I was able to eat chicken for years, and now all of a sudden I can't eat it anymore.  I always had problems eating turkey.  Chicken really flares me now, so there goes even the chicken soup.  Most fish have mercury.  There are some that contain more mercury than others, like tuna for instance.  Salmon bothers me some too, both bladder and GI tract, but I can eat it in small amounts.  I mostly eat haddock, flounder, and cod, but I just tried one called Barramundi.  It was good and is also high in omega 3.  Not really sure how I did on it.  After eating it twice now I flared once on it and the next time I didn't flare.  Sometimes I can't tell what flares my bladder. You can check out which fishes are high in mercury on the internet.  I think swordfish and mackerel were also high in mercury.  There are other pollutants in fish as well, but we have to eat something.  Tilapia can cause problems in people who have inflammation.  There was a post awhle back about that.  Good luck!

I also flare pretty badly from chicken.  It took me a long to figure out that it was happening. I think the reason is what the chickens are eating like soy, corn, flax, etc.  l tried different brands and still flared from it.  I guess the good news is being able to figure out what is causing the flare.  I just realized that brown rice was killing me after eating it everyday for 2 years.  Every time I figure out a new cause of flaring I want to cry.  it's hard eliminating foods from an already limited diet.  I miss yummy food but can't handle being in pain anymore.  

Hi Mel,  I also went through a period of time that all of a sudden I could not tolerate chicken and I did not know why. My hypothesis is the source is in the chicken feed, antibiotics or hormones.  I was eating one brand of chicken but then I switched to Rosie at one point (used to be sold at Whole foods, not sure if it still is), and I started having issues that I traced back to the chicken. I seemed to be having a problem with the Organic and more expensive Rosie chickens, but OK with the Rocky brand which ironically was much less expensive and supposedly not organic. I also noticed a differrence in the taste and asked the butcher what the difference was. He told me that the Rosie's are fed only soy, and the Rocky brand are fed a combination of corn and other foods. So in my case, my hypothesis was that it was the soy in the feed. I also ate beef at a friend's home and had the same issue but worse reaction She showed me exactly what she cooked the beef with and it was all Matia approved ingredients, I just could not get it. I had the worst brain fog everytime I ate the beef, as well as all sorts of Candida related issues.  Almost all the meats sold in markets claim to be antibiotic and hormone free but many of them are far cheaper then others. Sometimes I feel if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I am not an expert on food regulation but I have a gut feeling that many of the meat suppliers are somehow using loopholes to be able to claim that they are antibiotic and hormone free when in fact they are not.  For example, here in Israel I found out that chicken growers can claim their eggs are antibiotic free if the chickens are only given antibiotics when they are sick not as a preventivie in their food or water. I also have heard of loopholes by placing hormones or supplements in their food or water that sometimes they can get around claiming that they have been treated, when no injections have taken place.  My advice is to get in contact with local growers if possible. You can start by local farmer's markets. Othewise find a really knowledgeable butcher. I wrote another post  before about a really good butcher. He is a very knowledgeable and nice guy. You can contact him and maybe he might be able to refer you to someone in your area. (I found his prices to be the same or cheaper in many cases then Whole Foods also). There are also foodie forums such as Chowhound and Eullet that might be able to refer you to Organic pasture or grass fed, antibiotic free meat.  I hope this helps in some way  

Hi! The non free range chickens as you guessed it already being fed, well being fed period, produce arachidonic acid.  Even some of the free range chickens don't get to eat the best food sources they can find, like bugs which is the best nutrition for them and the consumer.Is your blood type B?I know eastern medicine does not concur with the blood type and I eat plenty of things that are not for my blood type because I am supposed to be a vegetarian.  I am curious though.  My husband's favorite food is chicken and ironically it is the one protein that really isn't supposed to be good for B blood types.Thanks!

i can't eat chicken either it drives me nuts. i have tried all different brands. the weird thing is i can have the health valley chicken broth. i am assuming it is what the chickens are fed and if i had my own that i could eat them. i have found some egg brands to be better then others as well so that again tells me it's what they are eating. i don't think i could slotter my own chicken :/ I do however plan to raise chickens for the eggs as soon as i can get a coop built. i have been meaning to do this for about a yr now. I plan on feeding them whole buckwheat, popcorn, alfafa grass mostly. oh btw i am also type 0

Legally, "free range" only means that the chickens do not live in battery cages. It doesn't mean they necessarily have access to the outdoors. Frequently, and this I found depressing, free range simply means there are thousands of chickens in a barn with no access to sunlight/outside, etc. The only label, per se, that really means the chickens would have access to bugs/grass is "Pastured Poultry."
You can also go to the website eatwild.com to find local farmers in your area that sell eggs, meat, milk, etc. Localharvest.org also has a farm directory.

uggg how missleading thank you for the news :( No wonder . the koop i have started to build for my chicks is 5x 10 and i only plan to let them nest and sleep in there they will be able to walk around my garden. i am looking forward to the compost to inrich my soil and have nice big  veggies. i have learned growing veggies takes a long time so i must not have enough in my soil i need to feed my plants more. i want to make some compost tea but i have not had the energy.

This is insane.  How are we supposed to know what is safe to eat?  I don't tolerate brown rice either, and the list of what I do tolerate gets smaller and smaller all the time.  I'm already on a bare bones diet.  It's frustrating.

Mel;I guess we just have to do the best we can with what we have.  We can't worry about everything we put in our mouths.  How do we even know that chickens who eat just bugs wouldn't bother our bladders?  Nobody with IC has tried eating just bugs to see how we do.  LOL   I eat a lot of fish, and I know fish have pollutants in them because people are polluting the rivers, streams and oceans.  It makes a person feel helpless, because the people who are doing the polluting are the people with the money.  Money makes the world go around, etc. 

I am actually in the midst of doing a research paper for school about how the federal food regulations and practices that are in place to supposedly protect the public are, in fact, hurting the public. A really interesting read on this topic is a book by Joel Salatin called "Everything I Want to Do is Illegal." Broadly speaking, it is hard to not feel as though the USDA and FDA are more interested in protecting corporate interests than the public interest. Another really interesting read on how messed up our society is in regards to nutrition is "Food Politics" by Marion Nestle.
I think the best way to find safe food is to go through Buying Clubs, or CSAs (community supported agriculture), or farmers' markerts where you directly interact with the people raising/growing your food. You can find out exactly what they are feeding the chickens, cows, lambs, etc, and I suspect if you explained to them your sensitivities, they would be happy to accommodate you. For instance, if you told them you only wanted chickens fed specific things, or not fed specific things, and you agreed to buy so many chickens (say, 20-30), chances are they would be happy to help you out. I know it's an extra step, but I think it's worth it.

Hey all,I was just reading all these posts and I think i've recommended this before, but you should think about picking up The Omnivore's Dilemma. It is one of the best books I've read as far as clear information regarding our industrial food system. Not only is it invaluable information in order to make good choices, but it's also simultaneously just a great read. Read it, you won't regret it!! Oh, and I haven't really eaten chicken in quite some time because organic is more expensive than good grass-fed beef and I also learned far too much about the industry to eat it. I trust where the beef/lamb i'm buying is coming from (nearby!) waaay more. It takes some work, but usually there's somewhere close-by where you can find a reliable and humane source for meat products! good luck with the hunt...  ohh and also, meat is like vegetables.... seasonal. as americans we're used to getting everything food-wise whenever we want, but that's not how nature works. you freeze meat, but in terms of raising/butchering everything follows the seasons. the book explains this too... super information... info we should know and have lost touch with in our industrial food system.