Anti-candida diet

akaalias

Hello. I found a thread on something like this but thought i'd be better off starting a new one.

I am very eager to hear about any effective diets that people know of in this area, particularly ones that people have been succesful with. This is a very important issue for me and one that i want to sort out once and for all, i'd be embarassed (sp?) to say how long i have had this problem.

I have so many questions on this topic but will wait until some people can give me some input on the above (hopefully!).

Thanks very much

peepeep

Hiya,

I've had a candida problem on/off for the last 10 years. Really the most effective solution that works for me is a no-sugar, no-yeast diet. If you're suffering at the moment, I would cut out ALL sugars immediately; not just refined sugars as in cakes and chocolate, but also natural sugars such a fruit. Remember that beer has a large sugar content. An example of your daily diet might be something like this:

Breakfast: Porridge or weetabix
Lunch: Eggs/ tuna/ chicken with salad or homemade soup
Dinner: Meat and vegetables

I have some anti-candida books that recommend avoiding cheeses, vinegars and mushrooms, but really I think avoiding sugar is your number one concern. Be strict on the diet and you should notice a difference within only a few days. Be warned (and this is the tough part, sorry) that you will get MASSIVE sugar cravings for the first 2 days of this diet. This is because the candida feed on sugar and they don't want to be starved. Don't give in or else you'll just be back to square one.

The best thing you can do in terms of supplements is to go to a health store and ask for Acidophilous, which is live bacteria that will gobble up the nasty candida. It will cost you about a tenner for 2 months worth - make sure you keep them in a fridge.

There are anti-candida recipe books available, a lot of which are quite good, but really you can eat anything you like that hasn't got yeast or sugar. I make my own yeast-free bread and can share the recipe if you like. Please feel free to PM me if you want to chat - I know how awful candida can be!

On a positive note, I've been taking Acidophilous every day for a few months straight now and I haven't had a candida problem since. I rarely eat sugar, and when I do it's very limited, such as a piece of birthday cake or a few squares of chocolate once a week. This has had a huge positive effect on my health and it's the best way to go, in my opinion.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

EileenG

I did this a few years ago when I had thrush in my milk ducts. A 10 day course of diflucan didn't shift it, so I had to do the diet. It worked to relieve the pain in about a week, but I kept it up for about six weeks to make sure the ***ing stuff was gone.

At the time, I had never heard of low carb diets, and nearly cried with hunger and frustration because there seemed to be so little I could eat. If it were to happen again, I'd have a much easier time putting together a good diet that would shift the candida and not starve me.

akaalias

Thank you both for your responses. I should say firstly that i have undertaken my own anti-candida diet which lasted about 2 weeks before i went crazy due to lack of results.

To elaborate on the problem; i am male, 24, with the candida problem manifesting itself as seborrheic dermatitis. I am desperate (as i'm sure many understand) to rid myself of this problem. My own research has resulted in my conclusion that my problem is a candida overgrowth. Not only is candida associated with seborrheic dermatitis but i have noticed other symptoms such as bloatedness, tiredness, and a green cracked tongue.

I have a book here at home which is ok but really need people's first hand experience on ridding candida.

DIET:

Firstly is porridge ok for breakfast? I usually have this for breakfast with fruit ans sunflower seeds but can cut out the fruit. In fact if i write up my daily diet could people tell me whats ok and what's not?

Breakfast: Porridge (bout 85g when dry) w/ raisins, strawberries, grapes and sunflower seeds

Snack: Fruit and nuts (not the bar)

Lunch: Salad with smoked salmon

Snack: Fruit and nuts

Dinner: Meat + veg (usually brocolli)

peepeep

akaalias wrote: »

Thank you both for your responses. I should say firstly that i have undertaken my own anti-candida diet which lasted about 2 weeks before i went crazy due to lack of results.

To elaborate on the problem; i am male, 24, with the candida problem manifesting itself as seborrheic dermatitis. I am desperate (as i'm sure many understand) to rid myself of this problem. My own research has resulted in my conclusion that my problem is a candida overgrowth. Not only is candida associated with seborrheic dermatitis but i have noticed other symptoms such as bloatedness, tiredness, and a green cracked tongue.

