These days, there are many thoughts in diets for health. We think there is validity and truth to many of them. The problem is, one could dissect each diet and argue for both sides. We believe the most important concept in health is the truth that we each are individuals and therefore respond differently in even given identical circumstances. Finding what works best for youand what resonates with your thinking is important and ifextra help is needed, we are here for you.
Our diet concept is based on our 24 years of working with IC and chronic illness. The idea is to withhold certain foods early on that either encourage inflammation by feeding microbial overgrowth (the dynamic that causes chronic inflammation and illness) or contains nutrients that cause pain for other reasons. By implemeting this kind of control, the stage charts allow the body to be controlled while the person is able to take supplements and reduce inflammation enough to move on to the next level until eventually all foods are reimplemented without a pain reaction.
We at ICAMA are not here to judge you. Should you feel a vegan, vegetarian, carnivorous, or any of the more circulated diets of today are good for you and your own individual body, we will do our best to work with what it is you are trying to do. Should you be eating a diet that does not include animal products, or only limited animal products, we suggest focusing on at least diet level 2, if not 3, whereas, if you are highly symptomatic and eating animal products, it may be wise to start at list 1 at the beginning. The idea is to go through these stages while taking supplements and working on lifestyle changes. Each stage is used to support the body nutritionally while discouraging flaring. This gives the body the ability to reduce microbial overgrowth and therefore its inflammation while ingesting nutrients it can then take and utilize more efficiently. IF too much nutrition is given too soon, that nutrition becomes food for the inflammation instead of healthy cells.
ICAMA Diet
Vegetarians and vegans- our body of knowledge over these last 25 years has been based on an animal protein diet. We have continued to communicate, however, that our spiritual beliefs and our clinical beliefs are in conflict. After so many years of practice, we feel are now opening our practice to vegans and vegetarians in an effort to apply and adjust our methods to those dietary practices even though we have found this to be a very difficult challenge in the past. It is our thinking that because we have had so many years of experience that we may be able to successfully treat those eating in this way. We at ICAMA are animal lovers! We would love to see success with this new application of our methods.
Generally, meals should be broken out as follows:
We have noticed that meals broken down as follows work best: ¼ protein, ¼ starch and ½ vegetables. If you are too thin already, then amounts should be 1/3 protein 1/3 starch and 1/3 veggies.
PLEASE NOTE: THE MAJORITY OF OUR 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IS BASED ON NON-VEGETARIAN DIET. WE HAVE ADDED A VEGETARIAN BASED STAGE 1-5 ALTERNATIVE FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS ONLY IN AN EFFORT TO HELP MORE PEOPLE WITH THESE DIETARY PRACTICES.
Stage 1
Protein: STANDARD STAGE 1: most fresh red meats, lamb, fish and shellfish, and fowl, eggs (NON OMEGA RICH EGGS) avoid pork, milk and cheese (although mozzarella may be ok) should be withheld initially. If eating meat, PLEASE find a local farmer and do not support factory farms. They practice unecessary cruelty. The closest thing to humane farming is small local. FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS: Black beans, and white beans, almonds, cashews, pea milk (Ripple Zero Sugar is a great one) home-made almond milk, cashew milk.
Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumbers, celery, yellow squash, zuchinni, green cabbage, red cabbage, Chinese cabbage.
Fats: Butter, olive oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil. Earth Balance butter.
Starch: Although we more often recommend a gluten free and grain free diet for those suffering from severe imbalance at stage one, we find that some patients do well with small amounts of grain. In these cases, we recommend basmati rice at this early stage, but no other grains or gluten. For others: potatoes is a good beginner choice.
Rice, as with many grains, in some, can aggravate the GUT wall. For this reason, we do not recommend eating a high percentage or frequency of gains products. Furthermore, rice is one of some crops that contain higher amounts of arsenic from the earth. Arsenic is toxic and the body is not efficient at excreting it. For this reason, we recommend smaller amounts of rice. However, some people tend to do better with rice than root vegetables such as potatoes or squashes. In those that find that to be true for them, we do recommend using rice as a starch in early stages of IC in order to get enough to sustain the body. Later, when more food is added in, the amount may be reduced. Regardless, non vegetable starches should be limited to approximately 15% of the meal per meal.
Spices: garlic powder that is pure without additives (eat cautiously, sometimes this is too strong for beginners), do not use cooked whole garlic until list 2, dried basil, sea salt or pink salt (usually tolerated in most individuals).
Great Salad Dressing: olive oil, garlic powder (pure), and try adding a little dried basil for extra flavor. Later stages add lemon.
Drinks: Filtered Water: as awareness regarding climate issues and waste, although we have recommended bottled spring water in the past, and continue to do so, we are working hard on being able to recommend filtration systems we can feel good about. Good quality water is critical to health! Black tea made with the water that works best for you.
