Healing with food

Tomorrow, I start a new diet recommended by Matia Brizman, a doctor of classical Chinese medicine practicing acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in Los Angeles who treats IC patients using her own integrative approach between classical Chinese and Western medicine.  The diet is prescribed in order to stabilize the internal environment from pain, inflammation, and microbial overgrowth.  At the beginning, the diet is most restrictive, and is broadened as the person improves his or her condition.  I'll be starting with List 1 (the most restrictive), for about 3-4 weeks, then adding 1 food at a time from list 2 (to see if they are irritating my bladder).  If the food irritates, I will take it out, go back to list 1 for a while, then add another and repeat.  

List 1 includes the following:

Protein:
Most fresh red meats, including pork, lamb, fish, and fowl, eggs (NON OMEGA FED AND VEGETARIAN FED EGGS). Cheese should be withheld initially.

Vegetables:
Broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, yellow squash, green cabbage, red cabbage, Chinese cabbage.

Fats:
Butter, olive oil (not extra virgin) is best to cook with and use in salads
canola oil is fine in ingredients of pre prepared food bought at the store.

Starch:
Potatoes, rice brown or basmati, white OK, but last choice. Bread: yeast and sugar free (spelt/kamut/rice preferably, rice cakes, rice crackers. Grains are often not well tolerated in patients at the early onset of treatment. If a grain is not tolerated, remove it from the diet, and try again after a period of abstinence approximating 4 weeks.

Spices:
Garlic powder that is pure without additives (eat cautiously, sometimes this is too strong for beginners), dried basil, salt (usually tolerated in most individuals). Salad dressing should be olive oil, dill, garlic powder (pure), basil.

Drinks: water, preferably spring, not distilled, low minerals.

Headed off to El Cerrito Natural to buy the veggies, spices, and the yeast-free, sugar-free bread for tommorrow!