Candida Diet Update Feb 2013

Change in Diet because all the “cheat days” had been catching up with me

candida diet update Feb 2013

Going from a laid back stage 3 diet back to a Strict Candida Diet to boost my immune system (which has been running low since my detox last month). 

This is what I typically ate the previous months 

Breaky: 2 slices of yeast free wheat bread, packed with seeds with stir fried cabbage, seeds and feta

Lunch: a salad, scrambled eggs or 2 big bowls of bean stew or creamy soup and bacon with 2 slices of wholegrain wheat bread

Snacks: rice cakes or pancakes as snack (wheat and egg again!)

Dinner: and meat or fish with a plate full of veg for supper, often after 7pm.

What I typically ate this month: (potatoes instead of bread and now broth before lunch)

This is a different type of candida diet – one I hadn’t tried before. Fingers crossed it will once and for all get candida under control ?

Main difference is that you are not allowed: salad, beans, bread, grains, cereal, onions, cauliflower…

What you are allowed is a set amount of: soup before every meal at lunch, root vegetables, potatoes, feta, tofu (and fish, eggs and meat 2 x per week at lunch).

Breakfast:

Stir-fried cabbage with 1 slice of gluten free bread or 2 boiled potatoes with different spreads (tuna & veg, feta & veg or tofu & veg)

Lunch:

1 bowl of Root Veg Soup, 2 Potatoes with Veg and Feta (twice a week omelet/ meat or fish with veg)

Dinner

2 Potatoes with different spreads (no veg!)

What I snacked on:

carrot cake

  • 3-4 mega cheat days with hot curries and butter cream carrot cake – big backlash!
  • From then on snacked only on potatoes with different spreads and steamed/ fried veg or soups (ok, I’m a weirdo, but I’m not gonna live of potatoes forever, right! ?

Drinks:

  • water, dandelion tea, Pau d’arco tea, nettle/ mullein tea

Lifestyle/ Activities:

  • working flat out, not enough sleep, 3x exercise classes per week (wed, thur, fri)

Health Issues:

  • Cold sores, recurring thrush (both going away now)
  • The first ten days on the gluten free/ grain free new candida diet were torment: I suffered proper die off symptoms like I used to get in the old days of starting the diet – like insane sadness, fatigue after eating and massive belly bloating. I presume that had something to do with my recent 3 days in a row butter cream carrot cake orgy (I’m not even pretending it had stevia in it ? Also probably brought on by the 4 times as strong probiotics. After ten days it balanced out though, and I felt better than I had for a long time.

What Supplements I took:

  • Rotating olive leaf capsules (1 x twice daily), oil of oregano drops (once daily 2 drops), wormwood & cloves drops (a dropper 3 times a day)
  • A higher strength probiotic (20 billion organisms instead of 5 what I was taking before, Optibac)
  • L-glutamin, Colostrum, Slippery Elm/Marshmallow Mix to heal leaky gut.
  • Extra magnesium, calcium and vit d, cod liver oil and protein powder (whey) after exercise. Did you know that you can spray magnesium oil on your feet? Yep, that’s what I’m doing :) Foot bath, then little massage and off to bed – bye bye muscle ache.

To recap what I learned:

  • Gluten free bread actually tastes nice, is easy to bake and makes for noticeably less belly ache.
  • Wheat on the other hand, as well as (un-soaked) seeds definitely irritate the gut, even if you think you are not gluten intolerant. The bloatedness I was sometimes experiencing after eating is starting to go away (and with it the thrush) – Result!
  • The combo of taking the leaky gut medication and not eating foods that contain gluten or cause acidity seems to do the trick.
  • Interestingly enough the bloating appeared back on those few occasions this month when I ate after 6pm, when I had nut butter, when I ate out (even in a veggy restaurant) and when I ate spicy, oily foods. Even fried egg & onions and bell peppers made it worse (and I used to eat a lot of that stuff, no wonder my gut was always a bit inflamed). I think they might be just a little too acidic for a sensi gut.
  • Salad is actually hard to digest, who would have thought. Eating watery soup with lunch, instead of salad, agreed better with me.
  • If you exercise a lot or you are constantly stressed you need to support your adrenals and up your mineral intake (otherwise you feel achy, heavy, lethargic and heal veeery slooowly!)
  • I’m amazed that I was able to eat potatoes, root veg and feta all the time without an increase in symptoms. But perhaps the simple carbs were utilized by my body before they had a chance to feed the yeast in my large intestines.