If you are a coffee drinker, please choose french roast (it is best tolerated) we also recommend organic coffee only! Please make your coffee with the water you are finding works best for you. Please only use a drip coffee maker or french press.
Stage 2
All foods in Stage 1, PLUS:
Protein: STANDARD STAGE 2: small amounts of provolone cheese, mozzarella cheese (not the kind packed in water, bacteria can grow in this)
Vegetables: asparagus, arugula, artichokes, all cabbages, brocolli rabe, brocollini, endives, escarole, collard greens, chard, kale, brussel sprouts,
spinach, zuchinni, bell peppers-yellow first, then red and cooked first-if ok cooked then try raw, avocado (technically a fruit), cooked onions in small quantities.
FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS: vegan cheese if you can find one that is safe ingredients, peas.
Fats: No change.
Starch: Add quinoa, buckwheat, millet, quinoa pasta, buckwheat pasta, almond pasta, bean pasta.
Drinks: add in green tea
Stage 3
All foods in Stage 2 PLUS:
Proteins: STANDARD STAGE 3: more “hard” mild cheeses, plain yoghurt. Milk is safe to try and include in this stage, if again, if you choose animal products, you may consider raw milk, it's contains ore vitamins, minerals, and enzymes may be included in recipes, and trying to include in small amounts and build it up. FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS: add in chick peas and kidney beans.
Vegetables: tomatoes (really a fruit-homemade sauce can be made from this), carrots, all bell peppers-make sure you are ok with them, green beans (be careful with this one), spagetti squash, acorn squash, peas, bamboo shoots, turnip, okra, leeks, jicama, onions, radicchio, bok choy.
Fats: Add in avocado oil. Great for high heat cooking. Grapeseed oil also!
Starch: Sweet potatoes and yucca (AKA cassava, AKA tapioca)
Fruits: Avocados, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, green apples, pears, grapefruit, lemons.
Spices: try adding in some very mild spices such as dill, rosemary, thyme etc.. staying away from turmeric, ginger, cumin, and cinammon, etc..just yet.
Drinks: Try adding sparklingwater-the less bubbly ones first. Peppermint tea. Ginger tea very lightly made. Organic is best and if you get these fresh herbs, bringing them to a boil and then simmering for five minutes and drinking makes a great tea!
Stage 4
All foods in Stage 3 PLUS:
Proteins: No major changes, except, add in more nuts-such as pine nuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, walnuts.
Vegetables: beets, water chestnuts, all squashes.
Fats: No Change
Starch: No change.
Fruits: mangos, strawberries, tangerines, grapes, persimmons, figs, plums, peaches, kiwii.
Spices: try adding in more spices in small amounts. Healthy fruit or maple syrup or agave sweetened goodies in small amounts may be started. Remember these are treats, not daily foods if maple syrup or agave are used.
Drinks: cautiously add in more teas with our guidance on choices.
Stage 5
All foods in Stage 4 PLUS:
Proteins: Avoid peanuts almost always. These nuts have a very high fungal content as do pistachios. Sushi may be an option now-making sure to include ginger to protect against parasites and optimize digestion. Honey may be added here.
Vegetables: all vegetables, please limit soy to the occasional soy sauce, We discourage egular consumption of soy.
Fats: No change
Starch: Add oats and all other beans.
Fruits: all fruit. We strongly discourage regular consumption of coconut.
Spices: all spices, except added sugar. This should always be avoided as much as possible. If it is in a recipe at a regular meal it is fine, but avoid adding to food or having as a food itself such as cakes, cookies, etc… healthy fruit sweetening substitutes may be implemented. Find maple syrup, fruit or agave sweetened ketchup and other healthy condiments. Have fun finding and adding in new healthy foods. There are numerous kinds of healthy alternatives already prepared with fruit as cakes, pies, cookies, bars, etc…See "Gentle Products Guide" for ideas. Making your own is fun!!!!
Drinks: Focus on water water water! Think about putting grapefruit, lemon or orange in your water if you want a little extra flavor.
More Food Tips
We, at ICAMA, are animal advocates. We kindly ask that if you are eating animal products, to please educate yourself on factory farming, and, consider choosing to source your food from a local farmer in place of factory farmed products which can be unnecessarily cruel.
Please DO NOT eat Farmed fish of any kind! These are loaded with hormones. Please source your food organically as much as possible. Tilapia is one of the most glaring examples of farmed fish and should never be consumed!
Some people can benefit from fermented foods like sour cream, yoghurt and Kiefer, while others do poorly on them. This is a food that needs to watched more closely to determine which is the case for you!