I have a book here at home which is ok but really need people's first hand experience on ridding candida.

DIET:

Firstly is porridge ok for breakfast? I usually have this for breakfast with fruit ans sunflower seeds but can cut out the fruit. In fact if i write up my daily diet could people tell me whats ok and what's not?

Breakfast: Porridge (bout 85g when dry) w/ raisins, strawberries, grapes and sunflower seeds

Snack: Fruit and nuts (not the bar)

Lunch: Salad with smoked salmon

Snack: Fruit and nuts

Dinner: Meat + veg (usually brocolli)

Hi again,

I don't share your manifestation of candida but share your frustration at the yeasty blighters! I think EileenG will recommend you do a full no-carb diet; if nothing else works, then this is the way to go. As your diet is at the moment, I would cut out any fruit as it's packed with sugar. So for breakfast you can keep the porridge (unless you decide to go no-carb) but just put in the sunflower seeds. For snacks try some rye crackers with cottage cheese, or even some sugar-free jelly. Lunch and dinner look fine to me. Making your own soup can be a godsend as you can pack it full of nutrients. Do you take Acidophilous or any other supplements?

akaalias

peepeep wrote: »

Hi again,

I don't share your manifestation of candida but share your frustration at the yeasty blighters! I think EileenG will recommend you do a full no-carb diet; if nothing else works, then this is the way to go. As your diet is at the moment, I would cut out any fruit as it's packed with sugar. So for breakfast you can keep the porridge (unless you decide to go no-carb) but just put in the sunflower seeds. For snacks try some rye crackers with cottage cheese, or even some sugar-free jelly. Lunch and dinner look fine to me. Making your own soup can be a godsend as you can pack it full of nutrients. Do you take Acidophilous or any other supplements?

I can cut out the fruit no problem. I plan on making my own soup, hopefully once a week and freeze it. Should i be cutting out milk? And how about nuts, brown rice, wholegrain pasta etc. Sorry for the barrage of questions, i just want to arm myself with as much info as possible.

I don't currently take any supplements, but was when i tried the last two-week diet. Here is the extensive list of supplements i plan on taking:

L-Glutamine 5g - 3 times daily
Fish Oils ??
Vit C 1000mg
Vit B ??
Multi Vit
Milk Thistle
Slippery Elm
MSM ??
Prebiotics/Probiotics ??

There are others, but i can't remember off the top of my head. Zinc and magnesium actually were another two. Can you tell me what the difference is between pre and probiotics and when the best time is to take them?

Thanks

peepeep

akaalias wrote: »

I can cut out the fruit no problem. I plan on making my own soup, hopefully once a week and freeze it. Should i be cutting out milk? And how about nuts, brown rice, wholegrain pasta etc. Sorry for the barrage of questions, i just want to arm myself with as much info as possible.

I don't currently take any supplements, but was when i tried the last two-week diet. Here is the extensive list of supplements i plan on taking:

L-Glutamine 5g - 3 times daily
Fish Oils ??
Vit C 1000mg
Vit B ??
Multi Vit
Milk Thistle
Slippery Elm
MSM ??
Prebiotics/Probiotics ??

There are others, but i can't remember off the top of my head. Zinc and magnesium actually were another two. Can you tell me what the difference is between pre and probiotics and when the best time is to take them?

Thanks

Hiya,

What you are allowed eat depends on the type of anti-candida diet you want to do, which in turn depends on the severity of your condition. I was lucky enough to get better on a simple anti-sugar diet. However, other people don't find this sufficient and need to cut out all carbohydrates altogether. I'm sure EileenG can expand more fully on this, but carbs turn into sugar when they are digested by your body (please correct me if this is inaccurate, Eileen) and therefore need to be eliminated. I would suggest trying the simple anti-sugar diet for 2 weeks, combined with two supplements: After breakfast in the morning, take 1 good multi-vitamin and 1 Acidophilous tablet. Acidophilous is a probiotic (I don't know what a pre-biotic is, sorry), which is basically live bacteria that live in your gut. Acidophilous is the live culture found in probiotic yogurts. However yogurt is fairly packed with sugar, so taking an Acidophilous tablet is the best way to get it into you. You can take up to 2 per day (with meals).

