Newbie with food questions

[almaarlt]

I’m new to IC and have just started the long road to figuring out what foods I can tolerate. I have some questions right off the bat about foods I’m ‘addicted’ to.

Is mustard okay? If not, what’s a substitute for it? Are mustard greens okay?

What about pickles? I’ve read that cucumbers are on the okay list, as is salt, but does pickling make them ‘forbidden?’

If salsa is made really, really mild, with homegrown yellow tomatoes and green onions, and is light on the vinegar, is it allowed? (My grandma makes the BEST salsa as a treat for me each year and I cried a little when I saw that most of the ingredients are on the ‘avoid’ list.)

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,

Allison

[mellusk]

Well, you just have to kind of try out the diet and add things back one at a time to see what will bother you and what won't. Most people are bothered by at least some things, but most people also aren't bothered by absolutely everything on the list. There's a lot of stuff in the patient handbook link on this site that can help you out.

As for your specific questions, mustards and pickles usually contain vinegar, which is acidic, and causes a problem for a lot of folks with IC. I would avoid them at first. Yellow tomatoes and green onions might be ok, but I'd try them sparingly and seperate at first while on the elimination diet before you try them in a salsa together. Mustard greens might be ok, I think I read somewhere that they themselves are fine, but if you do try them, do so with caution.

[meme]

I can tolerate mustard. I can do pickles as long as I don't eat them everyday. They don't bother me if they're on hamburgers and stuff like that. Tomato products are big "no-no" for me. They're just too acidic. It might be okay if you try just a little of it with chips and drink a lot of water with it and take a prelief or tums. I can handle salsa if I do that and then don't try it again for at least a couple weeks. I ate it one day and didn't flare, so I thought I could go two days in a row-WRONG! I don't know about mustard greens, I'd say they're like lettuce so they're probably okay. The key is always moderation. If you really like something try it, but make sure you try just a little, and don't eat it everyday, and make sure to drink lots of water with it. The diet doesn't neccessarily have to be forever. I'm in a remission right now-after a year of Elmiron-and can eat most of what I want to-Except Spaghetti and Lasagna. But I can have chocolate now-a candy bar or so a week with no problems. Good Luck!!