Filtered Water: as awareness regarding climate issues and waste, although we have recommended bottled spring water in the past, and continue to do so in the early stages of treatment, we are working hard on being able to recommend filtration systems we can feel good about. Good quality water is critical to health!
Rice, as with many grains, in some, can aggravate the GUT wall. For this reason, we do not recommend eating a high percentage or frequency of gains products. Furthermore, rice is one of some crops that contain higher amounts of arsenic from the earth. Arsenic is toxic and the body is not efficient at excreting it. For this reason, we recommend smaller amounts of rice. However, some people tend to do better with rice than root vegetables such as potatoes or squashes. In those that find that to be true for them, we do recommend using rice as a starch in early stages of IC in order to get enough to sustain the body. Later, when more food is added in, the amount may be reduced. Regardless, non vegetable starches should be limited to approximately 15% of the meal per meal.
Almonds are a crop that are pasteurized. The pasteurization process may be conducted with PPO and glycophosate or Heat. It is important to be sure that the almonds or products that you are purchasing and consuming are made from them are sourced from a company that uses heat and not carcinogenic chemicals like PPO and glycophosate.
Things You Might Not Think About
Helpful Tips
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What you put ON your body is AS important as what you put IN your body! The skin is our largest organ. Reading ingredients can be difficult. One must understand what ingredients are sourced from in order tor easily understand what it is they are utilizing in their hair and skin care. This is something important to review at the onset of considering this kind of model to help with regaining your health. An obvious example for this is vitamin E. In reading vitamin E on a label, one would typically not question that ingredient as problematic. However, once it is understood that vitamin E is most commonly sourced from soy and sometimes coconut, it becomes easier to see that this otherwise benign ingredient may cause major flaring when used in your daily skin or hair care routine. For the safest products when it comes to IC, we developed our line that grew out of our clinical experience: http://www.bomasense.com/
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Cleaning products are a part of our daily life. It is very important to be certain that you are not using toxic ingredients in your home. The primary issue is if you are coming into contact with these ingredients through your skin or even smell (this is another route of entry into your body that may affect the body) and the secondary issue is off-gassing from these toxic ingredients which may also affect a person over time, increasing inflammation.
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Burning essential oils or other things may have an effect on how you feel. Essential oils, in facts may be used as medicine and it is best to consider your choices. If you are experiencing pronounced symptoms, it is likely best to not burn oils or strongly scented items in your home until such time when you feel more stable.
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Be cognizant of ingredients you may be applying on your baby or children. If it touches your skin, it’s on YOU too! These days, people are applying hand sanitizers regularly, which, we do not recommend. Our skin is rich with many organisms which help our body to fight off infections of all kinds. It is best not to use strong ingredients to minimize those organisms. of course, there are circumstances in which we need to clean our hands,. It is best in those cases to use gentle soap and water or our Bomasense hand sanitizer which will clean without adversely affecting the body with strong or toxic ingredients that can exacerbate your condition. LINK
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Toothpastes, mouth washes, tooth whitening, hair dyes, nail polishes and removers etc.. ALL MATTER! Natural and clean products need to be used in place of their toxic equivalents.
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The above is also true for home improvements!! Before spending a lot of money on paint, flooring, finishes, etc… research what products are safest for you and your family. Even if the others in your family are otherwise healthy, toxins will affect general health. Furthermore, be certain you do not have mold in your home. This single issue can cause and perpetuate chronic health problems.
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Recreational drugs including cigarettes should not be used during treatment or ever. These place an undue burden on the Liver and other organs and help to promote inflammation and chronic disease. THC and CBD, although offering many positive benefits may often create other problems and interfere with chronic inflammation.
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Prescription medication is sometimes necessary. This is something to consider both in terms of how one reached a place of chronic health issues and how one will regain a healthy balance. This should be discussed with the prescribing physician and anyone helping you to regain your healthy balance.
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Sex: you can’t have it. :(. Kidding! Wash after sex! NOT KIDDING! IC or no, this is a great way to avoid infection. It’s easy and simple in preventing a week or much more of misery and antibiotics. Sexual fluids have the ability to affect one’s sexual partner. If you have a new partner and are suddenly having issues, think fluids! That person may be imbalanced and need help working on THEIR microbiome/GUT. The GUT will impact the fluids. If you have on going problems and are worse after sex, it is important to consider the health of both individuals involved. In many cases it is strongly recommended to refrain from fluid exchanging by using condoms and certain kinds of abstinence to prevent cross infection until both partners are healthy and balanced. A great example is if one partner drinks a lot of beer, smokes a lot of marajuana, and eats a lot of mushrooms. His fluids will then contain a lot of yeasts. Those yeasts may be transferred to the other partner and that partner may start by having chronic infections.
