Food - what to buy

[pinkdiamonds]

My mother has IC....it's been 15 years now. Her doctor has just recently put her on more of the restricted diet known to IC people. She knows to stay away from Citric Acid. But lots of foods have different kinds of acids in them. I have done as much research that I can through the internet - found out that Folic Acid is ok. On the IC sites - it says that Gerber Brand Pear Juice is ok...but when we go to the store and check it out - it has acids in it. My mom hasn't had juice in so long that is something she wants back....but it seems she won't be able to with what we have found. She has tried the Blueberry (I like it - reminds me of a red wine) but my mother doesn't care for it at all. Does anyone know what acids are OK for IC patients? Also, she is told to stay away from chocolate but we look at some of the deserts and they talk about adding M&M's - isn't that chocolate?? We are very confused. The other question is SOY. We know to stay away from soy but does that include Soy Lechithin, soy oils and etc.??

[kadi]

Hi Pinkdiamonds (cool name!)
I use the list in the "Diet & IC" section of the Patient Handbook (linked at the top of this page) & buy only from the left hand ("usually ok" column) of the list. I am now a fanatical label reader because I found that if I eliminated all acidic preservatives, I feel much better! (ascorbic, citric, & malic acids are the ones that come to mind)

What I did that really helped me was to eat only out of the left hand column of the diet for about a month, then one at a time tested the middle column foods, starting with a very small amount & then increasing to see if it's okay for me. So, I now have a very personalized diet. The book, "Confident Choices" is a worthwhile investment in an IC library. It gives lots of meal ideas, recipes & an elimination diet strategy. It's written by one of us, Julie B, who has IC herself & is a dietician. You can buy it in the ICN shop linked at the top of the page.

For juices, I use Hero brand pear juice or Looza brand pear nectar. They have no other fruit juices or acids added. They're a little hard to find, but I get the Hero brand at PW Market & the Looza brand at Whole Foods. I've also seen the Looza brand at Fresh Market, when I've been travelling.

Most IC patients do not do well with chocolate, so recipes that add M+M's aren't the best idea. And honestly, it bugs me when "IC" recipe lists include foods that are listed as usually triggers for the majority of us. Yeah, there's some individual differences, but when the food has ingredients in the "usually problematic" column, I do wonder why it's included. Just increases my frustration, but I digress....

For desserts or treats: I like homemade butterscotch chip cookies, Pepperidge Farms Chessmen cookies, Kozy Shak rice or tapioca pudding, Breyers 1/2 fat vanilla ice cream, carob malt balls (health food store), Panda brand black licorice. You notice I'm mentioning brands, that's because I am now a fanatical label reader & those labels do not have acidic preservatives in them.

Soy lecithin & soy oil are usually ok for IC patients. It's soy milk, tofu etc. that tend to be more problematic.

If you live in an area with a Trader Joe's, let me know. I have a shopping list of things usually okay there. (My mom got IC a year & a half after I did, so I gave my dad that list to shop for her).

Hope that helps a bit, it's nice that you're helping your mom.

[pinkdiamonds]

Thank You!

