just diagnosed with IC. I'm a raw vegan..

[pebble]

I've been a raw vegan for quite some time. I just can't imagine reintroducing non-raw foods into my diet again.. like vegetarians can't imagine eating meat, or vegans can't imagine eating eggs, I'm just a tiny step beyond that. Also gluten free. That said, I've been educating myself on the IC diet. I was a math major in college. I immediately envisioned this Venn diagram in my head: the "safe" IC foods and the raw-vegan/gluten-free. that intersection isn't very big.

now I posed this dilemma in one of my raw foodies communities, and a few people think that being on a raw vegan diet should be all I need. but since I'm a little overwhelmed trying to figure out this new condition, I'm seeking several opinions from those with expertise!

hugs to all

Allie

[klite]

You might not want to hear this, but ... you will probably feel better if you start eating cooked foods. Raw foods, as you must know, are harder for the body to break down. Cooking foods helps your digestive system process them easier. If you have an IC bladder, it is sensitive to what goes on with your stomach. A lot of ICers get by on simple cooked foods like potatoes and rice.

I would strongly recommend visiting a dietician/nutritionist/naturopathic doctor to talk about your diet and what changes you need to be making.

I was a vegetarian for several years, but after suffering with IC symptoms, I reintroduced meat into my diet. Since my vegetarianism was ethically-driven, I try to buy organic and cruelty-free meat now.

You need to talk to professionals who are familiar with IC; the people on the raw vegan boards probably lack the medical knowledge and experience to advise you on IC. Good luck!

[TrinityEngel]

I used to be a vegetarian and as much as I'd love to go back to that lifestyle, it's practically impossible for me having IC.

[ICNDonna]

I really think talking with a dietitian is a good idea. You may end up having to make some changes to maintain health.

Sending gentle hugs,
Donna

[makamala]

i used to be a raw foodist not vegan (i ate honey). trust me you wont miss being a raw vegan if you have ic. it's more important to feel good physically than cling to ideas and ethics about food. there is no ideal diet regimen that someone else created for anyone. we have to eat to feel good. i wish you luck and understand your pain and conflict. but we became raw (vegan) foodist/eaters for health. it is no longer contributing to our health. so why cling to it? and when you are in remission you can go back it if you still feel the ethical pull.

i understand how hard it is to not be able to participate in a community that means so much to you (we all lose a lot with ic but gain other things). your real friends in that community will be there for you. let the others who don't understand or who can't hear you fall away.

on the bright side you can still drink fresh coconut water and eat dates to your hearts content! and over time add lots of things back in...

[chey]

I am gluten free and vegan (not raw) with IC, and although I don't have any specific diet ideas, I just want to say that you should stick with your choice if that's what you feel good about. Some people think any one of those restrictions is 'OMG so hard impossible', let alone all, but the trick is to discover what you can eat, get into a routine, and stick with it. It's manageable from there.

For me, it was really difficult and frustrating to adjust to IC, and a challenge to become gluten free. But once I learned it, got into a routine, and know what I want to make and what to get from the store and how to figure out restaurant stuff, etc, it's so much easier after that. So even though it might be overwhelming now, if you can come up with exciting and nutritionally complete ideas and get into them, it sounds like you could be fine.

[Bojana]

I am opposite of you, getting IC and discovering that I have many food allergies, I decided to try go raw for few months. I never heard of raw vegan getting IC so this for sure if a surprise.

I agree with others, its more important to feel good and be able to function as anything else. I give myself 2-3 months to see if being raw will make a difference, if it does not then I will get back to less raw. I know I can not have gluten/weat, dairy and sugar food so I need to find a good food without that.

Good luck and keep us posted to see how you are doing.

[soymilk]

It might be wise to talk to a dietician and find out if you can meet all your nutritional needs as a raw vegan. But I'm not going to suggest that you compromise your morals just because you're on a restrictive diet. My doctors suggested that I start eating meat again when I was diagnosed with IC, and there's no way that will ever happen. Sometimes my diet is a little boring but I'm meeting all my nutritional needs.

And I just have to say... the phrase "cruelty free meat" doesn't make sense. You have to kill it in order to eat it, right?

[pebble]

thank you all for the advice! I will ask my PCP to recommend a dietician to talk to. I think my dilemma is my quality of life... I need to find some relief from IC pain, but also not eat foods that don't appeal to me, being all of those foods that aren't currently in my diet. I have made a few changes though here and there that I can definitely live with. for fruits, I'm just having blueberries, apples (the sweeter varieties instead of tart), coconut water, and dates. I have almonds and carrots and button mushrooms and celery as snacks. Haven't figured out how to make a salad dressing I'd like without vinegar, but I'm sure I'll find one soon. I'm finding it's just difficult to switch over from all raw to all IC, but I certainly will try to find the best possible compromise between the two that doesn't feel so uncomfortable to me. really big to all!