Life is all about balance.
Whether that includes balancing work and school, home and travel, or the foods you eat, keeping your body and mind in tune is important. While it’s much more common to hear about bone health and eye health (milk and carrots) and their relation to food, what about the vagina?
The pH of a healthy vagina is “naturally acidic,” according to Mary Rosser, M.D., Ph.D. There’s good and bad bacteria growing, and the job of vagina owners is to promote that good bacteria in order to keep the lady-bits in tip-top shape. Some of the benefits besides just being clean, like lower risk of a urinary tract infection (which I can tell you from multiple personal experiences hurt like one would never believe), reducing the chance of contracting a yeast infection, less severe menstrual cramps, and less vaginal dryness.
All of that sounds great. Foods are wonderful at providing an easy way to get the nutrients your vagina needs to be healthy. Here are a few foods, some of them you probably already eat on a daily basis, that help keep that pH naturally acidic and promote good bacteria.
1. Garlic
Laci Green talks about putting garlic in her vagina to get rid of yeast infections. Its antimicrobial properties are known to fight yeast infections. Bedsider’s article mentions eating it raw to ward off infections as opposed to directly applying it to the source of the issue once the yeast infection has appeared.
2. Cranberry Juice
I drank this by the jug when I had UTIs. While I didn’t actually know the reason why it worked to wonderfully with my bladder then, it did in fact work. Cranberry juice has naturally acidic properties that are used to balance vaginal pH levels. The properties of the drink help to prevent bad bacteria from clumping together.
3. Soy
This helps keep your vagina naturally lubricated. What actually promotes this? Phytoestrogens. The compound is often sold in tablets, but it can also be found naturally in soy. Additionally, this compound can help relieve menopausal symptoms.
4. Yogurt
Probiotics are fantastic. The live cultures in them help to promote a balanced pH. When searching for some good cultures, consider some of the lower sugar yogurt options. Bad bacteria love sugar, and feeding the beast is not in your best interest.
5. Nuts
Almonds are one of my favorite nuts, and the fact that they are naturally high in the element zinc only adds to the benefits. In this article by Bedsider, almonds and pumpkin seeds are said to help “normalize your menstrual cycle and regulate your hormones.” Vitamin E is found in many nuts and help combat vaginal dryness.
6. Water
Water is amazing. It happens to be my favorite drink. A well-hydrated body is a body that functions the way that it’s supposed to. This means natural lubrication and less unsavory odors.
None of these food and drink items are hard to get ahold of, and most (if not all) are probably already worked into your daily life. Simple things are what keep you healthy, and eating a handful of nuts and making sure you’re properly hydrated are small steps to keeping your vagina functioning properly.
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