Low Sugar Diet For Candida Management

[Waitingindreams]

Does anyone else have a candida issue? On top of the candida issue, I was just diagnosed with tinea versicolor that spread from my neck down to my stomach area. I can't catch a break, here! My doctor put me on 3 weeks of Diflucan to get rid of the rash/control my candida, but I want a more permanent/natural solution...so I want to really cut back on my sugars. I really want to try to only eat chocolate/desserts (like pie and cakes) around the holidays...the only exception being frozen yogurt because my boyfriend is obsessed...and they have no sugar added/non fat options.

 

Anyway!

 

I really, really need tips and advice how to go about this. My doctor didn't tell me to do this, I have decided it's something I want to try because I'm tired of dealing with this.

 

As far as beverages go, (usually) all I drink is water. If I have tea, it's decaf black tea - and I usually add a bit of honey in, no sugar or milk. I gave up coffee, soda, juice, and dairy milk. If I have milk in cereal, it's usually unsweetened almond milk, so there is no sugar in that.

 

For food, I'll admit my diet is still not perfected. One of my favorite meals is brown rice (Uncle Ben's or Success minute rice) mixed with steamfresh vegetables (either mixed or broccoli/cauliflower) and Stop & Shop salsa (more like pico de gallo, no sugar) 

 

When my boyfriend and I go out to eat, a lot of the time the only gluten-free option is pizza, so admittedly I've had a lot of gluten free pizzas lately. When I eat salad, I recently just switched to getting only olive oil instead of oil and vinegar, because I found that my rosacea was flaring up after eating the oil/vinegar. 

 

I also gave up eating mushrooms (not that I ate them all that often anyway) because I read that it can make fungal issues even worse. Any more tips and advice? Are there any foods that I absolutely must eliminate? Are there foods I should increase in my diet that really help? Please, any advice would be appreciated. 

 

I don't like red meat/pork/fish...I occasionally eat grilled chicken though. I do try to keep the gluten-free bread/bagels etc to a minimum as well. 

[cyclinglady]

For a month, you need to stick to a protein based diet rich in veggies and consume only one fruit per week.  Then you can add back in more fruit but only a serving a day and whole gluten-free grains -- not gluten-free bagels or breads.  Just simple whole foods.  I think you can google the candida diet for more tips and advice.  But, to keep from  feeling like you're starving, you might have to include other meats (beef, pork, buffalo, lamb, etc. and fish).

 

I did this diet years ago (under the advice of my doctor).  I had chronic fungus problems as a result of being on antibiotics daily for two years.   Yes, that's what dermatologists recommended years ago!   I was on this regime for a year (I also rotated my foods as I had developed intolerances/allergies that still persist to this day!)  

 

Good luck to you.

 

P.S.  I was eating veggies even for breakfast and I still do.   

[Waitingindreams]

Thanks for the tips! I eat veggies/rice for breakfast sometimes myself. Is rice okay to eat? I have googled the candida diet before, but it was overwhelming and half of the sites said not to bother because it "doesn't work". I wanted to get firsthand accounts from people actually dealing with celiac disease and the fungal issues.

 

I don't like red meat, at all. I can't even stand the smell of it. The texture, nothing. I never liked hamburgers or meatloaf...but when I was younger I used to eat a lot of meat. As I got older I really just cannot deal with it. It turns my stomach. The only 'meat' I eat is chicken. I sometimes have grilled chicken on my salads, or I have chicken with rice/vegetables. 

 

Is lentil soup okay to have? And what are gluten free grains? Like...quinoa? Corn? I'm still so new to all of this, I'm trying to do too many things at once but the candida thing/tinea versicolor is a pain in the arse. I don't eat too much fruit because of the oral allergy syndrome...I do tend to eat more vegetables because I can cook them. (I can't eat raw fruits/vegetables - so I just buy the steam fresh vegetables)

 

Is olive oil okay for salad dressing? I have so many questions, I'm sorry! Did your issues clear up?

[Juliebove]

If you do this kind of diet and you find that it is helping, then you have to avoid all carbs, always. So no, rice is never okay and neither is a sweet on the holiday.  But everything I have read about this diet has said that it never works in the long run.  But you certainly could cut back on the carbs if you wish.  That would be any and all fruit, rice or any grains, peas, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.  You'd have to stick to eggs, dairy, meat, fish, shellfish, fats, and only non-starchy veggies like lettuce, broccoli and green beans.

 

Have you tried adding supplements to your diet?  Some that attack fungal things are garlic (can get deodorized), oil of oregano and grapefruitseed extract.  Also be sure to take probiotics.

[Waitingindreams]

If rice isn't okay, I don't think I could ever stick to this diet faithfully - but like you said, I could at least cut back significantly. Rice is a pretty big staple in my diet, but I try not to eat it as much as I was. The problem is I don't eat meat, fish or shellfish...(I really can't stand the taste/smell) but I do like lettuce, broccoli, green beans, and other vegetables. Are lentils okay? I'm sick, so instead of eating the normal Lipton noodle soup I used to always eat, I've switched to having lentil soup. 

 

No, I've never added any supplements other than the standard Biotin (for my skin/hair) Vitamin C, Zinc, stuff like that. I have heard a lot about garlic being a good antifungal. Do you have a recommendation for a good probiotic? My doctor had me on Align when he thought i had IBS, but once I was diagnosed with celiac disease, i asked him if i still needed to take the probiotics and he said no. I also don't like taking Acidophilus...both times i took it it looked like it made my problem even worse. Suddenly I had an issue in spots that I didn't have an issue in before. I don't really like yogurt all that much, and I'm lactose intolerant so I'd have to take a few lactaid pills to even digest it. I do eat frozen yogurt pretty frequently, but that doesn't make my stomach upset. I try to stick to the non fat/no sugar added flavors.

