Liver Diet for PLD Polycystic Liver Disease Diet - A Liver Diet of Anecdotal knowledge based on our collective experiences.

PLD SOME USEFUL FOODS
Lemon juice, radish, broccoli, spelt, sunchokes, leafy greens, cabbage juice, are really useful for diminish cystic liver symptoms. Freshly squeezed lemon juice added to hot water provides many PLD'rs relief from pains, headaches, and food indiscretions. Sometimes if the pain is not relieved by hot lemon, a few have added saffron tea, rest, and a heating pad. Others have added a cold pack.

PLD USEFUL HERBS
Saffron Tea
Saffron is another life saver; it will take care of pain that hot lemon has failed to quiet. Saffron helps the body to lay down new vessels. It keeps the blood from being slow moving and encourages healthy new blood vessels. Saffron lowers blood pressure and prevents spikes.
I have noticed from time to time that I get cramps in my fingers. When I examine my fingers I find that a small blood vessel has burst right along the edge where the cramp begins. This also happens in my toes and my legs. I think this is from PLD polycystic liver disease. I also feel that both saffron and supplemental all natural vitamin E can help prevent future attacks.
Milk thistle, turmeric, artichoke, DIMs (broccoli sprout tablets)
Some have found the above combination to be very useful for cystic livers and can diminish cystic pains. According to medical research, the combination of milk thistle, turmeric, artichoke, DIMs allow a diseased liver to heal, and increase the metabolism of estrogen. More on HERBS.
Turmeric
Turmeric is known to increase the metabolism of estrogen and estrogen like molecules through the liver. I have experienced that turmeric greatly diminished liver pains.
Veronica
Veronica or Speedwell is a nice leafy herb when made into a tea. Try hot drinks following a meal.

PLD SOME USEFUL GRAINS
Spelt, rye, corn, brown rice, black rice, wild rice, Kamut, quinoa, millet, all require soaking in water. By soaking grains, nuts, legumes, peas, and beans all overnight or longer rids them of Phytates. Spelt is one of the best grains for the liver. It is a wonderful tasting grain but is to be avoided with celiac disease. Sometimes I rough grind it in a food processor and cook it up as a cereal. I leave it cooked in my refrigerator overnight and heat and eat the following morning. When cooked this way, somehow spelt has a slight resemblance to the taste of ground nuts. Or I might flatten spelt into a flake with a taste similar to oatmeal. Whole grain,s either chopped or whole, soaked and then cooked seem to digest easier with an enlarged cystic liver. If one is experiences symptoms, try using whole grains and avoiding flour, breads, pastries and especially those made with wheat, white bleached flour and yeast. After trying this for awhile, try introducing flattened non yeasted breads such as tortillas, chapattis, naan, pita breads all without yeast. Then if symptoms continue to subside, try introducing non yeasted spelt, rice, corn, rye bread. I bake my own breads without yeast or sugar or honey or with the addition of any other concentrated sugar or sweetener. I found out quickly by adhering to these pre-preparations of grains, nuts, legumes, this effectively diminishes liver pain and bloating.

Yeasted processed white bleached wheat flour baked goods has been reported to increase bloating and liver pain.

Enjoy whole cooked grains, spelt non-yeasted bread, roasted sweet potatoes, cooked sunchokes, artichokes, beets, and greens in daily. One salad dressing is olive oil and lemon juice. A sprinkling of a freshly chopped herbs or minced garlic adds a little zest. Vinegar is to be avoided. It can create an alcohol ferment in the body, similar to wine or ale. By using no yeast except for the wild yeast in the air, this creates a lacto acid ferment. Lactic acid can be diminished with each breath; we just breathe it out to eliminate it.

WHAT MAKES UP THE LIVER CYST SURFACE? Researchers from Spain, scanned the surface of liver cysts and found the surface to contain hormone receptors, insulin growth hormone receptors and growth hormone receptors. Octreotide (a drug in clinical trials) inhibits growth hormone; inhibits insulin growth hormone; and inhibits estrogen like hormones. This is how octreotide first came to be considered as a possible treatment for liver cysts. This is helpful in explaining why animal proteins, especially dairy, seem to increase liver pain, bloating and PLD Polycystic Liver Disease symptoms. Animal Proteins contain hormones and sometimes additional hormones are added i.e., bovine growth hormone, or steroids or estrogen or other hormones. During the healing phase of a liver resection, some have had a no holds barred diet to help facilitate weight gain. With the news from this research paper, it might be better to continue to avoid certain liver toxic foods: alcohol, sugars, concentrated sweets, fat, cream, dairy, milk, cheese, beef, poultry, fried foods, fatty foods, bleach, white flour, white sugar, processed foods and caffeine. Some may find this comes about naturally by an aversion to these foods during the recovery phase from massive liver cyst surgery and a longing seems to come about for sour, crispy, and truly fresh fruits and vegetables similar to green granny smith apples, crispy greens, sour lemons, grapefruit, and more. Some recovering from a liver transplant or liver resection have noted they can taste the metal from canned vegetables served by the hospital.