So it’s just as much about when and how much you eat as it is about what you eat.

Top Tip: When you eat simple carbs (fruit, veg, pasta, bread) make it a small amount and give it time to be fully digested before you eat things that are filling and harder to digest (creamy sauces, meat).

So How Does this Apply to You? Maybe this is what’s holding back your recovery…

If you have been battling candida for years, then ask yourself again, what might be holding you back? Because… there has got to be something.

Don’t put up with it – Change something!

I can’t tell you how frustrated I have been the past few months coming out of my detox and thinking I’d be fully healed – and there I was – coming down with this nasty virus, my whole digestion gone haywire, no energy left, job worries and with puffed sore lips on my boyfriend’s birthday… and still not fully healed, boy how long does that want to take?!…. the list goes on… and all the while keeping a straight face here on my blog ? only joking…

Read up about the GAPS diet and leaky gut syndrome. Perhaps you can apply some of the strategies to your situation.

Make sure that you are getting the right amount of nutrients that your body can actually utilize, especially if you are under a lot of stress.

Avoid anything that could inflame your gut (wheat, gluten, greasy spicy food, late meals, stress!)

Even if you only manage a few days without, it might make a big difference to how you feel. Never ever give up hope!

Have you tried cutting out gluten or grains? What was the effect on you? Leave a comment below the sign up box (you are signed up to get my next diet update, aren’t you ?

P.S. If you liked this update, you might also enjoy the March update here.

Candida Diet: 5 Core Natural Remedies
Every Candida Sufferer Should Have! Get Your FREE Report Now

10 Comments

  • Mary

    Reply Reply March 1, 2013

    Thanks for your blog. It helps knowing I’m not the only favorite food deprived gal out there. Sounds like we have a lot in common. I was a chubby child, grew up loving sweets and lived on beer carbs and salads in college. I was constantly sick, bouts of depression and anxiety, always tired and in some type of pain.

    My early 20 s I ate very low fat,no fast food, minimal dairy and even went vegan for awhile, but maintained my sugar habit. I lived in a house infested whither mold and became so sick I developed boils on my lymph nodes and a severe case of rhinitis. After a year of intense meds and eating relatively healthy, I recovered. This was 20 years ago. I actually tried the candida diet way back then, but it was too daunting and I was convinced it must not be what I had. I instead focused on the fit for life food combining diet and drove all my friends and family crazy thinking everyone should eat like me.
    In my 40 s I went through some very stressful jobs where I was working 12 to 15 hour days doing something I really didn’t enjoy and developed severe panic attacks. In 2009 I started my own business and again was working nonstop not exercising along with eating fast food. I blew up twenty pounds and became very ill. I also suffered with severe migraines, tingling sensations in my arms and legs along with numbness in my hands, difficulty breathing, acid reflux, low energy, acne that wouldn’t heal,irritability, the list goes on.
    I saw the movie ” too young to die” I think that’s the title, which inspired me to start a food overhaul. I did an elimination diet and have been soy, corn and gluten free for over 6 months. I lost the 20 pounds I’d gained and felt great.
    But… I felt deprived and started indulging in ice cream with organic ingredients and cane sugar ( good right?), lots of cheese ( I could tolerate it), heavy on the potatoes. Right around. November of last year I developed a severe case of acid reflux. I read that apple cider vinegar, and honey were good for it. My cholesterol was high for the first time in my life, my iron levels were high from eating fruit and spinach smoothies daily and the acid her flux moved into my esophagus making it difficult to swallow and just plain irritating.
    So, here I am again looking at the candida diet. Realizing all of my problems do indeed seem to have the root cause of candida.
    For a week now I’ve cut out fruit, dairy, I’ve already been gluten and soy free so that wasn’t hard, and I’m working my way toward the cleanse diet. I’ve lost another 3pounds, am getting my reflux under control and feeling better though very sorry for myself. I did eat some cashew pesto I had made over brown rice gluten free noodles with turkey and broccoli ( delicious) but sent me into an entire day of old symptoms returning. So beware of the cashew!

    Sorry for the long drawn out story, but I’ll be back visiting and wanted you to know my back story. Everyone’s story helps when we have to be our own detectives in this long journey back to health.
    Sending you all love and good healing!

    • Sandra

      Reply Reply March 2, 2013

      Aw, thanks so much for sharing your story with me in such detail – we do indeed have a lot of things in common! You poor thing, all this hardship. No wonder you feel sorry for yourself!
      You’ve come a long way. How interesting that you got hooked on the whole fit for life food combining thing. I bet this will help you no end with the candida diet. The focus is clearly on keeping carbs and proteins separate, hence the easy weight loss.

      I am wondering if slippery elm & marshmellow powder or l-glutamine would help you with your acid reflux. I’m taking it at the mo to get rid off the bloating, but I as far as I know it has a soothing, repairing effect on all mucous membranes it comes in contact with.

      Boy, your rice noodles, broccoli turkey extravaganza sounded delicious! Cashew does that to me too, sadly, highly acidic that stuff, you’d never know with its sweet taste… Perhaps try almond or basil/ potato next?

      Go easy on yourself. Don’t force things with the cleanse. Your body needs time to adjust, and certainly your emotions need time to catch up. Changing diet always creates sadness… It’s an enormous bonus that you have already gone through an elimination diet and drink green smoothies… You’ll get back on track very soon. Don’t worry. You are doing great!

      Once again, thanks for sharing your story with me. It helps to connect, and it re-assures me that there is a point in sharing my own story. Without feedback I could easily think it’s a bit pointless… So, thanks for that, appreciate it :-)

      P.S. Not sure if you have seen the candida support group I’ve set up on Facebook? Here’s a link if you ever want to let off some steam while you work towards your candida cleanse ?

  • John Harris

    Reply Reply March 27, 2013

    Hi Sandra.
    Candida ?
    21 years and counting !
    Made a full recovery in 2005 only to plummet to even greater depths due to poor guidance and information.
    Your current update, whilst harrowing for you,reveals what fellow sufferers should know about the peaks and troughs.
    How many readers would have known that you were struggling
    again ?
    Thank you Sandra for your honesty.
    It helps much more than reading the so called simple success stories.
    How devastated we all feel when we do not enjoy the same benefit !
    For me, it’s time to take stock again and re-examine the tool kit.
    Always easier when you have a friend !
    Please keep up the sterling work.
    John

  • John Harris

    Reply Reply March 27, 2013

    Sandra.
    Can I find recipes for the foods you included in your Feb update ?

    http://candidadietplan.com/candida-diet-update-feb-2013/

    John

  • Sandra

    Reply Reply March 27, 2013

    Hi John,
    Thanks so much for your kind words! It was hard for me to reveal my set back here openly. But like you said, I also believe that fellow sufferers can learn the most from “real life” candida stories. Especially from long term sufferers.

    So I have decided to put it all out in the open – the good, the bad and the ugly, for everyone to draw their own conclusions and hopefully at least avoid my mistakes.

    I love getting constructive comments from fellow sufferers with their stories and their input on what works and what doesn’t. We are all in the same boat after all.

    The more openly we discuss health topics here, the quicker we will recover (and permanently, one hopes!)

    I am definitely grateful for all the treatment info and encouragement I get from my readers.

    Once again, thanks for your comment. Your feedback is much appreciated :-)
    Best Wishes,
    Sandra

  • Sandra

    Reply Reply March 27, 2013

    Regarding the recipes I’m afraid you’ll have to be patient or brush up on your German skills ?
    The book that I used as the base for my new candida diet including recipes ideas is called
    “Die Candida-Diät – Endlich Schluss mit Darmpilzen: Der 3-Stufen-Plan zur Darmsanierung / Köstlich und gesund: die 126 besten Rezepte”.

    Since I am actually German, it kind of made sense to have bought it in German. On second thoughts I now wish it was English of course, which would make it a lot easier to share the nuggets of wisdom I learned from it.

    I will definitely put the pictures of my meals including some of the recipes here on my blog.

    But quite frankly, I don’t have the time to do that right now. It’s hard enough to cook and eat the stuff, let alone write about it, hah!

    The key success component as far as I can make out is to have a fresh cup of soup/ broth before every lunch and as main meal 2 medium potatoes with celery, fennel and feta or aubergine, courgette and parsnip and goats cheese (pretty horrendous I know, but it’s incredibly soothing for your digestive system!).

    For breaky & supper it’s potatoes again with a simple spread that you can blend from feta, sesame seeds and goats milk or tuna and carrot and goats milk (or other milk substitute) for instance.

    Do that for 1 week, then have gluten free or spelt bread instead of the potatoes for breakfast, and on some days polenta or millet with veg for lunch. Supper stays the same. Good luck!

  • John Harris

    Reply Reply March 27, 2013

    Wow !
    That’s a whole new take on the subject.
    I can’t remember the last time I ate a potato – so bring it on !
    I’m with you on this one Sandra.
    I’ll do my best to send you a progress report.
    John

  • Sandra

    Reply Reply March 28, 2013

    I know, revolutionary lol!

    In fact, it’s the opposite of what most Candida Diets are about. Perhaps you should wait to see how it affects me though… to be on the safe side?! I might turn into a yeast factory, hehe.

    I was certainly very skeptical at first. But the diet change works very well for me.

    I don’t think it’s an ideal starter diet for candida sufferers though. I think people who are experiencing a massive candida flare up and are all of a sudden eating lots of starchy veg they can expect some trouble.

    In my opinion this is better suited for long term candida sufferers who have already greatly reduced their candida overgrowth and whose palate has got tolerant to bizarre vegetables.

    I remember picking this book up in the beginning of my candida days and I was repulsed by the menu options. I was thinking there is no way that I could follow this diet – so I didn’t… and opted for a different one.

    If you do decide to go free-style here I’d recommend you stick to a few measurements. I checked some of the recipes again. You can have veggy omelets and meat or fish after the soup/broth for lunch on two days with veg.

    It should be 100g meat or fish per portion. You can add a bit of feta, seasoning and milk sub.to make it more palatable.

    Regarding the spreads you can have with your potaoes:
    I’d make a big batch of the spread so you can eat from it a few times. Use 200g trout/ tuna or 200g almond, 100g tofu or feta with up to 150g steamed veg & seasoning & milk sub or 4 tblsp sesame seeds equals 4 portions according to the diet. You just have to experiment. Some taste really good – I love eating them even with bread now.

    Hand on heart the spreads last me 2-3 meals max though, not 4 as suggested by the diet. So I am eating a bit more than recommended ? Don’t like to be starving!

    The potatoes are meant to be eaten warm in big slices. So you can pre-cook a whole load. Technically 2 medium per meal, but I sometimes have 1 as a snack as well.

    When introducing spelt bread or gluten free bread use 250g flour for 4 bread rolls. For a lunch meal: 150g millet, buckwheat, polenta or brown rice (2 portions) always combined with veg and some protein as above. You see, there is an exact science behind this madness!

    I also thoroughly recommend making fresh bone broth.

    It’s great to have you on board. Hope this helps :-)

    P.S. A short progress report here or by email would be marvelous!

    • John Harris

      Reply Reply March 28, 2013

      Started yesterday !
      Potatoes, celery and feta for evening meal
      Never tried feta before and was pleasantly surprised.
      Result : Felt like I’d been hit by a bus this morning …….ached from toe nails to eye lids and ear discharging like a tap !
      This would be disturbing for people new to die-off but very welcoming signs if you’re not.
      More update soon
      John

  • John Harris

    Reply Reply March 28, 2013

    I should add that the die – off effects were without the use of any anti – fungal……so something’s going on !

Leave A Response

* Denotes Required Field