Whole Food Stores....

[zanne]

I know my main trigger for IC is anything with citrus acid and I know preservatives are also a killer for me. I ate some lean cuisines dinners that say they have no preservatives and after eating them I had no bladder pain at all. I felt great. I think anything but natural spring water hurts my bladder. I am thinking of going to Whole Food stores and buying some preservative free food and try it for a week and see how my bladder feels. I live in the boonies so the nearest one is about 50 miles away, but I am willing to try it and see how I do. I am sure it is expensive. Anyone else buy Whole Foods and is it worth it for your bladder?

Sue

[ICNDonna]

We don't have a Whole Foods store in our area. I wish we did. I've heard they have some really great stuff. Do you have a Trader Joe's? They also have some different foods.

Donna

[elamar]

whole foods and trader joes are great stores, but they are extremely expensive. I buy my probiotics there and that alone is $23 a bottle. I like to buy some of the items in the bulk section like oat bran and rice. I also buy some gluten free type things there that I can't find anywhere else. It can be quite shocking at the register when you buy 4 or 5 things and the bill is over $100! Have fun shopping - just be mindful of the prices.

[Sharon]

Careful with preservative free products. Many companies add citric acid, or vinegar to raise the acid level of a product in place of the preservative. A higher acid levels helps to retard bacterial growth. Some Lean Cuisine product do contain citric acid.

I can tolerate some products with citric acid, and others will bother me.

[jen74]

I live near a whole foods and I buy some things there. They do have some good things, but they are expensive. Now Trader Joes on the other hand is less expensive and they have some good things there too. I also have to pay close attention to labels. Besides the IC diet, I also cannot eat gluten so it is very tedious when having to shop. Are there any other health food stores in your area maybe closer? I know we have a small haelth store not far from us, and they carry a few things there which is nice. I guess you will have to check around your area. I will say that eating organic has helped me tremendously. But again, I am one of those people who have mulitple sensitivities.
Jen

[kadi]

Hi Sue,
When I go to Whole Foods (which is not often, as I've heard it called around here, "Whole Paycheck"), these are things I usually buy....

1. Preservative free deli lunch meats - "Heidi's Hens" brand chicken & turkey. They're sealed & usually have expiration dates about three weeks from when I buy it, so I get a couple of weeks of sandwiches out of it.
2. Preservative free cereals - I get Honey'd Corn Flakes, SmartBran, Rice Crunch'Ems, Barbara's Shredded Wheat
3. Preservative free breads & bagels - I keep them in the freezer so I can get a couple of weeks' worth at once
4. Frozen brown rice - heats up in the microwave in 3-4 minutes (great for weeknight meals when I don't want to wait 45 min-1 hour for the rice cooker)
5. Looza pear juice (pears, sugar & water only!)
6. Wild Oats organic blueberry jam (no acids in it!)
7. Horizon 6 oz milks (don't need refrigeration, so are great for lunches)
8. Ian's chicken nuggets (heat up in 3 minutes in the microwave, great for fast weeknight dinners)
9. Frozen pie crusts without preservatives

I only buy the "unique" things there that I can't get at my local Safeway or Trader Joe's.
If anyone wants my Trader Joe's shopping list, I can post it again.

Hope that helps! :)

[Sera]

As to the TJ's shopping list--please do, Kadi. =) Thanks in advance!

[NewLife]

Hi! I shop at Whole Foods and do feel a difference for my bladder compared to eating out. I don't think it's that expensive if you buy the basics (grains, fruits, veggies, unprocessed dairy and fresh meats). The more processing or packaging effort goes into a food item, the more expensive it is.

Perhaps you don't need to travel that far? I know Dominick's, Costco, Mejer, Walmart(?) and Supertarget also have organic foods.

[zanne]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, thanks Kadi for your shopping list, actually I was really looking forward to buying cereal there for sure, I know I eat frosted mini shredded wheat which I love, but my bladder always spasms after that. Thanks again for your shopping list suggestions. I think we also have a Trader Jo's that I will also have to check out. I am willing to pay a little more if I don't have the bladder pain and can eat some food that I really would eat anyways and suffer.

Sue

[born2swim]

I would first look at your local store in the "all natural" or organic aisle. Get whatever you can there first... then the rest at a whole food type store (this will save you money in the end!). I got some crackers from Whole Foods that were great, tolerated, etc. I found them at my local grocery store for much cheaper. My local store carries preservative free deli meats... but there is more variety at Whole Food Market.

Happy shopping! Oh... and if you go to one called The Fresh Market, they have peanut butter or almond butter or cashew butter that is ground on the spot. It tastes great, is tolerated by the bladder (I am not nut sensitive), and is good for you (no modified fats). Whole Food store doesn't have the ground nut section (at least not the ones by me).