Interstitial cystitis (IC) inovlves pain, discomfort or pressure in the pelvis, related to the bladder. Patients usually experience the persistent urge to go to the bathroom. Men, women and children can have IC, but women are the most commonly affected group. According to Interstitial Cystitis Association, three to eight million women in the United States may be living with the condition. Many people who have IC are forced to live with chronic, severe pain. They compare the pain to being stabbed or cut with razors. Diet modification is one of the best ways for sufferers to find relief.
Determining Acceptable Foods
The Simple Exclusion Diet allows you to figure out which foods are trigger foods. It works best if your body reacts to food quickly and obviously. Start by completely avoiding three foods, A, B and C, for at least a week. Three weeks should be the maximum amount of time. If your IC symptoms subside during that period, reintroduce the foods one at a time. Start eating small amounts of food A and if your symptoms don't worsen, eat normal amounts the rest of the week. If you notice the symptoms return or get worse, stop eating food A. The following week, go through the same process with food B and then food C. Write down the reactions you have to each food. This will allow you to make a definitive list of the foods you need to avoid.
The Empirical Elimination Diet is ideal if you suspect that food is causing you health problems but you're not sure which foods are the issue. Make a list of the foods that are known to pose problems to people with IC. Foods that commonly cause allergic problems include peanuts, eggs, milk, tree nuts, fish, wheat and crustaceans. Citrus, melons, chocolate, soy beans and corn may also cause problems. People who have vulvodynia should also add high-oxalate foods such as green bell peppers, eggplant, wheat germ, black pepper and citrus peels to their list of foods to avoid. Likewise, IC patients with irritable bowel syndrome should add sorbitol, high fructose corn syrup, fructose and foods high in saturated fat to their food list. Stop eating all the food on the suspect list for a period of a week or so. Gradually start eating them again, monitoring your symptoms.
Low-Sodium Choices
Use nutrition labels when planning low-sodium meals. Many foods, especially prepackaged meals, contain much more sodium than you may expect. Foods with low sodium have less than 140 mg per serving. Foods with no sodium have less than 5 mg of sodium per serving. When on a low-sodium diet, keep track of how much you eat and consume less than 2,000 mg or 2 gm of sodium per day. Foods that contain higher amounts of sodium include ham, eggs, tuna, cottage cheese and American cheese. The Cleveland Clinic has a list of sample sodium amounts and guidelines.
Cooking
Cook with chicken broth or beef broth that contains smaller amounts of sodium and no monosodium glutamate (MSG). Most soups and broth do have MSG but some brands, including Health Valley, Hain and Campbell's Healthy Request, are MSG free. Broth can be used for much more than making soup. You can use it in stir fry, pasta mixes and when you saute meats and vegetables.
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