Potassium

[Stacyee]

Can anyone tell me if potassium is a problem in water & foods.

Thank you Stacy

[ICNDonna]

One of the very common misconceptions is that we need to avoid potassium in foods.

This is absolutely not true. Our bodies require potassium to maintain life. Think of it as you would think of salt --- if you have a scratch on your hand, you wouldn't rub salt in it --- it would cause pain. But when you eat foods with salt, it isn't a problem. A form of potassium instilled into the bladder of an IC patient can be painful. But if you eat foods containing potassium, unless there is something else in the food that causes pain --- it isn't a problem.

And remember that potassium deficiency can be extremely serious. I have a friend whose mother was hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms, which was diagnosed as a potassium deficiency. She was given a potassium supplement and improved very rapidly.

Donna

[firstmate]

Donna, that is so true. My mother suffers from high blood pressure and was going to emerg every couple of weeks with her blood pressure being so high. After a bunch of tests she was found to have low potassium. Now she is taking it in pill form and is as good as new.

[liz2]

I had to postpone breast surgery many years ago because I had a potassium deficiency. That can be extremely dangerous, esp. when you have anesthesia. In those days, I could eat all the bananas I wanted. I was able to get the count without normal range in two weeks.

You should be able to eat veggies that help you maintain a normal potassium level.

[Stacyee]

So what I hear you saying is if I want to have a Banana I should be ok, and if my bottled water has it in it not to worry?

Thank you so much I have to say that I am still confused as what i should eat and what I should not. Can anyone please tell me why I can't have cerel and milk?? Also please if you use abbrev. please write the word next to it, i am not up yet on the Abbrev.

Thanks big Hugs
Stacy

[ICNDonna]

There are some foods containing potassium that also contain substances that can be an irritant for an IC bladder. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, but unfortunately some ICers find bananas cause flares. Oranges are another potassium source that aren't "okay" for most ICers.

What I am saying is that you shouldn't avoid a food because it contains potassium. A few foods containing potassium that are IC safe (there are lots more): cereals, dries peas and beans, fresh vegetables, fresh and dried fruits, nuts, fish, poultry.

It's not difficult for most people to get adequate potassium in their diets. Those who take diuretics (water pills) for any reason may need to have potassium levels monitored.

Donna

[BobbieB]

Hello, I'm fairly new at this....too..just since July/August...but I have found that the boxed or pre packaged cereal seems to bother me...because of the preservatives I think...the cooked kind was ok..but dont' really know that it would be ok with everybody...the diet is sooo hard..especially when I am here my myself and want to grab something quick..It's ok when I cook a regular meal for myself and my hubby...it seems that this is a meat(always fresh) and vegatable...but no asparagus..one of my favorite...I printed out a list of do's and dont' foods but a few veggies were not on it...like cabbage and that was ok...cooked...but cant' have the slaw...no mayonnaise...but I think the diet is a major help..I know it is with me...I had a couple of chocolate brownies the other day and was "not good"..so until later (I hope) I cant' have chocolate...and my favorite things of all are tomato things...and hot spicy things....all big no's...and katchep and mustard...and pepper, no onion...bu we can have garlic.. and of course no ham...unless it's just fresh...not smoked or preserved.....I tried a sandwich with ham and a small amount of mayo....that was bad news too...wont' do ham again..and it's one of the very few meats...I like....was never meat person...but now have to be...meat with potatoes....meat with rice...and so on...

[readingmom]

Stacy,
I could be wrong, but I think what Donna meant was that it is o.k. to eat something with potassium in it. As for the banana, you might want to be careful. Most fruits have quite a bit of acid in them, which is not good for the IC bladder. Pears and bluberries are about the only fruits that most of us can eat on a regular basis. If you are not sure what foods to avoid, why don't you check out the cookbook listed on this site. It has been very informative for me. It is called A Taste of the Good Life. I hope that this helps you some!!Christie

[ICNDonna]

Thanks, Christie. I wasn't really very clear in my post. What I was trying to say is that you shouldn't consider a food to be a no no just because it contains potassium --- some foods with potassium are bad for IC, but fortunately many, many foods that are IC safe do contain an adequate amount of potassium.

Better?