If the no-sugar diet doesn't improve your symptoms after 2 weeks, you may want to consider going fully no-carb in order to kill off the candida. This would include cutting out milk, porridge, bread, rice, pasta etc. It is meant to be HELL but it will do the job and clear your candida.

Best of luck, let us know how you get on with it.

akaalias

peepeep wrote: »

Hiya,

What you are allowed eat depends on the type of anti-candida diet you want to do, which in turn depends on the severity of your condition. I was lucky enough to get better on a simple anti-sugar diet. However, other people don't find this sufficient and need to cut out all carbohydrates altogether. I'm sure EileenG can expand more fully on this, but carbs turn into sugar when they are digested by your body (please correct me if this is inaccurate, Eileen) and therefore need to be eliminated. I would suggest trying the simple anti-sugar diet for 2 weeks, combined with two supplements: After breakfast in the morning, take 1 good multi-vitamin and 1 Acidophilous tablet. Acidophilous is a probiotic (I don't know what a pre-biotic is, sorry), which is basically live bacteria that live in your gut. Acidophilous is the live culture found in probiotic yogurts. However yogurt is fairly packed with sugar, so taking an Acidophilous tablet is the best way to get it into you. You can take up to 2 per day (with meals).

If the no-sugar diet doesn't improve your symptoms after 2 weeks, you may want to consider going fully no-carb in order to kill off the candida. This would include cutting out milk, porridge, bread, rice, pasta etc. It is meant to be HELL but it will do the job and clear your candida.

Best of luck, let us know how you get on with it.

Thanks. From my previous experience i don't think i got much joy from the anti-sugar diet i went on, having said that i wasn't taking any probiotics. I could certainly limit my carbohydrate consumption to 85g of porridge in the morning and vegetables for lunch and dinner. Having gone from eating only eggs for breakfast before, its safe to say i am a miserable bastard without my porridge! Thanks again, and like you say, hopefully EileenG can provide her insight into the situation

jdivision

I'd also recommend taking a liver tonic at the start just to help clear your system of crap. It certainly helped me.

akaalias

jdivision wrote: »

I'd also recommend taking a liver tonic at the start just to help clear your system of crap. It certainly helped me.

I was hoping thats what the milk thistle and slippery elm would do, but correct me if i'm wrong.

Can you tell me how long it took you to shift the candida and what kind of food you avoided, and supplements you took? Don't suppose you had the same symptoms as myself?!

EileenG

akaalias wrote: »

DIET:

Firstly is porridge ok for breakfast? I usually have this for breakfast with fruit ans sunflower seeds but can cut out the fruit. In fact if i write up my daily diet could people tell me whats ok and what's not?

Breakfast: Porridge (bout 85g when dry) w/ raisins, strawberries, grapes and sunflower seeds

Snack: Fruit and nuts (not the bar)

Lunch: Salad with smoked salmon

Snack: Fruit and nuts

Dinner: Meat + veg (usually brocolli)

If this is not working for you, I'd modify it. And yes, for at least two weeks, I'd say cut way way back on carbs.

So I'd suggest eggs for breakfast, no porridge, especially with raisins or grapes. You'd be horrified how much sugar your body can turn that into. Porridge is a very low gi carb, but that means it drip feeds sugar for longer.

Cut out all fruit for two weeks. After that, you can bring back berries and hard fruits like apples and pears.

Lunch is fine.

Dinner is fine. Pour on some extra virgin olive oil to boost the fat of the meal (you need the calories to come from somewhere) and EVOO has all sort of great properties.

By the way, when you reading labels, don't look at the "of which sugars" bit. Look at the total carb figure. Something like rice cake has almost no "of which sugars" number, but it is a very high gi carb which your body will treat like sugar.

akaalias

EileenG wrote: »

If this is not working for you, I'd modify it. And yes, for at least two weeks, I'd say cut way way back on carbs.

So I'd suggest eggs for breakfast, no porridge, especially with raisins or grapes. You'd be horrified how much sugar your body can turn that into. Porridge is a very low gi carb, but that means it drip feeds sugar for longer.

Cut out all fruit for two weeks. After that, you can bring back berries and hard fruits like apples and pears.

Lunch is fine.

