Foods to Avoid with a UTI

It can be uncomfortable and disruptive to experience urinary tract infections (UTIs), one of the most common clinical bacterial infections.

While both men and women can experience UTIs, women are especially susceptible as they have shorter urethras than men. UTIs are one of the most common clinical bacterial infections, with Canadian women making 500,000 visits to the doctor per year to relieve the issue and accounting for 25% of all infections in women. 

While prescription antibiotics are an effective treatment option, diet can also impact the severity and length of UTI symptoms. 

This guide provides insights into foods that may trigger discomfort and, in some cases, may even prolong the infections. Here are the foods and beverages you’ll want to avoid if you have a UTI.

Understanding the connection between diet and UTIs

Most UTIs happen when harmful bacteria from your intestines find their way into your urinary tract. While changing your diet can’t stop this from happening, it can influence the intensity of your UTI symptoms.

For example, certain foods can irritate the lining of your bladder or make your urine more acidic, worsening the burning sensation when you pee. 

Your diet also affects the bacterial composition of your digestive tract. Probiotic foods can nourish friendly bacteria in your digestive tract, which may keep harmful UTI-causing bacteria at bay. In contrast, other energy-rich foods can provide a fuel source for harmful colonies of microorganisms.

While your body has natural defences against bacterial multiplication, including maintaining an acidic environment in reproductive organs like the vagina, dietary changes can influence this, potentially increasing your susceptibility to infection. Similarly, since diet supports immune function, what you eat can impact how well your immune system repels UTI-causing bacteria.

For all these reasons, it’s worth considering your diet the next time you get a UTI as you seek advice from a primary care provider who can offer the proper guidance and prescriptions. If you’re looking to skip the waiting room or struggling to get an appointment with your doctor, Maple can connect you with a primary care provider in minutes.

Sugary snacks and desserts

Did you know? Adding sugary snacks and desserts to your diet may increase your discomfort and lengthen the duration of your infection. 

When you eat sugary foods, your body expels excess sugar in your urine. This means that your body is sending it to the exact location where you don’t want it to be — your urinary tract. This excess sugar in your urine provides the UTI-causing bacteria with an abundant energy source, allowing it to multiply.

In addition, sugar may also make it easier for bacteria to adhere to the walls of your urinary tract. For both these reasons, eating lots of sugar when you have a UTI may exacerbate symptoms and make it harder to clear the infection.

Beyond that, processed foods high in sugar may also be low in fibre. As a result, they can contribute to constipation. This can amplify bladder pressure, contributing to urinary urgency.

To avoid the added headache of constipation, choose fibre-rich options like whole foods, nuts, and seeds over sugary snacks. Just make sure to increase your water intake at the same time. This will prevent the fibre from getting stuck in your digestive tract and help your body flush out the UTI-causing bacteria.

Artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners may not contain sugar, but they can be just as problematic when you have a UTI. Like sugar, they can disrupt the bacterial balance in your gut. This, in turn, can make your digestive tract more hospitable to problem strains of bacteria and increase your susceptibility to UTIs.

The potential harms don’t end there, though. Some people find that certain sweeteners also irritate the bladder or increase urinary frequency, leaving you running to the bathroom more often.

To minimize your discomfort, avoid foods and drinks below that are likely to contain artificial sweeteners until your symptoms are fully resolved. We’ll also cover the foods that could potentially help you get over a UTI.

Acidic drinks

Caffeinated drinks

Caffeine is found in tea, coffee, pop and other fizzy drinks. It can worsen any urgency or frequency symptoms because it relaxes the muscles in your pelvis and urethra. It can also reduce how long and how deeply you sleep, so you are more likely to wake up and need to pee at night.

Reducing the amount of caffeine you drink can improve your symptoms. You should have a maximum of two cups a day. If you decide to cut down, reduce the amount you drink gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, drowsiness and irritability. 

Note that some herbal teas can have a diuretic effect. This means they increase your urge to pee, so you must go more often. However, chamomile tea is thought to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, so it may help you if you have UTIs.

