Feel Better Fast: Alkalize Your System

I explained the reasons behind why you want to increase your pH when you have a UTI in The pH Connection post, and this one is specifically about how to change your diet to help make that happen.
Stop all the processed food, ladies, and soft drinks and coffee/black tea and sugar and chocolate and tomatoes and salsa and steak. Red meat is highly acid-forming in your system, and so are sugars and starches and most dairy. Dairy and caffeine are bladder irritants in their own right: it’s just that you don’t notice it when you don’t have an infection. Members of the nightshade family are alkaline-forming, but they’re still upsetting to a bladder infection more often than not. Also, fermented food/drinks should be avoided in most cases.
Now for the good news…

Everything in the green and yellow zones is fine, just keep the fruit to a minimum lest you overdo it on natural sugar. Super sweet alkalizing fruit like banana and pineapple aren’t on here because they’re too sweet, but a serving of melon, or one apple a day shouldn’t set you back. My favorite snack is slices of Granny Smith apple dipped in almond butter.
YUM.
For a good protein source, you can get unsweetened whey protein powder and make alkaline shakes. Here’s a basic recipe. Most of the ‘alkaline shakes’ recipes I can find on the ‘net have a bunch of specialized ingredients, and this doesn’t need to be that complicated. You use those proportions and the ingredients listed below in the chart: mix and match to make your own flavors. You can use almond milk in place of the water for extra protein and creaminess. Honeydew, lime, and mint would be a refreshing blend of flavors, for instance. Watermelon, strawberry, and lime, cantaloupe and spearmint, or lemon thyme…the combinations are endless!
For those of you with thyroid issues, this is a good source of info and suggestions.

As I’ve explained in other posts on the protocol, you should be drinking water that has a squeeze of lemon/lime juice in it (Check out these fruit-infused water recipes! All the ones with lemon or lime in them are alkalizing), or a pinch of baking soda (a rounded1/8 tsp per 8 oz) once an hour (keep the soda water to a minimum, especially at mealtime, so your food digests properly) to keep your urine pH high enough to discourage bacterial growth. When you combine this with eating mostly alkaline-forming food, your pH will stabilize at a comfortable level that keeps you out of UTI pain while you work on cleansing your gut of Candida and finding the right combination/dosage of UTI killers. This will also help kill your infection if you’re taking antibiotics for it, and while you’re killing your UTI you’ll lose weight and gain energy.
I promise you, this makes all the difference in how quickly you kill your infection, and how you feel while you’re doing it.

Alkaline-forming recipes can be found by clicking on the image…

Here you’ll find a Pinterest board devoted to alkaline recipes: remember, no nightshades or fermented foods!

Once you’ve killed your infection, you can maintain your newfound health and energy and well-being with a 60/40 balance of alkaline to acid-forming foods.

Don’t freak out: I’m NOT saying that you’ll be forced to eat a certain way for the rest of your life just to avoid a new bladder infection. Not at all.

The point of this is to kill your UTI quickly, and in the process you get your whole body into a healthy balance where you can eat/drink anything in moderation when your infection is dead, and feel better on a daily basis than you did before your Epic Bladder Saga ever started.
No more reflux, indigestion, diarrhea/constipation, sugar cravings, or morning blahs. More energy, sharper mental focus, decreased appetite overall..it all adds up to feeling and looking great!