sugar. Instead, make your own delicious yogurt for breakfast.
Foods rich in fiber, such as whole grains or legumes, stimulate digestion. This also helps to improve the intestinal flora and the good intestinal bacteria are produced more again.
These foods can no longer be missing from your diet when you have cystitis
We've simply put together a list of healthy foods for you here, and you should definitely include them in your diet for cystitis.
In this way, you can somewhat reduce inflammation or even prevent it altogether.
| Drinks | Name |
|---|---|
| Fruit | All low sugar fruit In small quantities: Banana, persimmon, cherry, pineapple, mango, honeydew melon and pear |
| Vegetables | Everything is allowed |
| Nuts & Seeds | Here too everything is allowed |
| Fats & Oils | Olive oil, rapeseed oil, hemp oil, walnut oil, linseed oil and wheat germ oil In small quantities: Butter |
| Cereals | Oatmeal, muesli without added sugar, wholemeal pasta and rice, jacket potatoes In small quantities: Whole grain products (especially oats, barley, spelt, rye), buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa. |
| Meat | Lean cold cuts: corned beef and turkey, chicken and turkey or beef tenderloin. |
| Fish | No restrictions for you |
| Eggs, Milk & Cheese | Eggs, milk and natural yogurt up to 3.5% fat, buttermilk, cottage cheese up to 20% fat and cheese up to 45% fat. |
The diet for cystitis should consist of a balanced whole food diet.
Such a diet should be avoided with cystitis
When you have a urinary tract infection, there are some "no-go's" that you really shouldn't eat anymore. Due to the wrong diet, a bladder infection can even come back again and again. Because if you eat badly, you damage your immune system in case of doubt.
If that doesn't work properly, it often affects your gut flora and then your bladder.
A balanced and healthy diet for cystitis can have a really big positive effect.
You should first eliminate fast food, juices, chips and alcohol from your diet, because unfortunately they contain too much sugar and emulsifiers.
Alcoholic beverages usually weaken your immune system and have a dehydrating effect. This is very negative for the nutrition of a bladder infection, because you should take a lot of liquid, so the harmful bacteria are flushed out.
White flour products in particular also contribute to inflammation, and meat, especially pork, often contains pro-inflammatory ingredients.
| Drinks | Fruit juice, soft drinks, mixed milk drinks and alcohol |
|---|---|
| Fruit | Sweetened canned fruit, sweetened fruit puree and candied dried fruit |
| Vegetables | Everything is allowed |
| Nuts & Seeds | Peanuts and salted nuts |
| Fats & Oils | Lard, clarified butter, palm fat, mayonnaise, sunflower and safflower oil |
| Cereals | Products made from wheat flour, rice, chips, croquettes, pancakes, ready meals and fast food. |
| Meat | Pork and cold cuts, sausage with colorings and additives and breaded meat |
| Fish | Breaded fish |
| Eggs, Milk & Cheese | Eggs, milk and natural yogurt up to 3.5% fat, buttermilk, cottage cheese up to 20% fat and cheese up to 45% fat. |
Our conclusion
A urinary tract infection is more than annoying. It is really terrible to have to go to the toilet all the time and to be in pain.
So it's time to optimize your diet for cystitis, so that you can relieve an existing infection and effectively prevent the next one.
If the right foods end up on your plate, you might just avoid the next bladder infection! All the best for you!
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