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Cranberry juice and UTI

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Posted 7/31/2015 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone taken cranberry juice for UTI?
I have UTI and was given antibiotics, but some of my neighbors said they always took cranberry juice. But as a pre-diabetic I wonder if that would be wise? Or would each person be different?
I would think that cranberry juice would have a lot of sugar and carbs.
I read article here

http://www.livestrong.com/article/455543-why-cant-diabetics-drink-cranberry-juice/


that says it is not prohibited for diabetics.

Post Edited (Prayerful) : 7/31/2015 2:47:35 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/31/2015 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, sorry about the UTI. I've had several in the past and had to take antibiotics. Cranberry juice may help but it will not cure it at all. Some people think if they drink it regularly that they can avoid UTIs but I don't know if that works or not.

Since cranberries are not sweet, they have to add sugar or some kind of sweetener to make it drinkable. Also, cranberry juice "cocktail" normally contains another kind of juice like apple juice. Then, there are the blends with some other juices like grapes, etc. So, you want to look at the main ingredient and it should be cranberry if you're looking for cranberry benefits.

In any case, I've bought the "light" cranberry juice in the past - just cranberry juice with artificial sweetener.

You have to check the bottles for the carb content and then of course check your blood sugar when you drink a glass.

When doctors prescribe antibiotics for women with UTIs, they usually say to eat some yogurt since the antibiotics kill off the good bacteria. In men, I am not sure if this is the case and you'll need to ask your doctor.

I had trouble using your link, so I searched that site and came up with this:



www.livestrong.com/article/455543-why-cant-diabetics-drink-cranberry-juice/
Posted 8/1/2015 12:17 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Lanie
I see the 100% Ocean Spray Juice Cranberry has
Total Carbohydrate 28g Sugars 28g
Which in my opinion is a bit too much.
It says It’s 100% juice made with the crisp, clean taste of real cranberries straight from the bog. Plus, it has no added sugar, a daily dose of vitamin C, and two full servings of fruit, so it tastes good and it’s good for you, too.

I believe the Light has 11 g sugar and 11 g of carbs.

Guess I will skip it and just take the antibiotics (ugh).

Problem with men they say is they can have UTI, but no symptoms, or so it has been with me. At my age I seem to be "falling apart," like an old car.

Post Edited (Prayerful) : 7/31/2015 6:53:51 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/1/2015 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Not an "old car". A "classic" is what you are. And me. I'm getting up there at 66. Everyone gets older but the key is to take the best care of ourselves as we can! Mind and body.

Hope you're feeling better!

yeah :-)
Posted 8/1/2015 2:33 AM (GMT 0)
OMG - Compared to me you are just a "kid."






.
Posted 8/1/2015 1:03 PM (GMT 0)
tongue It's been awhile since I was a 'kid'.

Have a good weekend!
Posted 8/1/2015 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
I have had a few UTI's in the past and also was put on antibiotics. I never drank cranberry juice because my blood sugar would sky rocket. Instead, I started drinking a lot of water and I haven't had a UTI since. I think the water flushes bacteria out of the system. I love ice water with fresh lemon in it. It's a very alkaline beverage and now that's just about all I drink.

***After I wrote the above, I checked and found this from the National Institutes of Health. I hope this helps you.

How can I prevent repeat UTIs?
In addition to taking antibiotics, changing some of your daily habits and lifestyle choices may help you prevent repeat UTIs.


Eating, Diet, and Nutrition
Drinking lots of fluid can help flush bacteria from your system. Water is best. Most people should try for six to eight, 8-ounce glasses a day. But do not drink this much fluid if you have kidney failure. Check with your health care provider to learn how much fluid is healthy for you.

Sherrine
Posted 8/1/2015 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
This article on WebMD explains how cranberry juice helps prevent UTIs:

www.webmd.com/women/news/20100823/cranberry-juice-fights-urinary-tract-infection-quickly

Although this article is in a section of women's health, the studies only mention "people" so I'm guessing that the participants included men.

In any case, since we're concerned about blood sugar as well, choosing artificially sweetened cranberry juice is obviously better than the bottle with sugar. According to the Ocean Spray website, the Light Cranberry Juice has 50 calories per 8 oz. serving and 11 grams carbs, but the Diet Cranberry Juice has 5 calories per 8 oz. serving and 2 grams carbs. Regular cranberry juice has 110 calories and 28 grams carbs.
Posted 8/1/2015 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you both. (So many things to consider at this time of my life.)

Lanie: Have you tried the Diet? (BTW: How can I get my signature to be normal size again? Or is there something wrong with the forum? I retyped it and saved and still shows large.)