Dinner is fine. Pour on some extra virgin olive oil to boost the fat of the meal (you need the calories to come from somewhere) and EVOO has all sort of great properties.

By the way, when you reading labels, don't look at the "of which sugars" bit. Look at the total carb figure. Something like rice cake has almost no "of which sugars" number, but it is a very high gi carb which your body will treat like sugar.

Right, i guess i'm gonna do this so. I've read to avoid nuts because they almost certainly have mould on them (apparently), and to also avoid milk and vinegar. Would you recommend this also? I think i'm going to have trouble getting enough calories. I reckon i need about 3000, and i don't want to resort to olive oil shots! Any ideas you have for packing in as many calories as possible would be much appreciated, as i'll be going to the gym at least 3 times a week.

Is after breakfast and dinner the best time to take probiotics and how much should i take?

akaalias

Sorry to add this is but i couldn't edit my previous post. What can i do about my fibre content. With all the low carbing i can see that being a problem. Is psyllium husk ok to replace it with? Or is that a carbohydrate in itself?

EileenG

How about an olive oil and lemon juice dressing on your salad and veg? Honestly, I have no real opinion about vinegar, but it might be no harm to take it easy for the first week or so, then you can do real vinegar and EVOO dressings. That way, you can pack in the cals, and make all the veg palatable.

Also not convinced by the nut arguement, yes, some nuts are moldy, but you should be able to smell or taste them.

While some cheeses are out, you should still be able to take things like cottage cheese, also natural yogurt, including greek yogurt. I would avoid milk as a drink, but it should be fine in tea. I used to drink a lot of chamomile tea, and then I used the teabags to sooth anywhere itchy.

Probitotics vary, see what you've got and read the instructions. Keep taking them even when you think it's gone. Yeast needs a lot of killing.

When cooking your meals, don't automatically go for the lean cuts of everything. Right now, you need the calories, so try some salmon sauteed in olive oil, rib steak, chicken thighs etc, to give you enough to keep going.

akaalias

EileenG wrote: »

How about an olive oil and lemon juice dressing on your salad and veg? Honestly, I have no real opinion about vinegar, but it might be no harm to take it easy for the first week or so, then you can do real vinegar and EVOO dressings. That way, you can pack in the cals, and make all the veg palatable.

Also not convinced by the nut arguement, yes, some nuts are moldy, but you should be able to smell or taste them.

While some cheeses are out, you should still be able to take things like cottage cheese, also natural yogurt, including greek yogurt. I would avoid milk as a drink, but it should be fine in tea. I used to drink a lot of chamomile tea, and then I used the teabags to sooth anywhere itchy.

Probitotics vary, see what you've got and read the instructions. Keep taking them even when you think it's gone. Yeast needs a lot of killing.

When cooking your meals, don't automatically go for the lean cuts of everything. Right now, you need the calories, so try some salmon sauteed in olive oil, rib steak, chicken thighs etc, to give you enough to keep going.

Can you explain the reason why cottage cheese is okay but other milk products are not advised, as i have read this elsewhere? Whey protein shakes probably not desirable either?

I really appreciate your time, and sorry for all the questions, i just want to get it right this time, and it seems my fridge is like a minefield! I think i'm going to try to do it for 6 weeks, cos the 2 weeks last time certainly didn't work. I'll try to update this thread intermittently on how i go. 6 weeks may be optimistic but it'd take me nicely up to Christmas, if i haven't had a breakdown by then!

akaalias

Last question i promise. I have read that coffee and tea should be avoided as the caffeine simulates and an energy release...or something. Is it really necessary to avoid these?

EileenG

Because hard cheeses are usually older, and may have moulds (though some of them taste so plastic it's hard to believe). Cottage and similar cheese are not old enough.

Thinking about it, I can't see why something like casein or whey isolate, something with a very low level of sugar, could cause problems.

To be on the safe side, I'd probably start off with just eggs, meat, fish and green veg, and olive oil and once the pain is gone and things are getting under control, try things like whey or cottage cheese, and see if they made any difference.

Sorry if I'm being too draconian about this. There are huge variations in pain levels. The pain I had was like knives being twisted in my breasts, so I was willing to do whatever it took to get rid of it. If you are not that bad, you may prefer to take it slower and have a slightly wider food choice.