Donna

[Stacyee]

Thank you also very much for all your great advice, I have to say that right now I am pretty scared to eat anything, but i am trying tings out what I really miss is a cold bowel of cereal, so if anyone out there knows a good brand please let me know. As for the IC cook book I have it, and it does help some, but I am learing that it is just some trial and error.

Take care and thanks again.

hi Stacy

[erinaj1997]

Hi Stacy hi

I could live on cereal!!! If you go to natural food stores you can find cereals with no preservatives!! Do you have Trader Joe's near you? It's all organic stuff.
I live on the east coast and we have a brand named Kashi. It's in the regular supermarkets in a little organic foods section so maybe try looking for an organic section in your supermarket. Hope this helps

Good luck in your hunt, it shouldn't be too hard really.

Erin PM me if you need to

[kat]

Hi Stacey,
I eat Post Grape Nuts just about every day either for breakfast or a snack some other time of day. Cheerios seem to be okay, too. Many of the cereals have BHT in them as a preservative and that's a killer for IC'rs. I just moved to Florida and we don't have a Trader Joe's here but I used to love their brand of...I think it was called Banana Nut Crunch. I can't eat bananas but I could eat that just fine. I do miss Trader Joe's...they really try to stay away from preservatives and things people are allergic or sensitive to. If you have a Whole Foods store near you, that's a good place to find organic stuff, too. Good luck!

[liz2]

Puffed rice seems to work fine for me. I get mine at a health food store, but my husband found some at the grocery store that did not have BHT and probably had just one additive.

BHT is a killer for me.

You might want to try white pasta with just a little butter on it. It works for me.

I eat a lot of fresh snow peas that I season with garlic, slight salt, and fresh basil. Yellow squash is good, too. And I can live off of carrots--either raw or cooked. Leaf lettuce is always in my refrig. chrisper.

When you get braver, you might want to try some string cheese. For me, it is very IC friendly. I don't know what others have experienced with it. I think Donna said she was okay with it. It is a mild Mozzarella. The mildest Mozzarella of all is made from water buffalo milk and imported from Italy; it is a gourmet cheese. I can also eat Muenster cheese as long as the block is not coated with orange juice. If you find a cheese you can handle, you can put it on your pasta to eat and get a change.

[ICNDonna]

Some ICers can eat foods with BHT --- it doesn't seem to bother me at all. Right now I am eating bran flakes every morning. I need the fiber, plus I do like them. I switch kinds every few weeks so I won't get tired of them. I use Splenda to sweeten bran flakes.

When I fix spaghetti for my family, I eat mine with just butter with salt and a bit of pepper added (not a lot of pepper, but it gives it a little color). Unlike most ICers, garlic is a trigger for me, but I can eat cooked onions so I sometimes put some sauteed onions on my pasta. And there's a mushroom that grows on the Oregon coast that I absolutely love so until I use up this year's treasure out of the freezer, I also cook some of those in butter to add to pasta.

If I want to try something new, what I do is to be very sure to do it when I am feeling good, and I am careful that I don't eat or drink any of the things I can only have a little bit of (like bananas) --- then I try a very small amount of the new food. If it isn't a problem, I will eat a little larger portion a few hours later. And if I still don't react, I add it to my diet.

I found that when I was working to develop my own personal IC diet, a careful food diary was very helpful. It really makes it much easier to identify problems.

Some ICers are far more food sensitive than others, but there are a few things that commonly cause flares --- at the top of the list I would have to put any kind of cranberries or cranberry juice. Soda pop would be next, followed by citric acid and coffee.

Once in a while I really get hungry for a trigger food and, like everyone, I do slip occasionally, but that just makes me appreciate it more when the reaction calms down.

Sending an encouraging hug,
Donna

[carol in canada]

Donna: thanks so much for your invaluable information on almost everything to do with IC. I have been newly diagnosed 2 months ago and am still learning every day about living with IC. Everything I ate in the past that I thought was a healthy diet seems like now I can't have. For instance I would usually have whole grain cereal for breakfast or whole grain toast. Can you tell me if any whole grains seems to be ok with you. I still would like to eat porridge occasionally? You mentioned you eat bran flakes, but aren't they considered a whole grain and therefore acidic? Also when you have a flare does it happen immediately and what does it feel like. Sorry to be so specific but I am just trying to understand this thing. Thanks Carol