Acidic and Alkaline Foods for a Balanced Interstitial Cystitis Diet
There has always been a very direct link between IC (also known as Interstitial Cystitis) and diet.
Interstitial Cystitis is a hardening of the bladder and the eroding of the bladder lining wall.
What you eat has a direct result on how bad you’ll feel and how long your flares (or increased symptomatic days) will be. There are some foods that are more acidic than others, these should be decreased in the diet, while some foods are more alkaline and can decrease the acid in your urine. Knowing what foods are what will help you have more good days and less flare days.
Some patients will want to buy pH strips and test their urine to see how acidic it is. Others can just try to drink enough water to keep their urine as close to clear as it can be, this will cut down on the uric acid concentration in your output. Either method will be fine, doing BOTH will help you out more than you’ll realize.
Some Acidic Foods
Colas, other carbonated beverages
Alcoholic drinks
Coffee and other caffeinated beverages
Sweetened yogurt
Sweeteners
Table salt
Soy sauce
Meat and Fish
Rice
Oats, Rye, Wheat, Wheat germ, Bran, Cornmeal
Popcorn
Pastas
Breads and other grain products, crackers, pastries
Pinto, Navy, Garbanzo, red, white, black beans
Cheese
Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds
Walnuts, pecans, cashews, dried coconut, pistachios, filberts, brazil nuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts
Mustard, Ketchup, Mayonnaise, White vinegar
Nutmeg
Some Alkaline Foods
Almonds, pignoli, fresh coconut, chestnuts
Alfalfa sprouts, radish sprouts, chia sprouts
Unsprouted sesame
Unsalted butter
Milk, cream, goat’s milk
Eggs
Vegetables (except peppers and beets)
Fruits (except for blueberries, plums, prunes, and cranberries)
String, soy, lima, green, and snap beans
Peas
Potatoes
Arrowroot Flour
Flax, millet, quinoa, and amaranth
Most herbal teas
Garlic, cayenne, gelatin, most herbs, most spices, vanilla extract
Miso
Most vegetable and unprocessed sea salt
Brewer’s yeast
Unprocessed cold-pressed oils
Whey
Plain yogurt
Raw unpasteurized honey, dried sugar cane juice, brown rice syrup
Fruit juices, vegetable juices
