Treating a UTI- go with acidifying foods or alkalizing?!

From years of EXPERIENCE- raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar is the only significant treatment. Conventional antibiotics only temporarily suppressed and not eliminated the bacteria. Cranberry prohibits bacteria from adhering to the inside of the urinary tract so it's great for preventing infection but not effective after the fact. My infections clear up within hours of ingesting ACV and don't return if I drink it on a regular basis. This would lead me to believe that acidic is what you're aiming for. Personally I haven't noticed my choice of foods having an effect on infection. A tablespoon of ACV in a glass of water before bed is more than enough help so I never looked into foods as treatment. If you didn't have as profound an effect as I did from ACV then I'd encourage you to research other substances you can ingest to increase your acidity level. I've always been under the impression that standard American diet = mostly alkaline and healthy = mostly acidic.

Life and books and stuff.

It's not about what foods to eat, it's about what to avoid: sugar and caffeine are at the top of the list. In terms of fruits and vegetables, you'll be fine eating whatever you want. Meat is not the best, but it also won't cause the problem. Additionally, be sure to drink upwards of 3/4 of a gallon of water daily.

I swear by Cranactin, the first cranberry supplement on the market. When you have an active infection, megadose on the stuff. When you don't, you can probably just take capsule a week or so to keep them from coming.

Make sure that the cranberry juice you're drinking is not full of sugar (like OceanSpray), but the concentrate that you dilute with water. If you must sweeten it use agave or stevia so you keep the sugar level down, or you'll just keep the infection going.

I also wouldn't suggest jumping on the antibiotics for reasons of creating a further imbalance with bacteria/yeast in your body.

Personal and professional experience

Candida bacterial overgrowth is the cause of UTI's. It thrives in an acid environment.
Get a pH test kit and check your urine or saliva to see what your current levels are.
You probably need to eat alkalizing foods (adding fresh lemon juice to water is good too) to get yourself in the ideal range -- not too acid and not too alkaline because that's not good either.
Everything in life revolves around balance. Candida bacteria are present in our bodies all the time. It's when they multiply that they become a problem. Antibiotics indiscriminately kill off our good gut bacteria which is 80% of our immune system. After that, it's impossible for our bodies to try to maintain a proper balance against the overmultiplication of harmful bacteria. Moreover, the harmful bacteria forms biofilms which are antibiotic resistant. So what ends up happening is a yo-yo effect where infection breaks out, it's mildly suppressed by the antibiotics, it subsides for a while, then breaks out again, over and over.
Foods that contain gluten also feed candida bacteria. So you also need to avoid bread, pasta and other starchy foods. Fruit contains fructose which is a form of sugar, so you should choose fruit that is lowest in fructose.
Take a good quality probiotic supplement too. Yogurt just contains trace amounts.
Antibiotic use also ends up causing chronic constipation and obesity.

Acid forming foods can increase chances of a bacterial infection. Foods high in zinc help by producing white blood cells and eliminate bacteria. Some of the best sources of zinc are oysters, brewer's yeast, ginger, beef liver, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts, egg yolks, peanuts, oats, almonds and tofu.

A few other helpful herbs that are used for uti are nettles, horseradish, apple, bilberry, garlic, and parsley. Some probiotic foods that help maintain a healthy urinary tract are yogurt, sauerkraut, sourdough breads, soy miso, tempeh, and apple cider vinegar.

What is a mild UTI? I have never heard of such a thing. You urinalysis meets the required threshold for leukocyte esterase and bacteria in urine to make the diagnosis or it does not.
Eating certain foods is not going to make a UTI infection go away. Your bodys immune system fights the infection, but it is best to get an antibiotic in the case of a urinary tract infection. There is a risk that the infection can travel to the kidneys. The kidneys are a vital organ that filters the bodys blood, both nutrients and waste , and you do not want to gamble with your health there!

I had a uti last year in october 2009 and nine I decided to just go to the docs and she precribed me an antibiotic and instead of try alternative options i wanted the easy way out. I took it for 3 days and let me tell I never experienced such abdominal pain in my life and from that point on I have not been the same since i have stomach and abdominal pains have had various test done and doctors tell me it's all in my head. Just stick to what your doing it'll get better and please think twice about taking an antibiotic. I hope you have a great christmas.

over a year of digestive hell BY DESIGN.

get some azo standard pills there about 6-12 dollars depending on where u go, they treat uti and even carry a test inside teh box so u can test urself later on when the pills are working , theres azo standard and azo cranberry which are both cleansers for uti