EileenG

akaalias wrote: »

Last question i promise. I have read that coffee and tea should be avoided as the caffeine simulates and an energy release...or something. Is it really necessary to avoid these?

I honestly don't know. I did, because that was the advice at the time, but I'd love to hear from someone who didn't. I did drink a lot of herbal tea, particularly chamomile, but I didn't enjoy it. I missed my coffee more than most of the food.

akaalias

I want to play it as safe as possible so i think i'll avoid everything suspicious. So that'll mean no coffee, i'll stick to some tea of some kind. I might buy some tubs of cottage cheese, but i'll take a look around a bit before i decide.

Thanks again. Started this morning: 3 egg omlette, with red pepper, onion, cucumber and olive oil. Was absolute muck! That stuff is really not supposed to be eaten in the morning! The killer is it only came to about 350 cals. Maybe another tablespoon of olive oil is called for.

I'll try to keep this updated. Needless to say, however, that if you don't hear from me i was unsuccesful.

EileenG

Cucumber in an omlette? Ugh!

akaalias

EileenG wrote: »

Cucumber in an omlette? Ugh!

Yep, twas pretty horrible. I plan on making up large batch of soup today though. And i'm going to get some chick peas and make humus (sp?) and avocadoes for guacomole. Kind of unsure about the chick peas, cos i know some people recommend avoiding beans for the carbohydrate content.

El_Dangeroso

No advice of my own, EileenG pretty much nailed it. I just want to wish you luck OP, and be prepared to be sick, candida die off is bad for some.

I've heard of people who got stomach cramps, nausea, headache and fever, the works.. so it can be quite intense, just in case you were wondering if you were doing the right thing, feeling slightly ill is a sign that it's working.

Strange I know, but that's the point where you have to stick with what your doing.

Best of luck and keep us posted!

jdivision

jdivision wrote: »

I'd also recommend taking a liver tonic at the start just to help clear your system of crap. It certainly helped me.

I didn't have the dermatitis but had other symptoms. I took milk thistle as a matter of course but the liver tonic I got (it was in Health Matters on Grafton St) just made me feel so much better, it had so much good stuff in it. I got an energy boost just cos it was cleaning a lot of crap out. I got the knives in the side pain for about four weeks. I was using Threelac as well and continue to do so but it's mega expensive and to be honest some of the other bacteria probably work just as well. I probably need to go on one again to be honest, I've been craving sugar and eating too much of it for the last few weeks. because I was on holidays as well over last few weeks I got poisoned a few times as a coeliac and aside from regular symptoms I'm starting to hurt again.

El_Dangeroso

What's that liver tonic called jd? I don't live in Dublin..

figroll

Hi Folks,

I've been lurking around this type of topic for awhile, and trying to figure out if i need to go on one of those diets as well.. but the trouble is, i don't know for sure if i do have an overgrowth. Is there a test or something you can get? I'm feeling tired alot, mentally i feel a bit 'zoned out', bit of wheezing (i don't have asthma), dry skin, general lethargy - having to really push myself to exercise to name but a few of the symptoms.. I've just gone for some blood tests so i'm wondering would that show it up?

I don't want to go through the pain of this unless i need to!

Also, is there a method of doing this diet that you guys recommend? I've seen that the candida die after 5 days so why are some people on this for 6 weeks etc?

Thanks!
Figroll

akaalias

jdivision wrote: »

I didn't have the dermatitis but had other symptoms. I took milk thistle as a matter of course but the liver tonic I got (it was in Health Matters on Grafton St) just made me feel so much better, it had so much good stuff in it. I got an energy boost just cos it was cleaning a lot of crap out. I got the knives in the side pain for about four weeks. I was using Threelac as well and continue to do so but it's mega expensive and to be honest some of the other bacteria probably work just as well. I probably need to go on one again to be honest, I've been craving sugar and eating too much of it for the last few weeks. because I was on holidays as well over last few weeks I got poisoned a few times as a coeliac and aside from regular symptoms I'm starting to hurt again.

Well i'm taking milk thistle and slippery elm, tbh i don't really know what a 'liver tonic' is?