I don't know how to express my Thank You to you!! I've already called mom to share some of the information with her. The Soy information was huge (believe it or not). I don't recognize that store name but it doesn't mean I am not going to start searching for it. My mother made the "Substitute Tomato Sauce" and she wasn't crazey about it...and thought for sure I wouldn't like it since I'm not a "Squash" nor a "Carrot" person (only fried Squash is what I will eat). But I loved it...my 9 year old daughter couldn't get enough of it. We looked at her and said "Where's the bread? What a great bread dipping treat!" Of course my mother didn't expect that kind of response, and walked away (lol)....misery loves misery....but we were being honest. My mother is very non-technically inclined for computers never mind using the internet. And my father is banned from the internet since I seem to fix his computer 2 times a year for the past 6 years. The last computer became fried from a virus. He now has a computer but is not allowed to have internet - that is why I am on this site doing all the researching. But I am fine with that, since I am learning so much. And this way, I can actually explain it to my sisters much better. My mother just becomes frusterated way too easily. As it is, she was ready to give up on the diet. I had to explain to her how she is going through the "Cleansing stage"...and that will take some time. I think with me being so determined to find answers - it is helping her to stay a float with the "new diet". My daughter has a basic idea of what my mother has...but last night I actually explained it more to her, and that all the foods that she eats has to be watched very closely. I explained about the stomach lining and compared it to a bad cut. And how we are trying to find ways to help fix that deep cut. She said it made sense to her on how I explained it to her. And I don't think I could of before now, since I found this site and all the researching I have been doing. I think it is good for kids to understand what an adult might be going through but compare it to something very basic (to their level). I also, explained to my daughter that when she is at their house, Granny has her "own snacks" and how I explained the snacks was...."You can open your snack cabinet and if something you like is gone you can pick anything else out. But for Granny, when her snack is gone, she really has to think about what she can eat as a snack since not everything in the cabinet is ok for her. So please don't eat Granny's snacks unless she says you can try it." She was very understanding to that.
My mother also found out that Nabisco has put out some "Organic Crackers", and it doesn't have anything "bad" in it. What she was happy about that it didn't cost any more than what you would usually pay for Nabisco Crackers. I also found Whole Wheat Noodles at Walmart for $.95 a box and at the grocery store my mom paid $2.00 a box. There is only 1 kind at Walmart which contains Whole Grains - very IC Safe. Found some white tuna fish in a can that was very IC safe. It was a gold can - a little bit more than the "normal" brands but had nothing bad in it. Walmart also carries basic oatmeal in individual packets - which seems to be IC safe. My mother adds maple syrup and this crunchy IC safe (but expensive cereal) to the top of it. She says it tastes pretty good. She loves the Crunchy cereal but it's so expensive that she wants to make it last.
When you get a chance - if any of those juices have a phone # or a website, please pass it along.

Thank You Again!!!:woohoo:

[pinkdiamonds]

Kadi - I found it - You are an ANGEL!!

Ok you will think I am nuts...but I found that Store - Trader Joes. They are all over Mass (even though I live in NH). So yes...please send me "The List"!! Again - this finding is a huge start for my mom.
:woohoo:

[ICNDonna]

Both Minute Maid and Tropicana put out a reduced acid orange juice. I can't have a lot of it, but a small glass seems to be okay for me. Some ICers add extra water to it.

I highly recommend the book, "Confident Choices," available in the ICN Shop, for those who are new to the diet, and also, "A Taste Of The Good Life" which will help understand the diet.

Good luck!

Donna

[pinkdiamonds]

Thank You Donna!!!

I'll have to mention that to my mom. I do know she can't have any sort of Citric Acid Juice - that is her huge trigger. But I will let her know - she misses drinking juice. I'm not sure what I would do if I came down with IC - all I drink is juice - not a huge milk drinker. When I was pregnant with my daughter, they put me on a diet so that I would get more grains and milk products. Now some of the stuff I use to absolutely love 11 years ago is way too sweet for me. It's funny how you can create a "Like for" different tastes of foods over the years. And for my mother, she is now having to create a "new" taste for foods. It's amazing how we eat and the stuff we eat until we are forced to stop and change or to take notice of what we are intaking. Just doing this research really has open my eyes to the stuff I eat now. Finding myself wanting more healthier foods. Finding people that can give friendly suggestions that can still please the taste buds.

[kadi]

Trader Joe's Shopping List!

I love love love Trader Joe's...

Here are a few of my favorite (TJ's) things...
Bread section:
Trader Joe Shepherd's Bread (white bread)
Trader Joe mini bagels (plain)
Trader Joe mini pita breads (plain)
Trader Joe blueberry scones (also freeze well)
Trader Joe Lavash bread (makes excellent wrap sandwiches)
Trader Joe Cinnamon Raisin bread (thin slice one only, thick slice one has soy in it)
Trader Joe's oatmeal raisin cookies in the tray, not the bag. (bag ones have ingredients I'm allergic to)
Trader Joe's Truly Handmade Tortillas (be careful to get the ones that are just flour & water!)
Trader Joe's CheeseSticks: Parmesan (not all IC patients can tolerate parmesan, but these don't bother me & they're delicious!)

