Am I missing something in my diet?

Susie_Q

Hi everyone,

I'm on a restricted diet for long-term candida (along with medication) and I'm just wondering if I'm missing something as I have been quite tired over the last week. I've been on this diet for 3 weeks now so I'm used to it but I wonder if I could improve it.

The rules of the diet are fairly straightforward: no wheat, no refined sugar, limited dairy, no alcohol, no caffeine. Eat meat, fish, vegetables, 2 portions fruit per day, nuts, seeds, lots of probiotic yogurt, certain types of cheese (goats, edam or gouda). I'm also allowed rice and potatoes but a max of two helpings a day.

Here's a typical day's food:

Breakfast - Apple with half a large pot (about 8oz) probiotic yogurt

Lunch - Either (a) A salad with spinach leaves/ mixed leaves, tomato, raw carrot and eggs/ ham/ cold meat of some sort. Maybe a slice of cheese too. or (b) Leftover dinner from the night before

Dinner - Either something like shepherds pie, which is meat + lots of veg + mash (with butter), or some sort of homemade curry with rice. All my dinners have plenty of veg and either potato or rice as I'm starving by the time I get home from work (I have a long commute).

On the train on the way home I'll have a banana and a handful of peanuts/ cashews/ pistachios and after dinner I don't eat anything for the rest of the night.

Anything I should be getting more of or any improvements to be made in general? Not really looking to lose weight, maybe a couple of pounds at the most, I'm more concerned with just getting all the stuff my body needs and not letting this restricted diet wear me out.

Any suggestions welcome, thanks.

Butterbox

Don't know anything about Candida but be careful who you take diet advise from, me included. Looking at your diet, though, I would see little point removing refined sugar and keeping potatoe and (white rice). Try sweet potatoe instead. Detox is rubbish. If you feel bad with a diet it is the wrong diet regardless of getting used to it. Try changing a few things at a time and see what feels best. You might also consider swaping the apple for a pear.

metamorphosis

Your diet overall looks very nice, nice to see that.

The candida may however be feeding off that banana (could be way off the mark here too!) you snack on and rice/potato too.

You say your allowed to have 2 fruit portions (hoping the advice you are getting is proper of course!), maybe switch the banana for a fruit less concentrated. You will be getting 22-30gm sugar in the banana. Now, bananas are great, don't get me wrong, but for candida, it's possible one of the higheest fruit you may want to stay away from. Maybe berries, pear??

Make sure you keep the cals up too though - maybe use some oil dressing over your salid or coconut oil etc

Susie_Q

Should have said that the diet advice is from a medical doctor who specialises in candida and allergies - it's not advice from some quack in the local health shop or anything like that. I did query him on the fruit thing but he said any fruit is fine as long as I limit my intake. I should definitely also note that I haven't had any flare up of candida since I started this and it's rare I'd go three weeks candida-free so the diet (plus the meds obviously) does seem to be working.

I think you might be right, need some more cals. I've lost about 5 pounds since I started this so maybe I just need to eat a bit more good fat in my diet. Olive oil is a great idea, thanks. I usually have an undressed salad but will change this.

Sapsorrow

Looks great, fair play. I'd echo what Metamorphisis says though and consider replacing the banana with a lower sugar fruit. Overall it looks excellent though.

El_Dangeroso

I definitely think you're low on cals, I have that issue too. I eat well and I'm never hungry but I start to get tired when the cals dip a little too low, it's a nice problem to have but it is a problem.

Baked potato with huge amounts of sour cream and chives are my 'go to' calories. Guaranteed to eat enough that way. Rice and creamy curries are good too.

Susie_Q

Nice one, thanks for the input everyone. Sour cream and creamy sauces sound gorgeous but are sadly forbidden on this diet. However I have discovered the joys of a baked potato smothered in melted bubbley gouda!

El_Dangeroso

Susie_Q wrote: »

Nice one, thanks for the input everyone. Sour cream and creamy sauces sound gorgeous but are sadly forbidden on this diet. However I have discovered the joys of a baked potato smothered in melted bubbley gouda!

Why cheese and not cream out of interest? The have pretty much the same stuff in them.

Susie_Q

Certain types of cheese are allowed (gouda, edam and goats cheese) and I can have probiotic yogurt but no other dairy - no milk, no cream, no other cheeses etc. Not actually sure why to be honest, I trust my doctor so I just agreed to give it a try!

El_Dangeroso

Susie_Q wrote: »

Certain types of cheese are allowed (gouda, edam and goats cheese) and I can have probiotic yogurt but no other dairy - no milk, no cream, no other cheeses etc. Not actually sure why to be honest, I trust my doctor so I just agreed to give it a try!

Prob lactose then, weird 'cos yogurt has more lactose than cream, but does have the good bacteria. Anyhoo, if it's working for you well done!

Torakx

I would love to know what medication your on for this,im presuming its some anti fungal.
I went through about 4-6 doctors around ireland and a professor of gastro-something in beaumont over the last 12 years and nobody even mentioned diet or candida just gave me anti depressants etc.

So i think i can be forgiven for taking my own advice and the diet pretty much prevents flare ups,when i stick to it.Ive read for every year you might of had it you need to diet strictly for a month or two, which leaves me needing a full year straight on a low amount of carbs/sugar etc
But i would like to research the anti fungals doctors are prescribing so i can then decide myself if i will take them.I personally never rely on a doctors advice anymore

In my case for the first 2 weeks i stayed off all carbs and sugar suffered the detox and felt amazing after but lost alot of weight.
Now when im sticking to the diet i dont even have rice or potatoes.
I noticed i can get a flare up if i start introducing too much and its too easy to switch back to more portions.
I think really you need to just be aware of the flare ups and what you had that caused it.
Certain people respond worse to certain types of complex carbs even.
So i would say if your losing weight just add more salad when you add more meat and i reckon that should safely balance it out
My safety net food is salad with any meat,switching to fish more now too.
The issue i have with flare ups is having some weeks were i cant afford the meat and i have to start eating cheap food and the whole thing starts again.
So any tips for finding cheap protein thats candida frendly i would appreciate.
Im not fond of any chicken that isnt free range,dont know if thats necesary but i dont like the idea of eating a chicken that was possibly stuffed with hormones for cheap tesco cuts.