I have a few more questions for people. I'm looking at making bolognese tonight, obviously without the pasta. I'm wondering whether there is a lot of sugar in tomato paste and tinned tomatoes as there is no nut. info. on the cans?

A second question is regarding butter. I've noticed that the carb content of butter is trace, meaning trace lactose, meaning trace sugar - and hopefully no chance of traces of yeast or mould. Is this safe to eat? Also if anyone can recommend any other recipes that'd be great!!

EileenG

figroll wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I've been lurking around this type of topic for awhile, and trying to figure out if i need to go on one of those diets as well.. but the trouble is, i don't know for sure if i do have an overgrowth. Is there a test or something you can get? I'm feeling tired alot, mentally i feel a bit 'zoned out', bit of wheezing (i don't have asthma), dry skin, general lethargy - having to really push myself to exercise to name but a few of the symptoms.. I've just gone for some blood tests so i'm wondering would that show it up?

I don't want to go through the pain of this unless i need to!

Also, is there a method of doing this diet that you guys recommend? I've seen that the candida die after 5 days so why are some people on this for 6 weeks etc?

Thanks!
Figroll

Ideally, you get a culture done, but things like thrush or athlete's foot are good indicators that you have a yeast overgrowth. Just being tired etc isn't an indication on its own.

The method is simple, remove anything the yeast can eat, and starve them. That means cutting out all carbs except green veg for at least a couple of weeks, then gradually bringing back non-refined carbs.

The reason it lasts for longer than five days is that you always have some degree of yeast in your body, so it's not just about killing the yeast you've got, it's about changing the enviroment so they can't thrive. Yeast love sugar, so you've got to cut out anything the body can break down into sugar. That means rice cakes as well as table sugar.

EileenG

akaalias wrote: »

Well i'm taking milk thistle and slippery elm, tbh i don't really know what a 'liver tonic' is?

I have a few more questions for people. I'm looking at making bolognese tonight, obviously without the pasta. I'm wondering whether there is a lot of sugar in tomato paste and tinned tomatoes as there is no nut. info. on the cans?

A second question is regarding butter. I've noticed that the carb content of butter is trace, meaning trace lactose, meaning trace sugar - and hopefully no chance of traces of yeast or mould. Is this safe to eat? Also if anyone can recommend any other recipes that'd be great!!

Butter is fine. Also olive oil (extra virgin is best).

Skip the tomato paste, but a small amount of tinned tomato is fine. You can use enough tinned tomato to provide colour and then use water or real chicken stock to make the right texture.

akaalias

EileenG wrote: »

Butter is fine. Also olive oil (extra virgin is best).

Skip the tomato paste, but a small amount of tinned tomato is fine. You can use enough tinned tomato to provide colour and then use water or real chicken stock to make the right texture.

Thanks. Can you suggest anything else to stick in the pot instead of tomato as a sauce? I just noticed its passata i've got which says 99.5% tomato and the rest salt, don't know if thats better than the tinned tomatoes that say 60% tomatoes and 40% tomato juice.

jdivision

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

What's that liver tonic called jd? I don't live in Dublin..

Floradix

EileenG

akaalias wrote: »

Thanks. Can you suggest anything else to stick in the pot instead of tomato as a sauce? I just noticed its passata i've got which says 99.5% tomato and the rest salt, don't know if thats better than the tinned tomatoes that say 60% tomatoes and 40% tomato juice.

When I'm making this, I use mince, olives, celery or fennel, mushrooms (but you can leave these out), any veg lying around but well chopped up. And some tomato and stock, a couple of bay leaves, lots of garlic, oregano, maybe a bit of chili.

akaalias

EileenG wrote: »

When I'm making this, I use mince, olives, celery or fennel, mushrooms (but you can leave these out), any veg lying around but well chopped up. And some tomato and stock, a couple of bay leaves, lots of garlic, oregano, maybe a bit of chili.

Well i have to come out and say it, i used the passata. 400g for about 4 servings. I tried it without any sauce in it at all and it was completely tasteless so i was fairly desperate. I reckon its far from the worst thing i could be eating. Just wish i had my porridge and coffee back!

akaalias

Here's a bit of an update. Its now Day 9. Going well so far i think, apart from the hunger and lack of things to eat. I think i've been very strict so far, the only cheating i've done (if you could call it that) is using things like tomato paste, and the other day i bought a tomato soup that had vegetable buillon in it, which i can only assume had yeast extract in it. Apart from that i think i've been doing well.

