A Mocktail That Will Actually Improve Your Health!
Written by
Kayleigh Maxwell
Fed up of drinking just plain water and/or cranberry juice to keep yourself UTI-free? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could mix it up a bit?
Keep reading for an amazing recipe that is delicious and packed full of ingredients that your urinary tract will love and that will give any UTI a run for its money!
Now that we’re getting settled into 2022, it’s probably time to think about solidifying a few healthy habits into your routine. Maybe you’ve had a dry Jan… maybe you’ve been experimenting with every vegetable under the sun for Veganuary… now that we’ve moved into February, your motivation might be flagging…
Are you wondering how to keep up the 2022 health kick? Are you someone who is prone to UTIs and looking to make long-lasting changes to your diet to keep those infections away?
Well, they say it takes six weeks to make a habit of something…Read on for some inspiration to help you with your habit building!
Keeping UTIs At Bay
We know how horrible it can be when you get that feeling of a UTI starting up, and it's so important to experiment with different preventative methods to keep your urinary tract healthy and ready to fight off any bacteria looking to do damage!
One pretty straightforward prevention strategy is making some small changes to what you eat and drink.
If you're interested in learning more about which foods are great for warding off UTIs, and which foods to avoid, then scroll down for some great UTI-related nutritional information, and the perfect mocktail recipe to keep UTIs at bay!
Introducing…
The “99 problems (but a UTI ain’t one)”
Equipment
Cocktail shaker
Strainer
Your fanciest cocktail glass (optional!)
Ingredients
5 x 1 inch cubes fresh pineapple
50ml cranberry juice
40ml Jasmine green tea (cold, brew for 3 minutes)
12.5ml lemon juice
12.5ml agave syrup
1 dash apple cider vinegar
Cubed ice
3 fresh basil leaves
Black pepper
Recipe
Muddle (crush) the pineapple in the bottom of a shaker.
Add all remaining ingredients (excluding the black pepper) to the shaker with cubed ice and shake hard.
Double strain the mix into a chilled glass filled with cubed ice.
Garnish with a smacked basil leaf and cracked black pepper.
Enjoy!
Now let’s break down the magic ingredients of this UTI-busting beverage -
The Dos And Don'ts Of A UTI-Preventing Diet
Key ingredient number one… you guessed it… cranberry juice! We can’t really escape this one, as research generally shows that drinking cranberry juice can bring about changes in the body that help it fight off infection of the urinary tract.
It can also be really helpful to switch your morning coffee to a nice cup of hot herbal tea. Caffeine is known to cause dehydration and irritate the bladder, and so increases the risk of UTI, so is best avoided if possible.
Green tea has also been found to contain properties which can put a stop to the growth of bacteria!
Interestingly, strawberries and lemons are two fruits which have also shown promise in their antibacterial uses.
Back to another well-known remedy, and a good all-rounder, apple cider vinegar! Research shows that apple cider vinegar contains an acid which destroys bacteria, making it a natural antibiotic.
Lastly, something you might least expect as having anything to do with UTI prevention, basil. One study has tested the effects of basil oil on bacterial strains of E. Coli and, again, it showed evidence of stopping bacterial growth.
Also important - there is no alcohol required! You may be aware that alcohol is also a diuretic, meaning that it can irritate the bladder and be a risk factor for UTI, another reason why it’s great to try to keep dry January going for a bit longer!
Lastly, it should be noted that the evidence base behind some of these findings can be limited, and it takes a lot of high quality research to verify connections between diet and UTI risk… BUT, what doesn’t work for one person may work for somebody else. And we have reason to believe that foods like these, because of the mechanisms revealed by these studies, could be really beneficial for the health of your urinary tract, therefore reducing the risk of UTIs.
The bottom line is that making small swaps could result in really positive changes for your health, and your urinary tract health in particular.
We know that one mocktail is not a long-term solution, but we hope that this inspires you to get creative when it comes to testing different UTI prevention methods, and figuring out the strategies that best suit your needs and lifestyle.