Can someone please help me?

[acarver19]

Hi everyone again. I was needing to ask everyone a question. Is pork skins, white cheddar popcorn, grapes, apples, frozen dinners okay? These sre just a few things I eat. Also is koolade okay to drink? If somone could please help me I would be grateful. Thanks everyone.
Alicia

[GriffsMommy]

It seems food effects people differently but cheddar is supposed to be a no no and I'm sure there are other things in white cheddar popcorn that would be bad for IC, grapes and apples are a no. Really the only fruit that is safe is pears, blueberries and some melons. Frozen dinners probably have all kinds of preservatives and other things that might bother your bladder, you should probably read the labels. I don't drink koolaid because it has citric acid in it which is supposed to be bad. If you're eating these things and having a lot of problems you probably want to cut them out and see if that helps

[meme]

I do okay with red grapes. I don't eat a whole lot of apples, but I've heard the lighter the skin the easier on the bladder. I drink a lot of koolaide with no problems. If you think they are bothering you, try cutting one out for a week or so and see how you do. Until last year I had a Mt. Dew everyday and didn't think it was bothering me much until I cut it out completely and now I feel so much better. Its just a personal trial and error. The best advice I can give is everything in moderation. I can even have a little bit of chocolate or salsa if I don't do it everyday and drink plenty of water with it. Hope this helps!

[tabasco32]

gala apples are o.k. for me. I put almond butter on them. Pears are good to. blueberries also.

[kadi]

Hi Alicia,
Welcome to the ICN!
Here is a list of foods for IC patients,

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

categorized into foods that are "usually ok", "sometimes ok", and "usually problematic". You will also find that label reading is very important to avoid preservatives (citric, sorbic, malic acids) and colorants.

The diet is not easy, but it can be very worthwhile in reducing symptoms. It often takes several weeks eating foods on the "usually ok" part of the list for the irritated bladder to calm down enough that you can then test one by one the foods in the middle column.

The diet is my number one most effective treatment! And it doesn't cost extra money, cause hassles with the insurance company, or have side effects that bother the rest of my body. So, even though I don't like it & it was a major lifestyle change (I was queen of takeout before IC), it is essential to my feeling well most days!

Wishing you welcome & wishing you better days soon!

[topcop229]

Well put, Kadi!! The diet is definitely the easiest thing to do in an effort to reduce your symptoms. And, as the others said, something that may be okay for one person may send another into a mega-flare. I, too, can drink Kool-aid just fine, but even looking at a caffeinated beverage puts me in a huge flare. If you are eating all the items you mentioned, remove them all from your diet for a week or two, then add back one at a time, noting if you have an increase in symptoms. This will tell you what you specifically cannot tolerate. Good luck!

[siriuspsyclist]

diet directions

Hello! SOrry to be the nth poster to say that those things in your list are all no-nos for me. ANything processed like popcorn treats or TV dinners are just out. No more going into the middle aisles at teh grocery store. It's the veggies, the dairy aisle and some of the meat aisle.

And as everyone else has said. THe diet is really the day to day saviour for me. It is way cheaper to buy unprocessed foods (like beans and lentils etc.) and make my own food, and it is way better for me. It takes more time and our cutlure of fast and easy does not reinforce how good it is for everyone to take the time to cook and eat from scratch and carefully.

I miss those fruits thats for sure. But I imagine that i will be able to eat them again. I have been able to add little bits of things back in over time with good results. Once you get on the diet and follow the "OK" list for a few weeks then add some or bits of the "usually OK" list and then you will start to have a good idea which things can really trigger you. A food diary helps with this as well.

There is no hurrying it. It took me months of the "OK" list before symptoms reduced enough that I could start to tell which new things might cause troubles. and then I would binge when I found something I could eat and it would start to hurt me ...

oh, the cycle!
hope you're having a good day!