Favorite Summer Drinks – Italian Sodas

Enjoy A Soda Again, Italian Style

Does Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper or SevenUp trigger a flare? Are you desperate for something similar that WON’T irritate your bladder?? Let me introduce you to an Italian Soda, which is a lighter, more refreshing soda without the acids, caffeine and irritation caused by retail brands.

There are dozens of bladder friendly flavors available at specialty markets and on-line. Obviously, you’ll need to avoid sugar free syrups and strong citrus flavors like lemon, lime and orange. One of the best parts of making italian sodas is playing with different flavors and recipes. I, for one, love using a combination of coconut and mango or guava. It’s like being in Hawaii again. Berry flavors are very popular among IC and bladder pain patients as well.

Please note that most flavorings do contain a very small amount of citric or malic acid to stabilize the syrup. These are in very small quantities and vary by production run. This is easily resolved with water. Italian sodas should have a pale blush of color, roughly 1/2 a shot of flavoring per large glass of your choice of water, sparkling or not. If it’s dark, you’ve used too much flavoring and are getting an overdose of sugar and acid! If you’re still a little diet sensitive, a tab of Prelief® can reduce yet more acid. Serve over ice and enjoy!

Bladder Friendly Flavors from DaVinci Gourmet!

Enjoy!

By Jill Osborne|2024-08-27T11:21:13-07:00June 21st, 2024|IC Diet Project, Our Blog|Comments Off

About the Author: Jill Osborne

My Google Profile+ Jill Heidi Osborne is the president and founder of the Interstitial Cystitis Network, a health education company dedicated to interstitial cystitis, bladder pain syndrome and other pelvic pain disorders. As the editor and lead author of the ICN and the IC Optimist magazine, Jill is proud of the academic recognition that her website has achieved. The University of London rated the ICN as the top IC website for accuracy, credibility, readability and quality. (Int Urogynecol J - April 2013). Harvard Medical School rated both Medscape and the ICN as the top two websites dedicated to IC. (Urology - Sept 11). For many years, Jill served on the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Panel (US Army) where she collaborated with researchers to evaluate new IC research studies for possible funding. Jill has conducted and/or collaborates on a variety of IC research studies on new therapeutics, pain care, sexuality, the use of medical marijuana, menopause and the cost of treatments, shining a light on issues that influence patient quality of life. An IC support group leader and national spokesperson for the past 20 years, she has represented the IC community on radio, TV shows, at medical conferences. She has written hundreds of articles on IC and its related conditions. Jill has a Bachelors Degree in Pharmacology and a Masters in Psychology, Jill was named Presidential Management Intern (aka Fellowship) while in graduate school. (She was unable to earn her PhD due to the onset of her IC.) She spends the majority of her time providing WELLNESS COACHING for patients in need and developing new, internet based educational and support tools for IC patients, including new live IC Support Group Meetings via Youtube and the “Living with IC” video series. Jill was diagnosed with IC at the age of 32 but first showed symptoms at the age of 12.