AVOID ANIMAL PROTEINS
If one can avoid animal proteins altogether, this seems to lessen symptoms. Eating a plant based diet is very alkaline. Some have been able to facilitate diminished cystic liver symptoms by stopping all animal products–all dairy, eggs, cheese, milk, meat, fish, poultry, lamb, broths, hamburger or ground meats (especially harmful in triggering intense pain). Many animal proteins contain hormones, a trigger for liver cyst growth.
Oily fish has been observed to increase liver cyst pain. Cod liver oil and fish oil supplements are reported to increase liver pains. Poultry, chicken, turkey, even organic (though some are raised without added hormones) are dipped in a bleach bath to prevent the spread of any residual salmonella. This bleach bath seems to create liver aches. Wild game does not have this effect. Ground animal proteins can create both kidney and liver pains. Some have experienced that drinking milk shakes and eating French fries intensifies liver aches.

AVOID ANIMAL PROTEINS- SOME BETTER CHOICES
If it is not possible for you to eliminate all animal foods here are some better choices.
non-oily flat white fish once or twice a month 2 ounces
lamb 3 ounces (one lamb chop)
cottage cheese (2 ounces)
quark cheese (2 ounces)
plain yogurt with added acidophilus (a half a cup. Open an acidophilus capsule and add the powder to this half cup)
buttermilk cultured
skim milk 2 ounces maximum per day
poached egg yolk once a month

LAMB AVOID ANIMAL PROTEINS- SOME BETTER CHOICES
Lamb has different molecular protein structure than beef. Beef or cows eat grasses that have the residual pesticides still present, long after these chemicals have been banned from farming. Beef cuts that are marbled are said to be the choicest. This marbling that makes the meat so tender is fat. Hormones are stored in the fat tissue and it is these hormones plus the chemicals from the feed eaten from contaminated soil that is harmful.
FISH AVOID ANIMAL PROTEINS- SOME BETTER CHOICES
It is best to avoid animal proteins. If not possible enjoy flat white fish - that is non oily and low in fat. such as haddock, cod, orange roughy, and perch, For more examples of flat white fish click here . Avoid oily fish, especially cod liver oil: check ingredients in cosmetics and vitamins and supplements. Fish oil has been reported to really give a deep cystic liver ache. Avoid fish oil supplements.

DAIRY AVOID ANIMAL PROTEINS- SOME BETTER CHOICES
With liver cysts avoid cheese, cream and ice cream. All dairy contains hormones. It comes from lactating cows that are oftentimes given bovine growth hormone to keep milking cows producing an excess of milk. These hormones are present in the milk that is consumed. Dairy puts an extra workload on the kidneys. The solutes are too large for cystic kidneys to effectively filter. Dairy tends to dehydrate the body. Salt that is added to cheese and ice creams plus the extra large molecular solutes,with dehydration all can raise blood pressure and decrease kidney functioning. Some of us have experienced by taking a bite of ice cream or a sip of milk, this is followed by an episode of awakening in the middle of the night with a cotton mouth, an intense thirst that one feels as if their tongue is totally parched and their mouth is filled with many bits of cotton puffs. Many have reported experiencing cotton mouth from all forms of dairy .The fats of animal proteins concentrate pesticides, DDT and other toxins and in this way harm the liver especially a cystic liver. If you eat cheese try to find a type that preferably uses a vegetable rennet and is locally grown or organic, with grazing lands that are free of pesticides, hormones, chemicals.
Fatty portions from animal proteins are much more harmful than the leaner sections, i.e. skim milk is preferable to cream. Limit fats to a maximum of one ounce per day. If one continues to eat meats and animal foods than any type of cheese needs to replace the meat for that day. The amount of cheese allowed is one ounce whereas the amount of lean meat is approximately three ounces once or twice a week. Goat cheese is better than cow cheese, especially the type made in local farms and often sold at farmer's markets in the spring. Sometimes they make a salt free variety. Cultured dairy is preferable i.e. buttermilk, yogurt, plugra butter. Keep butter fat intake to less than a tablespoon per day. Dairy is also high in phosphorus. High phosphorus diets contribute to kidney decline.
CHEESE - AVOID ANIMAL PROTEINS- SOME BETTER CHOICES

BETTER ANIMAL CHOICES

Less Harmful Cheeses	CHEESES BEST AVOIDED
Blue cheese	Asiago cheese
Blue veined cheeses	Dry cheeses
Cottage cheese	Cheddar cheeses
Enmenthaler	Hard cheeses
Feta salt free	Mimolette cheese
Goat cheese	Mizithra
Paneer	Orange cheeses
Quark cheese	Kefalotyri
Roquefort cheese	Parmesan
Swiss cheese	Romano cheese - dry orange cheese
Sheep cheese	Reggiano
Soft white cheese	Yellow cheeses