The I/C diet

My medical conditions  require me to take really good care of myself. One of the things I do is follow a special diet. I follow whats known as the IC diet, this diet eliminates acidic foods, preservatives and foods that irritate the bladder. When I don't follow this diet I have extremely painful flare ups of Interstitial Cystitis . I have been following this diet on and off for about 4 years now. I haven't been very good at eliminating all irritating ingredients and my symptoms have reflected this, so yesterday as a sort of new year resolution I started on the IC diet and vowed to stick to it for at least two weeks before I begin adding foods back into my diet.

update 6/23/2014
I have been following the ic diet now for nearly six months. I can tell a noticeable difference immediately if i stray from my diet. In addition to this diet i have also omitted all red meats. I am currently working on eliminating dairy, sugar , grains , carbohydrates , and high sugar fruits from my diet. I am making these new changes because i believe that I may have a imbalance of intestinal flora that could be contributing to my symptoms.

Today I wanted to share a yummy IC safe recipe from http://www.interstitialcystitis.me/ 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

• Ready in: 40 minutes
• Serves: 6
• Complexity: very easy

Ingredients

• 10-ounce bag fresh spinach
• 12 ounces (3/4 block) fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella, shredded
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Tear the spinach into bite-size pieces, removing any thick stems. Rinse in a colander, leaving a little water on the leaves.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the spinach over medium heat until wilted. Drain in a colander, pressing all of the extra water out.
4. In a large mixing bowl, soften the cream cheeses with a potato masher. Add the spinach, mozzarella, artichokes, and garlic. Stir everything until thoroughly combined.
5. Pour the mixture into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.