Dietary Changes That Can Help Prevent A Yeast Infection

It is estimated that about 75 percent of women will experience a vaginal yeast infection during their life. Also, up to 45 percent of women who have vaginal yeast infections will have repeat infections of the same. If you have had this kind of infection, you know how daunting it is. So you do not want to have it again. Fortunately, there are ways you can prevent yeast infections and if you have it, you can visit a board-certified OB-GYN in New York to seek treatment. Just before looking at how to prevent yeast infection, you may want to know the symptoms and causes.

Yeast infection symptoms

When you have a vaginal yeast infection, you may experience swelling, redness, and itching in as well as around the vaginal opening. You may also have vaginal pain and you could release a thick or watery discharge that resembles cottage cheese. You may also have a burning sensation during intercourse or when urinating.

Yeast infection -causes

Many things can contribute to a yeast infection. Among the most common causes include antibiotics, uncontrolled diabetes, sex, hormones, vaginal sprays, and immune system disorders. Having high amounts of sugar within your body can feed yeast within your vagina. When you control your diabetes, you may be able to control bacteria in your body.

Antibiotics tend to kill both bad and good bacteria meaning that you are more susceptible to getting a yeast infection if you are taking antibiotics. Because hormones can change during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or menopause, it can contribute to bacterial imbalances in your vagina.

Preventing a yeast infection

You may consider eating a healthy diet to avoid getting a yeast infection. Certain foods can lead to recurring yeast infections. Yeast loves sugar, so you want to avoid foods that can lead to increased sugar in your body. This is known as the Candida diet and it includes things like rice and white flour. It also includes foods and fermented drinks using yeast. You can also avoid foods consisting of simple sugars.

Something to mention here is that although you want to avoid these foods, you need to look for the ones that are causing or making the yeast infection worse. Eliminating all of these foods can lead to problems with your health and diet. You may consider cutting the food back in small amounts.

You may also want to increase your intake of healthy fats and proteins and intake of low-starch vegetables and fruits. Eating a low-sugar diet does not mean that you have to remain hungry. Consider eating more of other food groups.

Consuming probiotics may help take away the imbalance created between good bacteria and harmful bacteria in your body. Some of the good probiotics sources include yogurt that contains live bacterial cultures and fermented foods like kefir, kimchi, kombucha, and pickles.

These are some of the diet changes you can make to help you prevent a yeast infection. Make sure you seek treatment for yeast infection from a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology.