I’ve been following versions of this crazy sugar and gluten free diet, aka Candida Diet for quite a while now. The idea is to reverse food allergies and get fighting fit in the process.
Each month, before introducing new foods into my diet, I take stock what has worked well for me and what hasn’t. I share what I learn here in my Candida Diet Updates.
This month has seen me embracing fermented stuff like Sauerkraut and Kefir and re-introducing apples back into my diet. So how did I get on?
What I typically ate this month:
Breaky:
- Spelt Bread Toasties with butter and 1 of 3 different spreads (Tuna & Sweet Potato; Feta, Sesame Yoghurt Spread or Mixed Veg & Feta Spread).
- As weekend treat ground brown rice pudding with ½-1 small sliced apple with cinnamon (yum!)
Lunch:
- Bone Broth
- Slow cooked Lentil, Beans or Lamb Stew with a slice of toasted Spelt bread and butter (nice and filling).
- or simply millet or polenta with stir fried vegetables and grated feta on top (easy to digest and no prep).
Dinner:
- 2-3 medium warm potatoes or 2 slices of spelt bread, with different spreads (see breaky).
What I typically drunk:
- buchu & urva ursi tea (to flush the bladder)
- marshmallow and corn silk tea (to soothe the bladder)
- pau d’arco tea, dandelion tea or yannoh coffee substitute
What I typically snacked on:
- Simple Green Smoothies, like this one, mid morning or mid afternoon (since doing that I have no cravings any more and don’t need to munch on rice cakes out of desperation – Result!)
Naughty Food days over Easter: Bring on the Lemon Drizzle Cake!
Had lots of Lemon Drizzle cake (gluten free but 250 g sugar – yuk) with creamy soya yoghurt and almond cherry pie with crème fraiche – boy was that nice 
I sooo could get back into eating sweet stuff . I also had Prosecco with Elderflower bubbly (booze, me?! oh yes!) and a bite of dark chocolate with hazelnuts & almond (might as well…)
to wean myself off the sugar treats I made an apple & almond pie (gluten free but 55 g xylitol – ) to round it off that we poured hot custard over.
Live hard and dangerous I say!
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What supplements I took – Loooads, yep!
- 3-4 x 50 billion probiotics (Custom Probiotics CP1) per day (double of what I was taking the previous month) – to populate my gut with friendly microorganisms to boost my immune system
- 1 golden seal capsule (antifungal), 2 olive leaf capsules, 2 drops oil of oregano or 2 droppers full of wormwood complex rotated every 5 days to keep yeast growth in check
- l-glutamin, colostrum, slippery elm & marshmallow mix for healing leaky gut
- chlorella and magnesium 2-3 times per day to combat constipation)
- After particularly rich meals, for instance at Easter: half a tsp Swedish Bitters to improve digestion
What’s changed since last month?
- I ate less potatoes, more Spelt bread, started eating apples on a regular basis (about 1 small Braeburn or Cox orange per day, to pep up my green smoothie and at the weekends as a special treat sliced and sprinkled over my ground brown rice pudding). And I started taking 1-3 magnesium tablets a day (to combat my aches and exhaustion from exercising and to combat constipation.)
Gosh, life is so much nicer with fruit in it!
If you can’t yet eat fruit, don’t bang your head against a wall. Be strong!
It will all be worth it in the end!
Initially I started with only 1/4 a small apple, to see if I reacted to the sugar in it. You don’t need much anyway – after months of eating no sugar, you’ll might even find apples too sweet.
- I decided not to take flax seeds for the time being.
The past few months I had been taking a tbsp of ground flax seeds soaked in water 1-2 times daily to promote bowel movements. Since it was rather getting worse than better I suspected that I was not drinking enough for my increased fiber intake from drinking green smoothies. So I stopped it until I had my constipation under control. I am now adding it back to my smoothies.
Learned to make Sauerkraut
Not so sold on the flavour so far. But glad I know how simple it is to make Sauerkraut yourself.
Learned to make Kefir
It’s easier than you think – I walk you through how to make it here.
In case you missed my update how it agreed with me, you can find that out here (including possible side effects of Kefir on Candida).
I’m a bit concerned that I’m consuming too much dairy now – because of the Kefir.
Ok, it’s only goats milk, but it’s still dairy. So I’ll be looking at making Kefir from nut milks soon.
Lifestyle/ Activities
3-4 hardcore workouts a week – feeling achy and stiff from it.
Taking extra magnesium helps to alleviate muscle aches, cramps and restless legs. It also makes you sleep deeper – Bonus!)
Overall I feel slightly better balanced – finishing work earlier, doing the odd Chi gong routine, guided meditation and yoga to chill my overactive mind out. Still struggling to do more of the good things and less of the bad things.
Top Tip: Even just lying on your back on a blanket on the floor, with your legs elevated for 5 minutes when you are stressed, makes a big difference to your well being. It is grounding and it relaxes any tight muscles you might have in your neck and back.
Health Issues:
- Finally thrush under control – took me only 3 years, hah
(Kefir played an essential role in this in my opinion, as well as apple cider vinegar). - Constipation – almost sorted now (taking magnesium for it and forcing myself to drink more water)
- Irritable Bladder (have to get up and wee between 2 and 5am in the morning – what is going on there! I had that one under control ages ago. Hmpf!)
(Kefir played an essential role in this in my opinion, as well as apple cider vinegar).So, how does all this apply to you?
- If you’ve been a bit freaked out by the idea of making your own Kefir or Sauerkraut, then you’ll know that’s it was the same for me and if I can do it – you can, too!
- And if you have a lot of aches and pains, are stressed, constipated or have long recovery times after sport, then Magnesium is your new friend.
- Last but not least, healing is not just about dieting. It’s also about adopting a healthier lifestyle – like in my case going to bed earlier.
If you find for one reason or another you can’t do it, like I couldn’t, then try and change the habit that leads to the behavior that you want to change. In my case, rather than intending not to sit in front of the computer so long, I focused on introducing a new ritual of creating a comfy reading environment that would naturally draw me away from the computer.
You can apply the same method to a lot of things.
Be well.
My next Candida Diet update is in 4 weeks’ time.
If you’d like to stay in the loop with recipes or whatever else I might be posting until then, put your name in the “Get Updates” box below.
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How have your diet and health changed since last month?
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