Probiotics are good bacteria that live in your intestines and play an essential role in everything from mood and weight maintenance to balancing our immune system.
women who took a cranberry juice pill equivalent to two 8-ounce servings of cranberry juice for six weeks after gynecological surgery reduced the rate of UTI occurrence by half.
Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, which helps strengthen muscle tissues for strong, healthy vaginal walls, according to Cassie Bjork, RD, LD, of Healthy Simple Life, and Taub-Dix.
Kimchi, another probiotic, helps maintain your vagina's PH levels to slightly acidic, says Bjork. They help ward off bad bacteria as well, keeping infections down there at bay.
A 2010 study found that women who consumed a diet rich of this omega-3s were 22% less likely to develop endometriosis than those who didn't.
Spinach is rich in magnesium, a mineral that decreases inflammation in blood vessels and increases blood flow," explains Bjork.
A study from 2007 by Harvard researchers found that women who ate foods rich in flavonoid kaempferol—like broccoli—saw their risk for ovarian cancer reduced by a whopping 40%.
Researchers found that women who consumed flavonoid luteolin (found in carrots, cabbages, and peppers) saw a 34% reduced risk of ovarian cancer.
Hydration is key for overall health, but also for proper functioning of the vagina which has its own self-cleaning system," says Diana Hoppe, MD.
According to Hoppe, foods high in vitamin C such as strawberries, bell peppers, and citrus fruits are important for upping your immune system and fighting infections down south.