Treats:
Vanilla meringue cookies
Fat Free Caramel popcorn
Light popcorn
Mini Rounds Tortilla chips (check the ingredients to make sure no lime juice!)

Dairy
Organic milk
Extra Omega 3 eggs
Rice pudding

Freezer section:
Frozen blueberries
Brown rice (comes in a freezer box of 3 packets) - 3 minutes in the microwave & voila! yummy brown rice!
Double Rainbow blueberry ice cream
Frozen broccoli, corn, green beans

Fruits/Veggies
Trays of zucchini
bags of spinach
bags of cauliflower
4 packs of pears
Trays of red bell peppers
Mushrooms
If you can tolerate Asian pears, they are very inexpensive at TJ's
Salad for One or Two-romaine or baby greens

Other
Pizza dough (regular one only, the one with no acids) - I use this to make pizza with a spinach sauce instead of tomato OR calzones! Yum.
Trader Joe's Shredded Wheat cereal (It does have vitamin E as a preservative, which triggers some IC patients, but I'm ok with it)

Some IC patients can tolerate plain peppermint tea & some plain chamomile tea. Trader Joe also has a low acid coffee (not decaf, so have not tried it myself-my bladder hates caffeine).

I LOVE their french vanilla liquid hand soap.

Have a fun time shopping!

[kadi]

Safeway Grocery List

Safeway Grocery List
Keep in mind that we're all different & don't all tolerate the same things...
But I'm very diet sensitive & these are things I can eat...
Hope you find the list helpful.

Produce:
Lettuce
Red bell peppers
Pears (all types)
Dates
Raisins (I'm ok with them, some IC patients are not)
Blueberries
Corn
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Potatoes (all types, including sweet potatoes & yams)
Carrots
Marie's Lite Creamy Ranch dressing (I use less than a teaspoon on the side of the salad, dip my fork into it before each bite of salad, & take Prelief with it)

Fresh carrot juice (I mix this with the pear juice & lots of ice)

Meats
The main thing here is to make sure the meat has not been injected with saline solution, broth, or lemon juice (or anything else for that matter!)
Chicken
Pork
Ground beef (93% lean)
Steaks

Deli Counter
Safeway Dinner Roast Turkey
Primo Taglio Roast Beef

Cracker/Cookie aisle
Original Triscuits
Original Wheat Thins
Lund---- (can't remember how it's spelled) Brown Rice Cakes (plain)
Original Pringles
Original Fritos
Classic Lays potato chips
Safeway Organics Microwave Popcorn (no flavors, just the plain one)
Pepperidge Farms Chessmen cookies
Nilla Wafers
Teddy Grahams (cinnamon or honey flavor)--I can't eat these, but my mom who has IC can.
Nabisco Original Premium Saltines

Dairy
Nonfat milk
Knudsen cottage cheese (single serving containers only, the bigger containers sometimes have preservative)
Original Philly cream cheese--in the block, not tub (tub has acidic preservatives)
Tillamook or Kraft Mozzarella Cheese (Tillamook for slices, Kraft for shredded)
String Cheese (can't remember brand)
Land o Lakes Butter with Canola spread (be sure to get the one with the red top)
Eggland's Best eggs (have extra omega's in them, a plus)
Some IC patients can tolerate yobaby vanilla yogurt (wish I was one of them)
Kozy Shak Rice or Tapioca puddings

Cereals & Mixes
Quaker oats
Bisquick (get some pure 100% maple syrup to go with the pancakes!)
Jiffy corn muffin mix
Honey

Baked Goods
I buy only the things in the special shelves for local bakeries that do not use preservatives or go to Trader Joe's!

Canned
Valley Fresh Premium Chunk White Chicken in Water
Del Monte Lite Pear Halves
Rice Dream Vanilla Classic rice milk

Freezer
Frozen green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, corn
Dreyers Vanilla ice cream (slow churned/less fat)
Dreyers Caramel Swirl ice cream (slow churned)

Other
Werther's Original Hard Candies
PepOMint Lifesavers
Kit Kat White Chocolate

Teas & Coffees
Some IC patients are best off with just plain hot water & honey for a hot drink, but for those that can tolerate it, these are mild
Plain peppermint tea
Plain chamomile tea