The Sugar-Urinary Tract Connection: Choosing Low-Glycemic Snacks for Health

Your overall health is important, and many people understand that a nutritious diet paired with exercise is good for you. Eating more fiber and probiotics helps lower blood sugar levels within the body. 

Another aspect when it comes to eating a lot of sugar is the impact it can have on your urinary tract. Urinary health is essential as you age because it can lead to problems such as incontinence and the involuntary loss of urine. 

What you eat affects how your bladder behaves and can become more prominent as you get older or start to suffer from health issues. The article below is your in-depth guide to the sugar-urinary tract connection and helpful tips on managing sugar for your daily diet, as well as choosing some more beneficial, low-glycemic snacks to benefit your overall health.

Sugar and Incontinence: The Connection

You are likely aware of the effects that sugar has on the body and that eating sugar within your diet isn’t very healthy. Sugar gets absorbed quickly within your bloodstream and spikes insulin levels, and your body stores extra glucose within the liver and muscle tissues. 

Sugar causes your pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that works with the cells to store that sugar. The glucose is released as energy to help fuel organs, particularly during exercise, to help reduce those sugar levels.  

The effects of added sugar intake over time can cause you to have a plethora of health problems down the road. It creates weight gain, inflammation, and contributes to high blood pressure. Health issues can stem from a lot of sugar intake, such as diabetes and fatty liver disease. 

Too much sugar also leads to more frequent urinary tract infections and can lead to incontinence. There are plenty of incontinence rash causes in adults, and it might be helpful to evaluate your diet and see if sugar is one of the culprits. The bacteria that cause UTIs can be attributed to sugar since it increases the acid levels within the urine and causes the infection to grow by creating an environment for the bacteria.

Eating a diet high in sugar will also cause you to urinate more frequently since it increases the amount of urine your body produces. And if you’re also gaining more weight, this can cause incontinence due to the strain on the pelvic floor muscles. Eventually, it can lead to more severe health problems like diabetes, where your body has trouble processing glucose.

Managing Your Blood Sugar

High blood sugar, also referred to as hyperglycemia, can cause prediabetes when your blood sugar is high. Insulin is necessary to help regulate those blood sugar levels, but if your body can’t effectively use it well, it will lead to diabetes and other health problems. 

Consider looking at the foods you eat each day and determine how much sugar is in them. The average adult shouldn’t consume more than 25 or 36 grams of added sugars in their diet, depending on if you’re a woman or a man, respectively.

Some ways you can ensure you reduce your sugar intake is by doing the following:

• Read food labels - paying attention to the ingredients and seeing how much sugar or added sugars are in something before consuming can help limit sugar intake.

• Use natural sweeteners—When you want to sweeten something you like to eat, such as your coffee or tea, consider adding more natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, stevia, or monk fruit as an alternative to refined sugar.

• Be cautious with dressings, sauces, or condiments - many salad dressings or sauces contain hidden sugars, so consider looking for low-sugar alternatives to your usual ketchup or BBQ sauce.

• Drink water instead -  You may mistake it for a sugar craving, but it could be that you’re genuinely dehydrated. Try drinking a tall glass of water first and see how you feel afterward before reaching for a cookie.

Other things you can do to try and combat your sugar consumption are to exercise more, get plenty of rest, eat more foods that contain high fiber content, and check the portions of the foods you are eating. Managing stress levels can also help because when stressed, the body often releases cortisol, a hormone that can cause your blood sugar to spike. 

Low-Glycemic Snacks

Snacking can cause spikes in your blood sugar since many of the options on the market are processed and contain a lot of added sugars. 

If you’re working on reducing your daily sugar consumption, consider some of our suggested healthier, low-glycemic snack ideas and incorporate them into your daily snacking routine.

• Unsweetened or plain yogurt: Yogurt's probiotics are excellent for helping to manage blood sugar levels. Look for unsweetened or low-sugar Greek yogurts that are high in protein to help keep you full.

• Berries: Many berries have natural sugars, but they can help satisfy your sugar cravings without spiking your blood sugar too much.

• Nuts: nuts are high in fiber and provide your body with healthy fats. Look for low-sodium almonds, cashews, pistachios, or walnuts for a quick body refuel.

• Hummus and veggies: Your body will digest the carbs slowly, and chickpea hummus won’t spike your blood sugar. This snack also has tons of fiber and protein to help fill you up and keep you from overeating.

If you have a sweet tooth and crave sugary snacks, consider Bhu Foods' collection of healthy protein bars, cookies, truffles, cookie dough, and more. These snacks can help satisfy that sweet tooth without skyrocketing your blood sugar. They allow you to stay on track and be more mindful of your sugar intake.

If you’re a vegan, plenty of vegan options can help with sweet snacking. Our commitment to quality ingredients ensures you’ll gain many health benefits, including managing your weight, reducing sugar intake, improving your digestion, and staying energized throughout your busy day.

Pay Attention to Sugars

The most important aspect of all this is that by reducing your sugar intake, you’ll manage urinary tract problems more effectively while improving your health. If you're experiencing issues with your urinary tract, it can benefit you to talk to your doctor or healthcare professional and evaluate how much sugar you’re getting to help find support in managing your dietary choices and symptoms.