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Happiness. At ICAMA, we have found, just like millions of other healthcare professionals around the world, that chronic stress, depression, anger, and general unhappiness can greatly contribute to the decline of mental health. The impact that the mind can have on the body is tremendous as is true for the other way around. While working on diet and lifestyle, it is best to focus on emotional well being simultaneously. Letting go of things that you may be holding onto, or working on the relationships in your home or work is very important to daily well being. We have helped many people over the years that have helped themselves back by not addressing these issues early on in treatment. There is no better day for a fresh start than today!
Embrace The Lifestyle
This is a life-style change, it is not a temporary medical diet. These stages are meant to reduce the impact healthy and unhealthy foods are having on your inflammation while restoring the health of your GUT. Once you have reached Stage 5, it is time to think about your health long term and consider not returning to old habits that contributed to your Interstitial Cystitis (IC). When you get sick, don't run for a prescription, consider your options first. These are things we teach you here at BOMAMED and ICAMA, how to improve and maintain your health.
Feeding our bodies poor quality food and toxic chemicals, using medications inappropriately, and living out of sync with nature is what creates chronic illness. ICAMA strives to bring people back to balance whether that is through working with us or simply following our videos or postings. We are here to help, educate and offer hope.
Helpful Links
Recommended Food and Other Product Brands
Bread
You can make your own with flour, eggs, water or milk (milik alternative)
Baking powder and baking soda.
Using Pamela’s below is a super easy way to go.
https://www.pamelasproducts.com
Against the grain is a great quick ready product. We take the flat pizza and throw it in the broiler and use it as a flat bread.
https://againstthegraingourmet.com
This brand (GF versions)
is fine for later in your health journey, but not
great in earlier stages.
https://udisglutenfree.com/breads-tortillas/delicious-multigrain-sandwich-bread
Cheese alternatives
I have not found one that is free of yeast or mushrooms. If you home make one-great or find one that is clean, let us know!
Canned and Jar Foods
https://www.mywildharvest.com/products.html
https://www.fielddayproducts.com
Cleaning Supplies
https://www.mrsmeyers.com/product/household-cleaners/
Crackers
Eggs
There are lots of brands.
Make sure they are organic, NON-Omega enriched,
and FREE RANGE (NOT cage-free)
If you can source them from a local farmer even better.
Flours
Flour Mixes
https://www.pamelasproducts.com
(We use the pancake and baking mix as an easy base for breads,
cakes and all kinds of baking
If you want something quick and easy)
Hair Color
Healing Salve (also great for babies bottoms!)
Lip Balm
Lotion
Pet Supplies (non-toxic)
https://www.onlynaturalpet.com
Make-up
https://gabrielcosmeticsinc.com
Maple Syrup and Sugar
https://www.coombsfamilyfarms.com
Milk Alternatives
https://www.ripplefoods.com/our-story/
If you are drinking and eating dairy, we ask that you please locate a local farmer. As hard as it is, local small farmers tend to be more humane than the big factories.
Nail Polish
Noodles
https://www.explorecuisine.com/en/products/pulse-pastas.html
Seasonings
Toothpaste
https://www.jason-personalcare.com/en/category/oral/fluoride-free-toothpaste/
Tortillas
Sexual Lubricant
(The Bomasense Salve may be used for this purpose as well)
Shampoo and Conditioner
https://www.californiababy.com
Soap
Teas
We suggest growing some organic mint in your garden and using that for tea. It’s great!
Also try to keep organic ginger root in your home, you could use that for tea as well, or lemon rind.
Coffee
There are MANY brands. Just make sure it’s organic and
French roast. This is safest for those with symptoms. As you go,
This rule can loosen up! :)
Water Filtration
https://theberkey.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI46Pb_6uC6QIVCdtkCh1xBgNTEAAYASAAEgJFR_D_BwE\
Another option is getting your water tested and having a company build a filtration system just for your home, it is expensive. If you do this, do not get an RO type. This kind of water is dead of much needed minerals and over time, we believe can cause disease.
We have recommended bottled water early on due to the reliability of purity and reaction for those having IC. However, these days, we just can’t feel greatest about that being the only option. We are trying to grow, as we go through our practice and practically through life. Berky has been recommended by many fighting cancer, and that is primarily what drew our attention to it. We are suggesting this brand for those patients wanting to experiment and see if this works for them.
If you do choose bottled water, the most reliable brands are:
Poland Springs
Mountain Valley
Arrowhead
Evian
Fiji
Natural Home Product Companies
Making sure your home environment is happy and healthy is so important!
If you think you have mold or other toxic materials that are contributing
To your sickness, we strongly recommend getting an expert in the area of concern to
Come and access your home.
