There are many ways to help keep your vagina healthy: practicing safe sex, having yearly well-woman check-ups, exercising regularly, and having any infections treated as quickly as possible.
But you may not realize that eating a healthy diet and choosing certain foods can also promote vaginal health.
At Virtuosa GYN in San Antonio, Texas, our caring providers want to be sure you know which foods can help keep your vagina healthy. Read on to learn more about five foods you can eat to help support your vagina.
Yogurt
Your vagina contains large amounts of “good” bacteria that help protect you from “bad” bacteria that may enter your body. You can help increase levels of helpful bacteria by eating foods such as yogurt.
The good bacteria in yogurt may also help your vagina by balancing acid levels in your vaginal fluids. For the best benefit, choose yogurt brands that contain live, active cultures such as Lactobacillus.
Fermented foods
Like yogurt, certain fermented foods contain helpful good bacteria. These include some types of sauerkraut and pickles, kimchi, kombucha, and kefir. Check food labels to see if the product you’re buying contains live, active cultures.
High-fiber foods
High-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains contain compounds known as prebiotics. Prebiotics are a favorite food of good intestinal bacteria, which help keep your entire body, including your vagina, healthy and in balance.
Aim to eat at least 28 grams of fiber or more per day. As a bonus, eating a high-fiber diet also helps keep your bowel movements regular and may reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Cranberry juice
You’ve probably heard that drinking cranberry juice reduces your chances of developing urinary tract infections, but it also wards off vaginal infections. Compounds in cranberries could balance the vagina’s pH level, and its acidic property helps fight bacteria that cause infections.
Just read the label and buy pure cranberry juice without added sugar.
Water
OK, it’s not a food. But water can help your vagina by keeping tissues hydrated and helping your body eliminate wastes effectively.
Take care of your vaginal health
Even when you make smart choices every day to support your vagina, problems may still occur.
If you develop any vaginal symptoms, such as itching, burning, discharge, unexplained bleeding, pain, a fishy odor, incontinence, or an increased desire to urinate, have one of our health care providers evaluate your symptoms. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