Fruit juices

Fruit juices, such as grapefruit and orange, are acidic and can irritate your bladder. They are best avoided if you have regular UTIs.

Cranberry juice can help prevent UTIs, according to some studies. Some people also think that it may help if you have developed a UTI, although there is no firm evidence to support this. If you regularly have a UTI, drinking cranberry juice may help only to prevent further infections. Try drinking one glass (about 200ml) of cranberry juice twice a day.

Do not drink cranberry juice if you have arthritis, heartburn or irritable bowel syndrome, as this could worsen your symptoms.

Cranberry juice can also affect how certain medicines — such as warfarin — work. If you’re unsure, consult with your family care provider or a primary care provider on Maple.

Carbonated drinks

Carbonated drinks often contain artificial sweeteners or have a high sugar content. However, even carbonated water alone can present an issue since it may cause bladder irritation in some people.

If your carbonated drink also contains caffeine as well, its diuretic properties will likely stimulate your body to produce more urine. This could leave you running to the bathroom more frequently than usual. Paired with the increase in urinary urgency caused by the UTI, this can become extremely uncomfortable.

Alcohol

Alcohol can make pee more acidic and irritate the lining of your bladder. You may find it helpful to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink if you have regular UTIs.

Acidic foods

Citrus fruits

You might enjoy the occasional grapefruit with breakfast But when you have a UTI, you’ll want to steer clear. Citrus fruits are well-known bladder irritants for many and they run the risk of amplifying any discomfort you’re already experiencing.

Citrus fruits contain certain compounds which can irritate the bladder. They’re rich in citric acid, which can increase the acidity of your urine, causing discomfort when you urinate.

Unfortunately, they’re also rich in vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, which may cause bladder muscles to contract more frequently. In other words, citrus fruit may both make it hurt to pee and make you pee more often (both things you’re probably experiencing already).

It’s worth noting that less acidic fruits and their juices — think apples and pears — are still okay to eat.

Spicy foods

Like citrus fruits, spicy foods can irritate the bladder and cause dysuria, or pain during urination. This is because spicy foods activate sensory nerve endings, resulting in both irritation and inflammation in the bladder.

This is likely to amplify any pain or discomfort you’re already experiencing with your UTI. To avoid this, keep away from anything spicy — if it makes your lips or tongue tingle or burn at all, it has the potential to do the same in your bladder or urinary tract.

Instead, stick to a blander diet — think meats, whole grains, root vegetables, leafy greens, nuts and low-acidity fruits — until your symptoms resolve.

Hot peppers

If you’ve ever chopped up hot peppers and then wiped your eyes, you’ll know just how painfully they can affect certain areas of your body. This pain is caused by capsaicin, which is the compound that makes hot peppers hot. 

Unfortunately, capsaicin doesn’t just act on your eyes, nose and mouth. It can also irritate the urinary tract and the lining of the bladder. Given that UTI symptoms typically make urinating painful already, it’s best to avoid anything that might compound this. To that end, you’ll likely want to hold off on incorporating hot peppers into your diet until you’re fully recovered.

Avoiding the foods and drinks above can help to minimize some of the discomfort from a UTI. Incorporating bladder-friendly alternatives and staying hydrated can support your urinary system and overall well-being as you navigate care with a primary care provider. 

Even with these tips, it’s important to speak to a primary care provider for medical advice on dealing with UTIs. However, it’s not always easy to do this if you don’t have a primary care provider yourself, or you don’t have the time to spend hours in a clinic waiting room. Remember that Maple can be there to connect you with a primary care provider over secure text, audio or video call 24/7/365. 

Navigating a UTI can be challenging, but knowing which foods and drinks to avoid may help your comfort and recovery. Staying hydrated, choosing the right foods and avoiding irritants can significantly ease your discomfort. Keep these tips in mind and listen to your body as you recover.

The information presented here is for educational purposes and is not meant to replace the advice from your medical professional. Virtual care is not meant for medical emergencies. If you are experiencing an emergency like chest pain or difficulties breathing, for example, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.