I developed the ICAMA diet plan over the years that I have been developing the treatment of this condition. This diet has proven to be a very useful tool in stabilizing the countless variables that could occur in treatment otherwise. 

It is very easy for a patient's symptoms to be completely out of control as this very difficult treatment progresses. Using the diet helps to control those factors and allow supplements to work that would not be able to in the absence of such a diet. Even the healthiest of nutrients can encourage inflammation-yes, nutrients. So, we are not only withholding certain substances that can create imbalance due to the fact that they are not healthy, but, we are withholding many vitamins as they themselves can contribute and complicate the inflammatory state of IC.

Early in the development of my treatment program of IC, I began to realize that this treatment just does not work for vegetarians. First, it is very hard, due to the fact that many of the foods that vegetarians need to thrive on create pain and must be withheld until well into the treatment. Second, some, such as soy products will actually make the person go backwards in treatment and prevent them from ever getting well in my experience and in the case of soy, should be almost completely abstained from.

What becomes more complicated is that those who do not eat red meat, may not do as well as those who do. I have recently been asked if there are specific nutrients in red meat that can not be consumed in any other food. No, not exactly, but, perhaps yes at the same time. There are no specific nutrients exclusive to red meat, but rather, the assimilation of those nutrients may be much more effective. 

Red meat contains a large amount of b12, which, is typically needed in chronic conditions such as IC, but, cannot be consumed in the form of supplementation due to its ability to exacerbate inflammation. Perhaps it has to do with this. But, I think it is something more to do with the high animal protein content that seems to affect people in a positive way that a vegetarian diet does not. This is also the case when one compares the consumption of red meat to seafood or poultry to red meat. Of late, I have added red meat as a requirement to entering this program to optimize results. If you are in this program and you don't eat it, please consider doing so to what ever degree you possibly can. 

Those who have IC have lost the ability to balance the pH at neutral due to being chronically ill. One big task in getting the patient having IC in proper balance again is not purposefully feeding it an alkaline diet as many consider to be the case, but rather to get the body functioning in a way that it re-regulates it itself. Eating red meat, in my opinion is a big part of this process. Eating meat, starches and vegetables proportionately to each other offers the body a balance which helps to rebuild the body and over time correct the imbalances that have been created over time.

As time continues, higher consumption of red meat is not necessary, but, I do recommend eating it regularly-a few times per week.

I personally am not coming from a place of judgement. I was a vegetarian for years. I understand the thoughts and emotions behind eating in this way. I am not here to decide what is right or wrong for any person. I just understand what is right or wrong for this treatment and do not want to create false expectations for this treatment to work in the face of factors working against it. I also understand what kinds of conditions stem from various types of diets, and I do see many vegetarians who become ill in this way.

I hope this addresses all of your questions. IF you have more, please post them as comments here and I will get to them just as soon as I can.