Your diet affects every part of your body and that includes your vagina. Several foods and drinks can impact vaginal health and improve symptoms of vaginal conditions, including probiotics, prebiotics, and fermented food and beverages.

Just like the rest of the body the vagina uses natural secretions, immune defenses, and “good” bacteria to keep itself healthy. Good bacteria act like the human body’s natural protector, helping digest and process food, produce vitamins and acids that protect the body and help absorb nutrients.

With little research completed on the effects of diet on vaginal health, this article discusses dietary choices for common vaginal conditions and recognizes other ways to improve vaginal health by what you choose to eat and drink.

Balancing pH Levels

Your pH level, the acidity of the vaginal environment, is important to maintain because your vagina’s health can be determined by the pH level. A balanced vaginal pH needs to stay in the range of 3.8 to 4.5. A healthy vagina will have a naturally acidic pH to keep everything normal and if it strays out of balance for too long bacteria has the chance to flourish and create discomfort, or UTIs.

While your vagina is pretty good at protecting and cleaning itself, your dietary choices have an impact. To help balance vaginal acidity levels, good bacteria such as probiotics is a great place to start.

Probiotics

Probiotics are good bacteria in your body and help fight off infections. Adding probiotic-rich foods to your diet balances your pH level and helps support a healthy immune system. Adding probiotics to your diet is most likely easier than you would think.

While probiotics supplements are available, nutritionists recommend getting it naturally through foods and drinks, such as:

• cheeses and yogurts
• sauerkraut
• kimchi
• pickles
• kombucha

The most prominent good species of bacteria for vaginal health is Lactobacillus, present in fermented foods like yogurt. Lactobacillus is a natural vaginal health probiotic and can help maintain pH levels.

Research has shown that Lactobacillus could benefit vaginal health in the following ways:

• regulating the microflora in the vagina
• preventing harmful microbes from attaching to the vaginal tissues
• working with the body’s immune system

Prebiotics

While probiotics add living microbes directly to your system, prebiotics help the microbes that are already present by giving them foods they like. Prebiotic foods promote the growth of healthy bacterial populations, ultimately helping stabilize the vaginal pH levels. While these listed are just a few examples, high prebiotic supplements usually contain a complex carbohydrate, such as fiber.

To add prebiotics to your diet, the following foods are rich in prebiotics:

• leeks and onions
• asparagus and artichokes
• garlic
• oats
• whole-wheat products
• soybeans
• bananas

Preventing UTIs

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections in adult women, with 60% experiencing one at some point according to the Urology Care Foundation. UTIs often result when urine stays in the bladder, causing bad bacteria to grow. The symptoms are burning or pain during urination, frequent urination, and bad-smelling or cloudy urine. Staying hydrated is key for preventing UTIs since urinating helps flush out bad bacteria.

Fluids to Help Prevent UTIs

According to a study in JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association, drinking more water will help women avoid UTIs. Women who added 1.5 liters a day to their regular intake were less likely to get another UTI than women who drank less than that amount. Drinking more water can help dilute urine to ensure you urinate more frequently. This allows bacteria to be flushed from the urinary tract before the infection forms. Cranberry juice or tablets may also help prevent UTIs, according to the Urology Care Foundation. Cranberries are high in antibacterial compounds that kill bacteria and those can be found in antioxidants and organic acids such as:

• vitamin C
• proanthocyanins and anthocyanins
• organic and phenolic acids
• flavanols

It is important to note that to help prevent UTIs with cranberry juice, make sure it is unsweetened and not from concentrate. As well as cranberries, citrus fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries can help with UTI prevention because they are loaded with flavonols. Flavanols help fight the bacterial infection.

Reducing Candida Infections

A vaginal yeast infection, also known as candidiasis, is a common condition in women. While Lactobacillus keeps Candida’s growth in check, if there is an imbalance in your system these bacteria will not work effectively. This imbalance leads to an overgrowth of yeast, which causes the symptoms of vaginal yeast infections. While there is no scientific proof that certain foods can help prevent yeast infections, there are foods that contain ingredients that fungi use to grow. It is recommended to avoid ingredients such as:

• refined sugar
• preservatives
• yeasts
• fungi
• allergens
• trace antibiotics

Other Ways to Improve Vaginal Health

You can keep your vagina healthy in the same way you keep your body healthy, with regular hygiene and a good diet. Maintaining a balanced diet with probiotics and prebiotics is a great way to improve vaginal health.

Following some of these lifestyle habits may also improve your vaginal health:

• cleaning the genital region with mild, unscented soap before rinsing well and patting dry daily or as needed during menstruation
• wiping from front to back
• using antibiotics appropriately and only when necessary
• reducing sweat around the vagina
• exercising regularly
• maintaining a healthy weight
• staying hydrating
• reducing stress
• wearing loose-fitting cotton underwear

Avoiding or limiting things that can imbalance the body’s systems or irritate the vagina can help, such as:

• douching
• holding in urine or rushing urination
• personal care products with dyes, flavors, or fragrances
• spermicidal foam or diaphragms
• tight pants or underwear
• smoking
• prolonged exposure to moisture
• alcohol
• processed or heavily refined foods
• foods or drinks with artificial hormones

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