need some help about ic diet

[ladybug32170]

Hi, it seems like everything i eat the last couple of days is making me sick. I bought some prelief and it's helping a little. My doctor said just to try foods i normally eat to see if they make me sick.I feel better if i don't eat so i am open to any suggestions.

thanks

[Dixiefireball]

hon i hate to say this but its a trail and error thing you need to keep your own food diary. we do have a diet list on the homepage i believe it is where it is now. that can give you helpful hints on what to look out for.
sending you hugs and prayer
Rhonda:kiss:

[Audrey Rose]

I agree with Rhonda,
DIET IS EVERYTHING!!!
You can not spend too much time investigating the IC diet. You need to find your comfort foods (ones that don't irritate your bladder at all) and then slowly try foods one at a time and record their responses in a food diary. After a while, it will be clear which ones are safe and which ones are BAD, BAD, BAD!! Everyone is different. Look on the ICN website for a list of foods that are usually okay for IC patients. And start there. My best comfort foods are potatoes, American cheese sandwiches, pears and cereal. And warm water with honey. That's all I eat on bad days. the book, "A taste of the Good life" has been especially helpful to me in understanding why diet is so important.

Good luck!! Understanding the IC diet is a long journey, but one you must take if you want to control your pain. :thumbsup: We are here to help you along the path. :pray:

[kelly McC]

I agree with Rhonda and Audrey,
Just wanted to add it took me awhile to figure out my trigger foods . The diet has helped me alot .Best wishes and good luck .....:grouphug:

[ladybug32170]

thanks for your suggestions i'm still learning what i can or can't eat i know tomatoes are a bad food for me and chocolate.

thanks again


:hi:

[ICNDonna]

If you go to http://www.ic-network.com/handbook/ you will find information on the IC diet.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[ic-debra]

Diet is everything...or at least 90% in my opinion, and Dixiefireball is right, we all have to discover our own triggers. This being said, most of us have common triggers. It is only the odd ones related to delayed food allergies and the such that we have to worry about the most if we avoid the general major trigger foods.

I recommend you read Solving the Interstitial Cystitis Puzzle by Amrit Willis. She provides a very comprehensive list of foods and other factors. She also explains how to do an elimination diet and gradually add back foods to test if they are actually problematic. It has been very valuable to me and is much more precise than the food list ICNDonna recommends.

[sunshine_77us]

Audrey Rose
What kind of bread and cereal can you eat? Also has anyone had problems with corn. It is on the ok to have list but I ate cream corn (no preservatives) the couple of days and now I'm flaring. I also had a crab cake from Long John Silvers, so I don't which one made me flare???? And I was just beginning to feel good again.:(

[Raelyn]

Corn is a big no-no for me. It sends me into an almost immediate flare. I am very careful about reading the ingredient listings on bread which can contain all kinds of things like molasses, corn, soy oil, etc. which can be big problems for us.

[kadi]

Breakfast Ideas for the poster who wanted bread & cereal ideas.... :idea:

I can eat Barbara's Shredded Wheat cakes, cooked oatmeal, cooked rice cereal, puffed rice & puffed Kamut (from the health food store). The main thing for me is no soy (I'm allergic), no BHT preservative (a bladder annoyer), no added vitamins or minerals...

I make these a bit tastier by adding things to them that I've discovered I can tolerate in small amounts: raisins, brown sugar, blueberries, 1/2 banana.

I also like pancakes (the Krusteaz brand mix is ok for me) with real butter & real maple syrup.
Omelets too - 1-1/2 eggs with sauteed finely diced zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, mozzarella cheese. YUM!! (Makes a good dinner with a salad & crunchy bread too).
Oh, Jiffy Corn Muffin mix is okay for me too. Sometimes I mix blueberries in, sometimes not.
French Toast too - I'm from the SF Bay Area & we have a brand called Semifreddi which makes a fabulous cinnamon loaf like challah. Makes a decadent french toast.

