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The First-Step Dietary Therapy Program is divided into five phases.

Phase One

To tonify the Spleen and Stomach, limit your diet to the following foods for one to seven days.

Miso broth: Miso is a fermented paste made from grains and beans, originating in Japan. It contains good bacteria that replenish the flora that may have been depleted or destroyed in the digestive tract through

antibiotic or hormone use, poor diet, alcohol intake, or stress. In general, I recommend rice-based miso. If you are not gluten sensitive, try using mugi (barley) miso with some mellow yellow (light yellow miso) if it is summertime. Avoid hatcho (dark) except when it is very cold. I especially like natto miso.

If you are on a low-sodium diet, it may be better to skip using miso because it contains a lot of sodium. If you are lactose-intolerant or do not eat dairy products, a good non-dairy alternative is nondairy kefir. Because miso contains soybeans, make sure that you use organic miso as all other soybeans are genetically modified.

Vegetable broth and juices: You can drink fresh organic vegetable broth and juices during this Phase. These could include carrot, beet, celery, daikon, and watercress juices. Avoid adding onion or garlic at this stage.

When vegetables are juiced, they increase in Yang qualities, and they may become more warming than just the raw vegetable. It is also much easier to digest raw juice than raw vegetables. I recommend that you cook the juice into a warm broth as well. You may add an unsalted pure vegetable powder used for vegetable stock to the fresh vegetable broth. This

increases the nutrients as well as the flavor.

Lentil broth (cook lentils, strain off the water, and drink as a soup) may also be used in addition to the vegetable broths.

If you have an immune system disorder, I recommend that you wash all vegetables thoroughly to avoid parasites and bacteria, even organically grown ones. Remember that organic vegetables are grown in manure, which is filled with microorganisms. Wash the vegetables in a diluted bleach solution (¹/2 teaspoon bleach in 1 quart [946 ml] water) to kill microorganisms. Use only plain bleach that contains no additives. (Many bleaches sold are not pure bleach.) Rinse off the bleach completely after washing. An alternative to this are vegetable and fruit washes found in your local natural foods store.

Brown rice cereal: Organic brown rice cereal provides added protein and energy. You may find this in any natural foods store.

Phase Two

After you have comfortably tried—or skipped—Phase One, you may want to move on to Phase Two for no more than seven days. You also may choose to skip it and go directly to Phase Three.

To the foods in Phase One, add steamed fresh organic vegetables, especially root vegetables (carrots, daikon root, burdock, turnips, and beets) and green vegetables (cruciferous such as broccoli, kale, and chard). Again, make sure all your vegetables are washed thoroughly in a diluted bleach solution.

Phase Three

Begin this Phase only if you feel strong. Follow Phase Three for no more than seven days.

To the foods in Phases One and Two, add organic cooked grains,

including brown rice, millet, barley, and buckwheat. If you have a very Hot condition, avoid buckwheat. Check with your practitioner for advice. You may also add unbleached white rice or white basmati rice for diarrhea.

Avoid wheat, corn, and oats. Do not eat any bread products in Phase Three.

NOTE

In Phases One, Two, and Three, you may add protein powder or predigested protein if necessary to prevent weakness and too much weight loss. Consider using rice protein, hemp protein, or whey protein. Don’t use milk powder or soy-based protein powder, which may cause loose stools and/or produce Damp Cold.

If you are allergic to milk, whey protein may be contraindicated. If you have insulin resistance and are trying to eat a low-glycemic diet, rice protein is deemed to be low-glycemic.

Phase Four

To the foods in Phases One, Two, and Three, add other organic foods and fish or high-quality plant-based proteins. Watch for any unfavorable

reactions to foods and eliminate them from your diet. Make sure that you do not sacrifice moderation, balance, and sound nutrition. At this point, it is great to establish a balance of low- to moderate-glycemic carbohydrates along with good organic protein sources.

Phase Five

Once you establish a moderate natural foods diet that is unrestricted, except by your health considerations, you will have entered Phase Five, which is a dietary regime for lifelong good health and harmony.

TIP

If going through Phases One to Four in order feels too restrictive, you may begin your First-Step Dietary Program with Phase Four, which is a

generally healthy diet based on organic grains and vegetables and high-quality plant-based or animal proteins. Once you are comfortable with that eating style, you may want to go back to Phase One for one to seven days.

THE FIRST-STEP DIETARY THERAPY PROGRAM THERAPEUTIC