The IC Diet is another name for the Interstitial Cystitis Diet, a program of dietary principles that is often used to help control pain and other symptoms caused by the chronic bladder condition known as interstitial cystitis. The IC Diet specifies certain foods that should be tried and others that should be avoided as much as possible; one of these cautionary foods is pineapple, especially pineapple juice.
Interstitial Cystitis
Interstitial cystitis, also known by the name painful bladder syndrome, is a bladder condition that causes sharp or burning pain in the bladder or pelvis, an uncomfortable sensation of pressure in the lower abdomen, the need to urinate repeatedly throughout the day and night and pain during sexual activities. The exact cause of interstitial cystitis is not known, and while there are a number of medical treatments for dealing with the condition --- surgery, drugs and electrical nerve stimulation --- not all methods work for different patients. According to the Mayo Clinic, however, many sufferers find that adhering to the IC Diet can help alleviate the condition's symptoms.
IC Diet Guidelines
The purpose of the IC Diet is to help interstitial cystitis sufferers identify which foods trigger their symptoms to increase. In the diet's initial phase, you are advised to eat only what are known as "bladder-friendly" foods --- foods that the majority of people with interstitial cystitis can eat without experiencing symptoms --- for a minimum of two weeks until most of the condition's symptoms have decreased significantly. At the end of that time, you can begin adding in small portions of individual recommended foods over a period of days to test whether that food causes your symptoms to return. If it does, return to the bladder-friendly foods until the effects decrease. The IC Diet also includes a list of cautionary foods that should be avoided since they are common aggravators of interstitial cystitis; these foods fall into four categories: caffeine in any form, including beverages or chocolate; carbonated drinks; foods rich in vitamin C and any citrus products.
IC Diet and Pineapple
Pineapple is rich in vitamin C and citric acid and, according to the Nutraconsults.com site, is one of the fruits that individuals on an IC Diet should strictly avoid when they are trying to decrease their symptom flare-ups and identify which foods they can successfully eat without experiencing pain. The high concentration of citric acid contained in pineapple irritates and further inflames bladder nerves that are already inflamed by urine leaking into damaged bladder cell wall tissues.
Recommended and Non-Recommended Foods
The most common bladder-friendly foods on the IC Diet include plain milk; herbal teas; whole grain products, including breads, cereals and pastas that have not been heavily processed; nuts; eggs; lean, unprocessed meats like seafood, poultry and beef; fresh, unprocessed cheese; fruits like apples, pears and watermelon; and fresh vegetables that have not been fermented or pickled. Herbs and spices that do not contain preservatives or that are used to add heat to dishes are also considered bladder-friendly. The foods that followers of the IC Diet should avoid include any type of processed item, all aged cheeses, desserts and sweets of all kinds, tomato products, coffee, green and black tea and all types of fruit juices, but especially those from fruits like pineapples, lemons, oranges or cranberries.
Considerations
A properly conducted IC Diet can not only take months to complete as you rotate through different items in various food groups, searching for the ones that aggravate your interstitial cystitis symptoms, it can also be difficult for you to manipulate your diet in a way that still ensures you receive the proper amount of lean protein, dairy products, grains and produce. To make matters even more complicated, it may be preservatives and artificial additives in foods that cause your symptoms to act up and not the food at all. You will achieve the most success with an IC Diet if you speak first with both your physician and a registered dietitian before beginning the program.
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