I'm curious about what other things i can eat. I know rashers aren't the best thing in the world for your health, but would they be fine if candida was your problem? Sodium nitrite being the addiditive i'm worried about.

Does salt have any connetion with candida, not that i use a lot of it, but just wondering whether this is something that i should be proactively looking to avoid? I'm sure there's more questions i've got but thats all i can think of for now.

jdivision

I eaten rashers and eggs a lot for breakfast. Thai Curries could be a good option akaalias, there's a range in the normal section of the supermarkets which are good. I'll get the name later. I find a lot of the time it's better not to be bother with things like rice and just throw in loads of veg instead.

akaalias

jdivision wrote: »

I eaten rashers and eggs a lot for breakfast. Thai Curries could be a good option akaalias, there's a range in the normal section of the supermarkets which are good. I'll get the name later. I find a lot of the time it's better not to be bother with things like rice and just throw in loads of veg instead.

At the moment i'm doing just that, avoiding rice and throwing in as much vegetables as possible. Also using things like green curry paste which doesn't seem to have any additives in it. Bombay Pantry seem to do good (but expensive) sauces, just have to avoid the ones with milk and/or cream in it.

EileenG

akaalias wrote: »

Here's a bit of an update. Its now Day 9. Going well so far i think, apart from the hunger and lack of things to eat. I think i've been very strict so far, the only cheating i've done (if you could call it that) is using things like tomato paste, and the other day i bought a tomato soup that had vegetable buillon in it, which i can only assume had yeast extract in it. Apart from that i think i've been doing well.

I'm curious about what other things i can eat. I know rashers aren't the best thing in the world for your health, but would they be fine if candida was your problem? Sodium nitrite being the addiditive i'm worried about.

Does salt have any connetion with candida, not that i use a lot of it, but just wondering whether this is something that i should be proactively looking to avoid? I'm sure there's more questions i've got but thats all i can think of for now.

I wouldn't worry about salt. If you can find some nitrite free rashers, I'd definitely go for them. Check out organic markets for home cured bacon.

jdivision

That range is called Thai Gold by the way

akaalias

Thanks for those replies. I'm familiar with the Thai Gold range, have a few of their products in the cupboard.

As for the rashers, i think i'll try to avoid them for the moment. Maybe wait until week 3 or so. I'm supposed to be avoiding anything smoked as well, so i'd have to find unsmoked rashers. As far as i can tell the sodium nitrite/nitrate isn't all that bad, but even if it is, there seems to be no connection between it and candida. Although if someone know something to the contrary i'd like to be corrected!

jdivision

I used to make a kind of chilli con carne too, that was good and filling.

akaalias

Day 11: And still going strong enough i think. So i've another question which i'd appreciate some opinions on. Last night i made hummus (sp?). 2 cans of chick peas, 3 tbsp tahini, half a lemon, 1/2 tsp salt, 4 cloves of garlic...think thats it. Tasted great. But i'm a little worried about the carbohydrate content of the chick peas. Is it something i should be worried about? I'm hoping its fine because i'm needing the fibre right now, for obvious reasons.

EileenG

They are on the high side, but they also have a lot of fiber, so by day 11, you'll probably get away with it.

akaalias

EileenG wrote: »

They are on the high side, but they also have a lot of fiber, so by day 11, you'll probably get away with it.

To tell you the truth, i've only just looked them up now and noticed they are 45% carbohydrate, which is my own fault, i had no idea it was this high. I'll finish the batch i've made and leave it at that for a few weeks.

I've noticed while doing this diet that it is ridiculously easy to accidently sabotage yourself. Things like chickpeas, a good low gi bean that could potentially be counter-productive, cheese with it's zero carbs but potential mould, nuts with their low carbs and also potenially carrying mold, apple cider vinegar being advised and demonised in the same breath. Right now a voluntary 8 week coma would be fantastic...make that 5 weeks, i want a selection box!