 

I guess at best I can do a modified candida diet. Less sugars and carbs, more vegetables? And I'll look into the supplements. Do you recommend a good brand? Sorry for all of the questions. It just feels like there's SO much. The fact that I really do not like meat/ish is a hindrance, but it was never too big of a deal before I knew I had celiac disease.

[ndw3363]

Probiotics are always a good idea IMHO - I have been without mine for a week (I take PB8) and have really noticed a difference.  Ok, so on the candida diet issue.  I realize there are many opinions and everyone's body reacts differently.  So this is what works/doesn't work for me.  I seem to react to any carbs/sugar...no matter if it's gluten-free or not.  Had a "rebel" moment on Friday and inhaled an entire gluten-free pizza bc it was the best thing I've ever had...however, I am now paying the huge price of fatigue, terrible skin issues (my head is one giant sebborhea outbreak), weakness, brain fog, and most likely the beginning yet another yeast infection (get them ALL the time if I don't watch my diet).  Only way for me to keep any of these symptoms at bay is to take my probiotic, and only eat protein/veggies.  Which for me is eggs/bacon or nut bar for breakfast, salad/grilled chicken/leftovers/egg salad/soup/chili/etc for lunch, and dinner is almost always some type of meat with veggie side (roasted broccoli being my obsession).  If I stick to this with no alcohol, I can still keep my two cups of coffee in the morning and the very occasional starch at a restaurant (i.e. mashed potatoes, baked potato, rice, etc)...but only if I do that once or twice a month. My diet was much easier for me to follow when it was just me.  My wonderful bf lives with me now which has changed my eating habits a bit - however, he's helping me get back on track (seriously, where did this glorious man come from?) - he will eat anything I put in front of him and actually prefers my gluten-free stuff most times.  It's hard to adjust to a different way of eating - you will most likely relapse many times.  I just try to remind myself of the consequences before I stuff carbs/sugar in my face...lol.  Doesn't always work, but so far things are getting better. 

[Waitingindreams]

Hmm, I'll keep the probiotics in mind. Do you see a nutritionist? I am wondering if it's worth it with all of my dietary restrictions. The no alcohol thing isn't a problem for me, I never really got into drinking...but I don't like meat...I guess in the morning I can start having eggs, but is cheese okay? I don't want to fully give up sugars, just cut back a lot. I mean I've already cut back a lot, it seems like it just never stops. If I liked meat it would be easier, but I can't even stand the smell of meat or fish. I do like grilled chicken though..and I love broccoli. 

 

I just had brown rice with steamed broccoli, some shredded cheese, olive oil, and sea salt/cracked pepper. It was pretty good. I have a slight cheese obsession which I need to break away from. I was actually working on cutting dairy out of my diet almost completely, and I was doing well until I found out I had celiac disease. It seemed silly to avoid dairy completely for choice now that I had to avoid gluten completely for my health. Now I want to cut it out more again because I didn't realize how the lactose intolerance was affecting me. It seems like it never ends! 

 

I still live at home with my parents, and they don't even attempt to eat healthy. I buy/make my own food. My boyfriend is very supportive and tries all of my gluten free stuff too : ) He likes a lot of it as well. 

 

Well, Thanksgiving is coming up..do you have any candida friendly dessert ideas? I would imagine there wouldn't be any...but I don't want to limit myself completely. I think having candy/sweets a few times a year should be okay, and maybe I'll try to cut down the rice to once/twice a week or so.

[Juliebove]

Lentils are high in carbs.  I get most of our supplements from Swanson online.  We use Dr. Steven Langer's Ultimte 15 Strain with Trace Minerals and FOS.  Oh well crud!  Let me say now that we *used* to use this.  Apparently they do not gaurantee it to be dairy or gluten-free.  So lemme look again.  *sigh*  Always something.  Culturelle makes a dairy and gluten-free one.

[Waitingindreams]

Hmm,...what about quinoa? Is that a suitable replacement for rice? I don't think I can remove rice from my diet permanently, but I can definitely cut back. As for lentils, I can definitely cut back on them, too. I do like the lentil soup..but it was mainly because I was sick...I just wanted soup. I think I should be taking probiotics, I'll look into Culturelle. I think Align was making my stomach issues worse - but it's hard to tell because I was still eating gluten while taking it. Ugh.

[w8in4dave]

Yes quinoa can be a replacement for rice! I absolutely LOVE quinoa !! It can be put into so many dishes!! And yes I think you should be taking Probiotics. I don't take mine every day, and then I think? Why am I having so many problems? Ohhh I am not taking my Probiotics ... So yes they help ALOT.. 

[Waitingindreams]

! Great to know, I haven't tried quinoa yet, but a few friends have recommended it simply because they like it. I'll have to give it a try. What probiotics do you take? Should I give the Align another shot, should I go to another brand?

[Juliebove]

Hmm,...what about quinoa? Is that a suitable replacement for rice? I don't think I can remove rice from my diet permanently, but I can definitely cut back. As for lentils, I can definitely cut back on them, too. I do like the lentil soup..but it was mainly because I was sick...I just wanted soup. I think I should be taking probiotics, I'll look into Culturelle. I think Align was making my stomach issues worse - but it's hard to tell because I was still eating gluten while taking it. Ugh.

Quinoa is high in carbs too.  Seriously if you want to go on a no sugar type diet, you must avoid all carbs, always.

[bartfull]

Summer squash, yellow or zuchinni, are low in carbs, but it's hard to get at this time of year. Your next best bet would be acorn squash.