It is a fact that food plays a very important role when it comes to health and well-being. And just as there are foods that benefit your body, there are others that can affect its proper functioning.
In this sense, when you seek to lead a healthy lifestyle and eat a balanced diet, it is most likely that you choose your foods based on their nutrient content and energy values, but surely you do not decide what to eat or not based on what you it will do good or bad to the health of your vagina.
Regardless of whether or not they are healthy for your body in general, there are some foods that can affect vaginal health, either by increasing the risk of infections, or by promoting the appearance of unwanted odors. Below you can see some of them.
1. Alcoholic beverages
Enjoying a drink or a cocktail from time to time is not bad, it has even been said that drinking a glass of wine a day is beneficial for the body due to the amount of antioxidants it contains, as well as its properties that help maintain the heart and brain health However, consuming alcohol in excess is counterproductive.
When you overindulge in alcohol, in addition to waking up the next day with terrible discomfort, components of alcoholic beverages cause dehydration (which is the main origin of a hangover), which also has negative consequences for your vaginal health, since it can cause dryness, making it difficult to produce enough lubrication.
2. Sugars and refined carbohydrates
Eating a large amount of foods high in sugar can increase a woman’s chance of getting a vaginal yeast infection. This is because yeast loves sugar, heat, and moisture, and since the vagina is naturally moist and warm, excess sugar obtained from food creates the right environment for yeast to thrive.
The same happens with foods that contain refined carbohydrates, such as industrialized flours and cereals, since these increase the level of sugar in the blood, which provides an excellent environment for bacteria to feed. For this very reason, people who have diabetes due to their high blood sugar levels are more susceptible to getting yeast infections.
Although sugar consumption should not be demonized (because who can resist eating a dessert from time to time), it is important that you moderate the amount you eat in your daily food, both for the health of your vagina and your body in general. general.
3. Onion
For many people, especially in Mexico, onion is a complement that cannot be missing to accompany all kinds of typical and traditional dishes, from tacos al pastor to pozole. In addition, it is characterized for being a healthy food, since it contains vitamins and minerals, and has properties that help fight respiratory diseases, eliminate toxins and take care of heart health.
The problem with onion is that, As well as causing bad breath (just like garlic), it also tends to cause a bad smell in the vaginal area., which is not bad for your health, but it can be unpleasant or uncomfortable for you and your partner. Therefore, if you like onion, try to moderate its consumption or avoid it before having a romantic date.
4. Asparagus
Asparagus often makes urine smell bad and can also affect the pH of the vagina, which could cause an unpleasant odor. The good news is that it goes away in a couple of days at the most.
As with onions, eating asparagus is not really harmful to the vagina, but if you eat it in excess, the pH can fluctuate more and for longer, which leads to the appearance of infections. If you moderate your consumption, there should be no major problem.
5. Broccoli
Broccoli is another one of those vegetables with a peculiar aroma, which can also cause a different odor than usual in the vaginal region.. Being a vegetable considered very healthy, it is not recommended that you eliminate it from your diet, since it only alters vaginal odor for a few days and the advantage is that it does not affect the pH.
According to women’s sexual health experts, broccoli is generally very good for vaginal, breast, and hormonal health. The recommendation to avoid the aroma problem is to replace the broccoli with broccoli sprouts, which maintains the nutrients, but does not affect the odor of the vagina.
6. Fried foods
In addition to the fact that consuming fried foods in excess is a risk to heart health, since it increases cholesterol and triglyceride levels, it also affects the vaginal environment. What high-fat diets cause is bad odor, at best, and they also increase the risk of acquiring bacterial vaginosis, which is the most common vaginal infection. Therefore, the ideal is to reduce your intake of fried food as much as possible.
7. Coffee
Coffee is one of the strong-smelling substances that can change the smell of your vagina, due to the way it changes the scent of bodily fluids like sweat. Besides, causes the pH to change, making the vagina more susceptible to getting a yeast infection. So if you love coffee, you shouldn’t necessarily give it up, just moderate your consumption and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
8. Cheese
In the same way that dairy products can cause hormonal problems or imbalances due to high insulin levels, too much cheese can do the same thing and interfere with the «good» bacteria that live in the vagina, often causing a yeast infection.
As with other foods, eating cheese in moderation is fine, as long as it’s balanced with water and other foods that won’t upset the pH balance. If you like to eat cheese as a snack or snack, an alternative is to substitute some yogurt for the cheese, which contains beneficial probiotics for vaginal health.
If you have any questions about how the food you eat affects your health and the well-being of your vagina, consult your doctor. And keep in mind that you don’t need to completely deprive yourself of these foods, but rather consume them in moderation. On the other hand, some of these foods, especially the ones that only affect odor, are healthy, so you need to balance them with other nutrient groups.