EileenG

Definitely the anti-candida diet is harder than straight low carb.

akaalias

Day 15: I'm beginning to reach the end of my tether i think. After 15 days i'm not sure i can see any improvements. Yesterday i cheated a little, smoked ham and pistachio nuts, so its not like i ate a bar of chocolate or anything. Should i be expecting improvements at this stage? Also in this respect, i'm not sure how to go about measuring improvements (if any). Currently i'm using my tongue, which has that green coating and is slightly cracked in the middle. As far as i can see this has not changed.

I have lost a little weight, which is not something i want to do very much, i'm trying to keep up the olive oil and butter. If anyone has any input as to how long this will take or anything else useful it'd be great.

metamorphosis

Hey - i'm no expert and far from knowledgeable on candida and the diet but i would imagine that a tiny slip here or there will prolong or go against what you are trying to achieve.

Horrible diet to have to follow though - kudos to you!

jpr1973

OP, you need to start using Virgin Cocunut Oil to help kill off the candida as its a natural anti fungal supplement. start off small like one table spoon a day and gradually build up to 3/4 table spoons a day (not all together but over the course of the day)

I have skin condition psoriasis and have started a pretty much yeast free diet the last 7 days to see if i can improve my condition. My main advice to you is get a very strong blender and start making veggie shakes. I drink about 600g of veggie shakes a day. the veg i include are carrots,broccoilli, cauliflower, sweet potato, celery, Aubergine and a full head of lettuce. I put in a small cup full of organic apple juice to add a bit of flavour and also some ground cinnamon and fill the rest with water. I have now started to add the virgin coconut oil to the shake. The easiest way to prepare the shake is to buy the veg fresh, then chop them up in to small bits and store in freezer bag so you only need to prepare them once a week or so.

Also you can use the virgin coconut oil on your skin as a moisturiser and i find it very helpful.

On day 6, yesterday , i felt like i was getting the flu and still feel bad today. i am unsure if it is die off of the candidia or the actual flu but im going to continue taking the Coconut oil regardless. The other way i ingest the coconut oil is by putting some in a cup of green tea and drinking it.

By the way i have noticed some changes for the better on my skin condition.. slowly but surely... as long as i can stay out of the pub over xmas ;-(

El_Dangeroso

+1 on the coconut oil, just fantastic for overall health too.

jpr1973, have you ever tried vitamin D supplementation for psoriasis?

If you find that being out in the sun improves your condition then a 5,000IU a day supplement could really help.

jpr1973

No i dont take a vitamin D supplement however it more or less dissappeared when i travlled through asia for three months 2 years ago due the relaxation and the constant sunshine. I wasnt watching my diet back then and was drinking alcohol every two days and i could still keep it under control.

I shall start on the vitamin D and see how i go. thanks for the advice.

El_Dangeroso

Definitely give it a try, there's a lot of research backing it up if you have a google.

Bear in mind the the D you get in the shops isn't high-potency enough to work.

I recommend these:

http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Vitamin-D-3-Highest-Potency-5-000-IU-120-Softgels/10421?at=0

Four month's supply for a fiver!

jinka

I have this issue too. Its so common. I'm a sportsman and find it really though. Main problem for me would be general lethargy,bloating/stomach problems,cold hands,shallow breathing, brain fog and spacey feeling.

I find Threelac makes a big differance to be fair. It works out at apx 45euros a month(1box). Other probitiocs DON'T work until the candida is gone. I get it from The Finchley clinic online. If you are ordering any let me know as I can give you a discount code to type in.

A good book is "Hard to stomach" written by John Mckenna. It will explain a lot to you. He is based in Naas.

I've never been able to shake this but I get the feeling it would take a year to clear it for me and i'm not giving up my life to eat rice cakes and salads!

carg72

Candida causes me so much trouble! Bought a book on the harcombe diet, good but very hard to stcik to. can only have one carb a day for first 5 days and it has to be either porridge or brown rice - no sudar at all for 5 days!! tried it a couple of weeks ago but il be honest i had 2 of those carbs each day for energy but the no sugar part was grand. Gonna try it again when i get back to work next week - strict but clears the candida! But honestly - no yeast no sugar is th way to go. Find acidophilus tablets good too.