Susie_Q i dont know if you have seen these, but in the health food shops you can get capsules from the fridge with billions of probiotic bacteria in each one.
When i can afford it i will be gong back onto them.But i think i might try the anti fungals too if my research into them tells me its ok.
I dont want it to turn into a super yeast/fungus and get worse so im very wary of chemical anti fungals.
Ive been using onion and garlic in salads for anti fungal.

Lastly i also noticed when i eat ALOT of salad it really does help clean out my system for want of a better description lol
I think this is very important with candida as blockages can lead to flare ups or maybe even leaky gut syndrome again.
Great to see someone else becoming aware and treating this illness.It seems quite common in the western world yet rarely diagnosed by doctors.
Actually mne was caused by anti-biotics haha so i can blame the doctors!

flasher0030

Hi – I’m just wondering does anyone have any experience beyond getting past the Candida – i.e. other issues developing. As briefly as I can be:-

•Last year, started to become extremely tired, no concentration, quality of life going downhill rapidly.
•Symptoms seemed like Candida, so researched loads on it. Did diet (not completely strictly), took THreelac probiotic and various anti-fungals (Grapeseed extract, Oil of Oregano, Cocunut Oil, garlic etc, and parasite stuff like Wormwood, Black Walnut Hull, cloves).
•Health improved better than it ever was for about 5 months. Felt invincible.
•Then in January started getting worse again. So was stricter on diet. Didnt matter. Noticed that I was passing whole foods (carrots, peas) in my stoll. Not a pretty subject I know. Treated myself for leaky gut. Took Glutamine for 2 weeks. Seemed to do the trick.
•Started deterioting again. Symptoms seemed like liver problems – nightsweats, “spare tyre around belly” and again the fatigue, lack of concentration. Was getting very downbeat about it. Did colon cleanse (using supplements), liver cleanse. Actually was passing lumps of green stuff, but not as much as I was supposed to. Symptoms didn’t improve, and started getting worse again.
•My digestion has also gone downhill, and I don’t pass “my waste” as freely as I used to.
•Have researched loads on this. THreelac was supposed to be the cure, and was for 5 months. But it seemed it’s impact wore off. I have now started taking other probiotics – Udos super 8. Supposed to be effective. I feel a positive difference after 2 days, but I have no doubt this will be temporary.

Basically, I do not know what the solution is. It seems when one thing improves, another gets worse. There seems to be a close connection between the colon, liver, kidneys, gallbladder etc, and one needs to rectify all to be fully healthy.

I should also have mentioned that I had been on antibiotics for almost 17 years due to acne. Antibiotics ranged from minor enough to doses of Roaccutane, when is extremely severe, and I fear may have damaged my liver (as is renowned to happen). Whatever about the issues referred to above, my acne has nearly gone, and is extremely manageable for the first time in almost 20 years. So, I can live with those issues.
But I would appreciate any comments/advice anybody has.

Transform

flasher0030 wrote: »

Hi – I’m just wondering does anyone have any experience beyond getting past the Candida – i.e. other issues developing. As briefly as I can be:-

•Last year, started to become extremely tired, no concentration, quality of life going downhill rapidly.
•Symptoms seemed like Candida, so researched loads on it. Did diet (not completely strictly), took THreelac probiotic and various anti-fungals (Grapeseed extract, Oil of Oregano, Cocunut Oil, garlic etc, and parasite stuff like Wormwood, Black Walnut Hull, cloves).
•Health improved better than it ever was for about 5 months. Felt invincible.
•Then in January started getting worse again. So was stricter on diet. Didnt matter. Noticed that I was passing whole foods (carrots, peas) in my stoll. Not a pretty subject I know. Treated myself for leaky gut. Took Glutamine for 2 weeks. Seemed to do the trick.
•Started deterioting again. Symptoms seemed like liver problems – nightsweats, “spare tyre around belly” and again the fatigue, lack of concentration. Was getting very downbeat about it. Did colon cleanse (using supplements), liver cleanse. Actually was passing lumps of green stuff, but not as much as I was supposed to. Symptoms didn’t improve, and started getting worse again.
•My digestion has also gone downhill, and I don’t pass “my waste” as freely as I used to.
•Have researched loads on this. THreelac was supposed to be the cure, and was for 5 months. But it seemed it’s impact wore off. I have now started taking other probiotics – Udos super 8. Supposed to be effective. I feel a positive difference after 2 days, but I have no doubt this will be temporary.

Basically, I do not know what the solution is. It seems when one thing improves, another gets worse. There seems to be a close connection between the colon, liver, kidneys, gallbladder etc, and one needs to rectify all to be fully healthy.

I should also have mentioned that I had been on antibiotics for almost 17 years due to acne. Antibiotics ranged from minor enough to doses of Roaccutane, when is extremely severe, and I fear may have damaged my liver (as is renowned to happen). Whatever about the issues referred to above, my acne has nearly gone, and is extremely manageable for the first time in almost 20 years. So, I can live with those issues.
But I would appreciate any comments/advice anybody has.

that diet is NOT anti candida.

I would recommend you read a few of the posts above, go plaeo and add in some digestive support, probiotics and fish oils

Antibiotics are NOT good for gut health and will cause increased gut permability - not a good thing if you have acne.