Should You Follow The ‘IC Diet’?
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Key Takeaways From My Experience With ‘Interstitial Cystitis’
After having suffered for two years of what I now understand was ‘Interstitial Cystitis’, years of researching and writing about bladder health and working with clients who suffer from chronic bladder issues I’ve gathered some key points to consider.
If you don’t want to read through all the information I have compiled on this blog, I think this could be a good starting point for anyone afflicted with these problems.
Oxalates and Interstitial Cystitis
Oxalates are the salt form of oxalic acid, an acid that is found in many plant foods and can also be produced in the body.
Oxalic acid can form oxalate crystals when binding to minerals such as calcium. When deposited in the body, these can cause a lot of pain, similar to tiny glass shards.
This is probably most well-known with regards to kidney stones, which can often be oxalate/calcium stones.
There is also some evidence that excess oxalates could play a role in painful bladder conditions, such as interstitial cystitis. However, this evidence is more anecdotal than based on scientific studies (as there haven’t been any studies that I know of). Today I would like to look at some potential connections between oxalates and interstitial cystitis.
Could These Amino Acids Be Triggering Your Interstitial Cystitis?
Amino acids are derived from protein and they are the main building blocks in the body. For example, they are used to make hormones, neurotransmitters and enzymes. Some of them are essential, meaning they need to be taken in from the diet, whilst the others can be manufactured in the body.
As you hopefully can see from the above, amino acids are pretty important. But some of them can become problematic for people with bladder pain. These are tyrosine, tryptophan, tyramine and phenylalanine (called the ‘arylalkylamines’).
My Year on the GAPS Diet
Some of you have probably read my story on how I healed for interstitial cystitis and have seen me mention that the GAPS diet played a role in this.
Today I’d like to share a bit more about my experience with this diet – this is an old post from another blog of mine (that I have since abandoned) but since I’ve gotten a couple of questions about my experience with GAPS I thought it would be good to share it here again.
Chicken Courgetti Soup
Chicken courgetti soup is a great grain-free and IC-friendly replacement for traditional chicken noodle soup. It includes bone broth, a great food for the bladder.
The Interstitial Cystitis Diet
The Interstitial Cystitis Diet
Interstitial cystitis is a functional disorder and as such may have different causes. But most chronic orders are linked to diet and lifestyle to some degree.
Our bodies need the right building blocks to carry out repair and maintenance functions. These building blocks are nutrients, found in natural foods.