What ingredients to avoid?

[pratt]

I was just diagnosed with IC a month ago so I am very new to this. I am having trouble finding anything that I can eat that has much taste. When I am shopping what ingredients should I be avoiding? There are so many names for sugar and other things I don't know if its preservatives or just a long name for sugar or something else that might be ok.
Can anyone let me know what words to avoid while I'm looking for food?
Please help!! Thanks

[leelee88]

This is from the IC diet list:

I have heard people say that the future this is down on the list then the less the amoung it has in it. I try to stay away from all thesel!
Here is the Diet Link you might find helpful

http://www.ic-network.com/handbook/diet.html#list

Seasonings
and
Additives
ascorbic acid
autolyzed yeast
BHA and BHT
benzoates
caffeine
cayenne
cloves
chili powder
citric acid
hot curry powder
hydrolyzed
protein
meat tenderizers
miso
oleoresin paprika
paprika
red pepper
soy sauce
tamari
vinegar
worcestershire sauce
MSG (monosodium
glutamate)
metabisulfites
sulfites

[justice4j]

I hate the diet. It's so frustrating...I call it the "white diet." The only thing you can eat are white things. I was on it for nearly 3 years and I dreaded eating....

[kuni_bob]

I am having trouble finding anything that I can eat that has much taste.

I hate to say this, but after awhile, your tastebuds adjust so much that suddenly the most bland things become tasty. I've been on the IC Diet for 5 years now, and the other day I was eating a bowl of plain rice with a little bit of salt, and I was horrified to discover that it was incredibly flavourful to me!

The diet is one of the most frustrating things about IC (well, aside from the frequency, urgency & pain, of course), but your body does adjust!

Good luck!

[pratt]

The diet says you can eat cream cheese? Some of the ingredients we are not supposed to have... Bread is the same way. Any suggestions? It also says licorice. That also has citric acid. I'm so confused!

[ICNDonna]

I was diagnosed in 1975, before much thought had been given to a diet connection. I pretty much found my triggers on my own --- and they are almost identical to the ones listed in the IC diet section of the Patient Handbook. There are more foods I can have than ones I need to avoid. It's become second nature to me.

Donna

[kuni_bob]

The diet says you can eat cream cheese? Some of the ingredients we are not supposed to have... Bread is the same way. Any suggestions? It also says licorice. That also has citric acid. I'm so confused!

Now, this may not be the case for everyone, but for me, sometimes some ingredients will "cancel out" other ones. For example, I can't tolerate spicy foods at all, but throw in some coconut milk/water (the inside liquid) and I can have a reasonable amount of spice with no problems. Licorice has some bladder-friendly properties and may not have too much citric acid. I'm not entirely sure. At any rate, I can only eat all-natural licorice, and I can't tolerate cream cheese. We're all different (part of why it's difficult to nail it down.)

The diet is not an exact science. I've been on it for more than 5 years now, and I'm still discovering new foods I can and cannot eat. I invariably will mess up at some point, discover that something triggers me and add it to my list. I do find myself with a long list of "borderline" foods, which I must avoid when flaring, but are fine in small doses other times (so long as I don't have too many at once.)

Overall, though, the more I cut back on my trigger foods, the better I feel. It took awhile to get things right, but it was really worth it for me.

I know it seems really overwhelming right now, but like Donna said, eventually it becomes second nature. :hugs:

[amartaingirl]

Stay Away From Orbitz Cinamint Gum

I Think It Was The Red40 That Got Me


Stay Away From Generic Fruity Pebbles...again I Think It Was The Red

[pratt]

What is Cystoprotek? what type of drug? i see a lot of people say they take it....

[leelee88]

Cystoprotek is sold here on the ICN:

CystoProtek combines the anti-inflammatory properties of quercetin, glucosamine sulfate and rutin in a unique natural formula with the compounds chondroitin sulfate and sodium hyalonurate that help replenish the glycosaminoglycan layer in the bladder.*

http://www.icnsales.com/CystoProtek-Algonot-Plus-p-1-c-3.html

[Want2BPainFree]

Mostly what I think helps is to buy your foods in the most non-processed form. It is a lot more work, but it is worth it if you are diet sensitive. I think the brand of licorice most people might find tolerable is Panda. I haven't tried it yet, though.

Also, you can find items that don't contain artificial or unecessary ingredients. Take for instance the cream cheese. I've found cream cheeses that have stuff added to them that I have no idea why it is there, nor do I know what it is. I just don't buy that kind.
I've had luck with the neufchatel cream cheese from Walmart...Great Value brand, and it is lower in fat than pure cream cheese.

Also, there are just some things I avoid like the plague...packaged cereals, soups, canned veggies, cookies, crackers, bread, etc.
I buy my bread from a local bakery. It contains whole grain spelt, water, yeast, honey, and salt. Yep, that's it. I love it because I know I'm not filling my body full of crap.

Also, things like butter. Seems benign, but did you know some companies add "natural flavors" to butter? Why does butter need flavors? I had no idea it was there before IC.

Oh yeah, watch out for meats, especially turkey. They have solutions added to them to enhance flavors. Don't even try to get the manufacturers to tell you what is in it. They won't. It's proprietary. I told each one that I called that if they can't tell me, they are hiding something. None of them denied that fact either.

Just pure, simple food, I think works best.