Can you tell I love food???:thumbsup:

[yorkyloverx3]

ic-debra
Where did you get the book 'Solving the Interstitial Cystitis Puzzle'? :confused: I need to do a better job with my diet. :bonk: I eat the wrong foods because I have no self control. I am in constant pain but I guess I do it to myself. I am in a major flare now and need to do the elmination diet.
I had cysto/hydro last week it helped for about 3 days!
I know diet is a big part of this :cussing: awful chronic condition so I need all the help I can get.
Denise

[kadi]

Hi Denise,
When I first started with the diet - I printed out the 3 column diet from this website and started with the blandest stuff on the left hand side. I put it on the fridge & each time I tried something new I wrote "ok", "not ok", "ok-small amount", or "ok-Prelief it!". By keeping it handy, I reminded myself that there are things I can eat:)

There are 2 IC diets easily available on the internet from reputable sources:
www.ic-network.com/handbook/diet.html
and
www.ichelp.com/TreatmentAndSelfHelp/ICAndDiet.html

The diet has been important for reducing my symptoms. It did take several weeks on the blandest diet & starting my medicines (ditropan & elavil) for my bladder to calm down enough to notice a difference and to begin to separate out which foods were good or bad for me, but it's totally worth it...

Hope you feel better soon!

[tillysav]

I agree with DIET IS EVERYTHING. Being so sick in the beginning, I started out BLAND. Here are some things I could eat without problems: backed potatoes, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vanilla pudding w/lactaid milk, oatmeal w/brown sugar, eggs, Total or Kashi cereals. Eventually, I was able to add a few new things. NEVER will I ever try a tomato again.:yikes: Sorry, this does take a little time, but eventually it all comes together and you just know what you can and you cannot eat. Good luck :wink:


:grouphug:

[yorkyloverx3]

I too agree that diet has alot to do with it.
But I still want to know where to get the book
'Solving the IC Puzzle' I looked it up on Amazon books and it was $24.95 surely there is somwhere to find it cheaper.
Thanks Kadi I just wish they bottled will power. I guess I will have to go cold turkey. I HATE IC!!!!
Denise

[kadi]

Yeah,I hate IC too.:mad: I don't think most people with IC are quite as food-limited as I am (I also have food allergies), so hopefully you will have a bigger dietary range than I do. Also, some people find that with treatment, they can tolerate more & more foods.

The payoff I've gotten from the diet has been big, so I'd like to encourage you to try it for awhile anyway. I was so sick last fall, I was losing a pound a day (from pain), could not work, drive, shop, read, sleep or really do anything except pee every 10 minutes. For me, the diet and my 3 medicines (Elavil, Ditropan, Yasmin) have been a godsend. I am now able to work, sleep (I get up once or twice only :woohoo:-unless I've goofed on diet or overdone activity), drive, have a mostly normal life. A few things, I still can't do but am hoping I'll get back eventually (most food on restaurant menus, traveling, long car rides, wearing jeans).

For me going from my usual level of mild discomfort to doubled-over, crying & peeing every 10 minutes due to a bad food choice --is a strong motivator... :toilet:

I try to think of the diet now as a safe, inexpensive, healthy way to take care of myself, one day at a time. At the end of the day, I can say I've done my best to beat this disease. And, if I do say so myself, I'm becoming a pretty good cook!! (I've never liked cooking before, but I sure like eating!)

Good luck & feel free to post these kinds of questions or PM me through the site if you like. :kiss:

[sunshine_77us]

Kadi,

Thanks for the ideas on the food. I can eat Barbara's Shredded Wheat and cooked oatmeal. I haven't tried rice cereal yet. I also know I can't have anything with BHT preservative or minerals. I can't tolerate banana either. I'm hoping I can tolerate watermelon. I love it but have not tried it yet. ;)

[sunshine_77us]

Does anyone have problems with microwave popcorn?