Sherrine: What is your lemon source? Do you use regular lemons (I find them hard to get the juice)?
Or do you use those little round (lemon shaped) containers that are supposed to be 100% lemon juice?
BTW: Have you tried the Diet Ocean Spray cranberry juice?

Post Edited By Moderator (LanieG) : 8/1/2015 10:38:52 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/2/2015 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
Prayerful, I don't know why but your signature came out super super large in your last post so I edited your post to exclude it. Let's see if it does it again if you re-post.

Anyway, yes, I have had the diet cranberry juice and it tastes fine.
Posted 8/2/2015 5:00 AM (GMT 0)
I take cranberry fruit capsules every day. Since I started doing it I haven't had one single episode of UTI. (Knock on wood) 😆
Posted 8/2/2015 8:12 AM (GMT 0)
Prayerful, I use fresh lemons. I roll them while pressing them on the counter before I cut them. This helps get the juice out. I cut the lemon in wedges and that makes a wedge easy to squeeze, too. The rest of the wedges go in a zip lock bag for another time.

I haven't tried diet cranberry juice. It wasn't available when I was having my UTI problems so that's why I went with water. But I do love cranberries so I might try that some time.

Sherrine
Posted 8/2/2015 2:23 PM (GMT 0)
If you look in the organic section sometimes you can find cranberry juice that is ONLY cranberry juice. I've found it does help with UTI's, but it's REALLY sour and very hard to drink much of it. I've resorted to keeping a few cranberry capsules around, they seem to work well.

Cheers.
Posted 8/2/2015 8:21 PM (GMT 0)
I guess I would stay with the Diet Cranberry with 2 grams of carbs. But! Maybe the pure cranberry juice would be a good additive to other food or drink concoctions! No, wait a minute. I just looked further into this. Since it's so concentrated, it really does have a lot of carbs, 31 grams per cup! And that's with no added sugar.

nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/7678/2

The familiar bottles of cranberry juice as we know them are diluted and have a lot of water added.
Posted 8/2/2015 9:06 PM (GMT 0)

couchtater said...
I take cranberry fruit capsules every day. Since I started doing it I haven't had one single episode of UTI. (Knock on wood) 😆

The fruit capsules don't affect your BG readings?
What kind of cranberry fruit capsules? Strength, etc.? Read somewhere that you needed to take 4-6 capsules a day, such as - "For lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), one gelatin capsule containing 500 milligrams of cranberry fruit powder has been used three times daily for six months."
But don't know if that is okay for folks with diabetics or pre-diabetics.

Is this the one? = www.naturesbounty.com/product/004349

Some have even mentioned Apple Cider for UTI = "Mix 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar with 8 oz. of water."
So many things to consider!

.
Posted 8/2/2015 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
I buy them over the counter at walmart. They're made by nature's bounty. No carbs or sugar listed on the bottle.
Posted 8/2/2015 9:39 PM (GMT 0)

couchtater said...
I buy them over the counter at walmart. They're made by nature's bounty. No carbs or sugar listed on the bottle.

Sorry, just updated/edited my previous post, while you were posting your response. And added some additional info/questions that you might not have seen.

I think main thing is to keep hydrated with about 8 x 8 cups of water a day. Is that how much water you drink each day? If you do drink 8 cups a day doesn't that cause you to get up during the night to go to bathroom?
Posted 8/4/2015 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
I don't keep track of how much water I drink a day. I drink mostly bottled spring water since our tap water tastes terrible. I stay away from sodas.
I estimate I drink 3-4 20 Oz bottles a day. I also take Lasix and potassium for edema in my legs. I never have to wake up at night to go pee though. The Lasix flushes me out by bedtime.😆 I usually wake up very thirsty in the mornings.
Posted 8/4/2015 3:13 PM (GMT 0)

couchtater said...

I estimate I drink 3-4 20 Oz bottles a day.


Wow, that is about the recommended intake of 8 -10 cups a day.

I'm trying to drink 4 x 16 oz bottles of water but keep forgetting to drink the water, unless it is hung around my neck.
Posted 8/8/2015 11:23 PM (GMT 0)

couchtater said...
I take cranberry fruit capsules every day. Since I started doing it I haven't had one single episode of UTI. (Knock on wood) 😆


Couchtater - which capsules do you use? A preferred manufacturer, strength, etc.?
BTW: They don't affect your BS?
Posted 8/9/2015 4:19 AM (GMT 0)
They're made by Nature's Bounty. They're called Cranberry Fruit 4200mg with vitamin C. They don't affect my Blood Sugar.
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