Learn how a balanced diet helps to balance your vaginal flora
Your vagina does a pretty good job of looking after itself, thanks to some amazing microbes from the Lactobacillus family of beneficial bacteria. Since your diet affects these microbes, here are some of the best – and not so great – foods for healthy vaginal flora.
The best
You’ll find lots of betacarotene in red, orange and yellow veggies, like sweet potatoes, carrots and capsicums, and in dark, leafy greens, like spinach, kale and broccoli.
Many foods contain prebiotics: vegetables like Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, onions, beetroot, asparagus, sweetcorn and green peas; legumes like chickpeas, lentils and beans; and fruit including custard apples, nectarines, white peaches, watermelon and grapefruit. Then there’s rye bread, wheat bran and oats.
So, how can you eat Lactobacillus? Yoghurt’s a great option – but it needs to contain ‘live and active’ cultures or probiotics. As a source of beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus-rich yoghurt are good for the number of bacteria in your vagina.
You can also consider taking a probiotic supplement to complement your dietary efforts. Women’s Microflora Probiotic by Life-Space contains six strains of Lactobacillus, including Lactobacillus rhamnosus (GR-1®) and Lactobacillus reuteri (RC-14®), which can help to restore and balance vaginal flora, and Lactobacillus crispatus, one of the most common Lactobacillus species present in a healthy vaginal microbiome.
The not so great
If the best foods for your vagina are all healthy options, it won’t surprise you to learn that the not so great foods for your lady bits are the usual suspects in any unhealthy diet:
With the above in mind, why not consider adding more of our recommended, vagina-friendly foods to you diet. You could even consider complementing your beneficial bacteria with our Life-Space Women’s Microflora Probiotic!
Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. Supplements should not replace a balanced diet.