No soy milk? Huh?

[heybrej]

I was just reading the IC diet PDF (http://www.ic-network.com/diet/2009icdietlist.pdf) and saw that soy milk was on the "caution" list. I'm surprised. Do we know why this is?

I know this sounds silly, but I'm mourning my daily soy chai latte I have literally had one every single day for the past few years. I get my caffeine fix and I really enjoy it and find it comforting. I am lactose intolerant so my drink was always made with soy. Today is my first day without it. I'm going to give it a week or two to see if it was causing me additional discomfort.

Any time I eat cereal I also use soy milk. Should I switch to the lactose free milk instead?

Oh boy....no wonder my bladder isn't happy

[ICNDonna]

I hope you're at least using low acid coffee --- regular coffee means a flare for most ICers. You might also try rice milk or almond milk. If you can tolerate lactose free milk, that may be your best choice.

Good luck!
Donna

[heybrej]

Thanks Donna....chai is actually a type of black tea Also a no-no, so today is my 2nd day without it (or any caffeine at all for that matter!)

I just wonder what it is about soy that would irritate the bladder? It seems like a standard veggie, you know? I also love eating edamame (soy beans) so I'm bummed.

[wagamama]

Thanks Donna....chai is actually a type of black tea Also a no-no, so today is my 2nd day without it (or any caffeine at all for that matter!)

I just wonder what it is about soy that would irritate the bladder? It seems like a standard veggie, you know? I also love eating edamame (soy beans) so I'm bummed.

There are a lot of theories why soy is a problem. One is that foods that contain soy are many times fermented, and the by-products of fermentation can be problematic for those with IC.

The other theory is that because soy contains phyto-estrogens, it can mess with your hormones in a way that can worsen your IC.

I would recommend trying an alternate milk to see if stopping the soy might help you out. I make iced coffee at home with low-acid, decaf coffee and plain or vanilla rice milk. For chai, you might find a tea substitute that has some spice to it but doesn't have black tea. There are some brands of herbal teas from Pukka that might fit the bill. One is their after dinner tea which has fennel, chicory and cardamom. (Cardamom's not on the IC diet list, so I sort of had to experiment with that one.) I've been able to drink it with no issues. They also make a vanilla chai that contains no tea, but does have cinnamon bark, ginger root, licorice root, cardamom, fennel, and vanilla pod.

I have learned that there is almost always a work-around when something you love is a no-no. You may find that giving up the daily chai could help you feel better.

[ICNDonna]

Oops! Didn't see the "chai" --- if you're drinking tea, that could be more of a problem than the soy milk.

Donna

[soymilk]

Whoo, chai is NOT something I can tolerate. Black tea combined with black pepper? It's delicious but it's a nightmare on my bladder. I think that's probably more of an issue than the soy.

Soymilk doesn't seem to bother me; I still drink it if I'm at a Starbucks with friends and want something hot. (Hazelnut steamers, yum.) But for my daily beverage I have switched to almond milk on doctor's orders.

[Julie B]

Not sure we know exactly why, but it definitely bothers most IC patients. I was in denial about soy for a long time, but then I took a chance and removed it from my diet. BIG difference.

Have you tried almond milk as an alternative?

[h808]

aaaahhh no soy chaiiiiiiiiii?? i LOVE soy chais. shoot. k, so i thought i read somewhere that vanilla frappuccinos were okay. i always thought those were bad for you though. blah. i guess that have sugar-free ones though yeah? can anybody vouch for the frapps or have any other suggestions?

[chey]

I had the worst flare with black tea, but soy is actually fine for me. See if you're actually doing poorly with soy, because IC is strange in that we're all different and don't necessarily react the same.

And yes, there are so many other milks: rice, almond, hemp, hazelnut, coconut. I've really liked almond the most.

[fuzzyclouds]

aaaahhh no soy chaiiiiiiiiii?? i LOVE soy chais. shoot. k, so i thought i read somewhere that vanilla frappuccinos were okay. i always thought those were bad for you though. blah. i guess that have sugar-free ones though yeah? can anybody vouch for the frapps or have any other suggestions?

Careful with sugar-free... U are better off making your own with honey than ingesting artificial sugars which can cause some major flare ups for some...

[fuzzyclouds]

I was just reading the IC diet PDF (http://www.ic-network.com/diet/2009icdietlist.pdf) and saw that soy milk was on the "caution" list. I'm surprised. Do we know why this is?

I know this sounds silly, but I'm mourning my daily soy chai latte I have literally had one every single day for the past few years. I get my caffeine fix and I really enjoy it and find it comforting. I am lactose intolerant so my drink was always made with soy. Today is my first day without it. I'm going to give it a week or two to see if it was causing me additional discomfort.

Any time I eat cereal I also use soy milk. Should I switch to the lactose free milk instead?

Oh boy....no wonder my bladder isn't happy

Careful with lactose free milk as its still cow's milk... Some people are still sensitive to it for that reason. Almond milk is your best bet... Try options of making ur drink at home... And i think you'll feel better off the caffeine as that is an irritant for most. Play around with low acid coffee and almond milk! Youll find an alternative

[Julie B]

Are you lactose intolerant? That would be the only reason I see to drink the lactose-free milk. Although some people with bowel problems might want to try to see if they feel better off of dairy, eliminating dairy isn't necessary on an IC diet. If anything you might want to try organic milk or ask if your grocery store stocks hormone/antibiotic free milk.

Good luck! Once you start feeling better you won't miss the ouchy foods as much! You will just be glad to feel better!

[Christina2011]

I used to drink soy milk also. Loved it! I have switched to almond milk now and love it just as much. i also drink rice milk. My favorite is to mix almond milk, rice milk, stevia, & a Tbsp of carob powder in my blender. Blend it up and enjoy. Just like chocolate milk. I will also take some vanilla frozen yogurt, rice milk, & carob chips, blend it and IT IS JUST LIKE CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM!! Yum! You also might try Teeccino products, I believe that they have a chai latte & all of their products contain no tea or coffee. Some ICers do flare with Teeccino & some do not so experiment with caution, I seem to do ok with one cup but, it does give me urgency if I drink more than that. I haven't quite figured out which ingredient does not agree with me. Hope you find your fix that works for you![/U][/U]

[h808]

cool, thanks christina!

[ABliske]

Have you tried Pero, Inka, Cafix or any of the caffiene free barely drinks that mimic the flavor of coffee. I love that stuff! I don't miss coffee that much anymore!