Candida Diet Argh!

[frec]

I've been on the Candida diet for about two months. I think this is going to be a permanent change in lifestyle. (sigh) I think my joint pain is better on this diet. I have been doing a lot of research on the Internet and the rules for the diet are all over the place. I am confused, so I am taking a poll from the people who know the most--the people on this forum. No sugar--that's clear. What about fruit? What about fruit juice with no sugar? Some people even say to stay off vegetables with a lot of sugar, like carrots.

What about fermented things, like vinegar or pickles? Cheese isn't a problem since I'm off dairy and soy.

What about complex carbohydrates--beans, brown rice, yams? What about bread or pasta made from brown rice or sorghum or whatever?

I'm hungry and frustrated. I'd sure appreciate knowing your experiences.

[purple]

Tips from my nutritional healing book by Phyllis Balch

Eat veggies, fish, gluten-free grains such as brown rice and millet

Take a (nondairy) acidophilus or bifidus supplement

Take fiber daily like flax seed

Be sure your diet is fruit-free, sugar-free, and yeast-free and low in carbs

Avoid aged cheeses, alcohol, baked goods, chocolate, dried fruits, fermented foods, all gluten, ham, honey, nut butters, pickles, potatoes, raw mushrooms, soy sauce, sprouts, and vinegar

Eliminate citrus and acidic fruits for one month and then add back only a few, 2x a week

Take only hypoallergenic supplements

Replace toothbrush monthly

Do not use corticosteriods or oral contraceptives until condition improves

Avoid household chemical products and cleansers, chlorinated water (drink distilled), mothballs, synthetic textiles, and damp and moldy places such as basements

Check with the doc to see if you have an illness such as diabetes or immune system dysfunction or high levels of mercury(got any fillings?)

[frec]

Thank you! I guess what I'm asking is, how rigorously do people follow this diet? This is a REALLY limited diet. I've managed to absolutely give up gluten, dairy, soy, and a bunch of other minor stuff. I don't cheat--I am God's gift to diet following. Everyone on this website is on some sort of limited diet. But the only absolutely legal foods on this one are meat and vegetables. Do people really follow this diet, or do they occasionally eat a banana or some brown rice and feel guilty about it? The cause and effect isn't as clear with this diet or I would just go by results.

[purple]

I have never had Candida so I can't help you with your Q?. I have studied it some. Did you ever do a Candida cleanse? Have you tried: oil of oregano, olive leaf extract, probiotics, garlic, caprylic acid, aloe vera juice, a parasite cleanse.... or anything else to try to kill them?

[frec]

I'm taking garlic and probiotics. Giving up gluten was much easier than this. Thanks again for listening.

[munchkinette]

Tips from my nutritional healing book by Phyllis Balch

Eat veggies, fish, gluten-free grains such as brown rice and millet

Take a (nondairy) acidophilus or bifidus supplement

Take fiber daily like flax seed

Be sure your diet is fruit-free, sugar-free, and yeast-free and low in carbs

Avoid aged cheeses, alcohol, baked goods, chocolate, dried fruits, fermented foods, all gluten, ham, honey, nut butters, pickles, potatoes, raw mushrooms, soy sauce, sprouts, and vinegar

Eliminate citrus and acidic fruits for one month and then add back only a few, 2x a week

Take only hypoallergenic supplements

Replace toothbrush monthly

Do not use corticosteriods or oral contraceptives until condition improves

Avoid household chemical products and cleansers, chlorinated water (drink distilled), mothballs, synthetic textiles, and damp and moldy places such as basements

Check with the doc to see if you have an illness such as diabetes or immune system dysfunction or high levels of mercury(got any fillings?)

What is the link with corticosteroids and birth control? I recently stopped using the corticosteroid inhaler because it was causing problems for me, but that was only one symptom.

[purple]

What is the link with corticosteroids and birth control? I recently stopped using the corticosteroid inhaler because it was causing problems for me, but that was only one symptom.

Research corticosteriods. I read a couple of things on it. They reduce your ability to fight diseases by suppressing the immune system.

www.glutenfreeworks.com/gluten_sensitivity.php

lupus.webmd.com/coticosteriods-for-lupus

There alot of side effects that a celiac doesn't need.

[PaulaJ]

What about fruit? What about fruit juice with no sugar? Some people even say to stay off vegetables with a lot of sugar, like carrots.

What about fermented things, like vinegar or pickles? Cheese isn't a problem since I'm off dairy and soy.

What about complex carbohydrates--beans, brown rice, yams? What about bread or pasta made from brown rice or sorghum or whatever?

I'm hungry and frustrated. I'd sure appreciate knowing your experiences.

Hi--I think the drastic "cave man" diet (mostly meat and veggies) is meant to be strictly followed only for a short period of time--like 6 weeks. Since all food eventually turns into glucose in the blood, the point of the Candida diet is to not give big surges of sugar for the Candida to feast on, thereby weakening it, and then killing it with antifungals and replacing it with probiotics so it can't grow back--you probably know all this.

The problem with being on the "cave man" diet longer than 6 weeks is that eventually a high-protein diet will weaken your kidneys and a severely low carb diet will cause muscle atrophy (meaning your body will "eat" it's own muscle, including internal organs and, as a lesser problem, less muscle=less calorie burning) and basically make you a crazy person (we need carbs to think rationally). Don't worry about the carrot thing - carrots actually have antifungal properties :-) see www.yeastinfectionadvisor.com.

The reason for vinegar avoidance is that if you are sensitive or have a yeast allergy/sensitivity, consuming vinegar would stir up symptoms/tear the body down (all allergies tear down the body). If you are not allergic to vinegar then I would say you could add it back in (of course, assuming it is gluten-free vinegar).

I'm going to venture to say it's time for you to start eating some complex carbs, my dear. Starving your body of carbs for weeks on end will not help in the fight with Candida. Our immune systems need fuel. Start slowly adding back in carbs, maybe 1/2 cup with your meals and then gradually increasing to meet your hunger. Possibly choose high-fiber*, low sugar fruit such as berries and apples to start with. I would avoid fruit juices for the most part--there's no fiber so it may as well be just sugar--if you must have it, dilute it with large amounts of water, but again, whole fruit is better because of the fiber factor. Unfortunately, some of the "whens" to add things back into the diet, such as honey, sugar, desserts, etc. are not clearly defined but you would be safe to keep a limit on consuming them. You will have to basically gauge and guess for yourself on these things as it seems nobody has a clear-cut answer on all of it.

*Fiber is our good bugs' (probiotics) favorite food--keeps them happy and replicating.

[PaulaJ]

Hi--I didn't realize the original post was from 7/15 at first when I wrote my reply, but here it is anyway!

[boron]

Frec, if you're still reading this...How do you know that candida is your problem? Intestinal candida overgrowth goes with bloating, diarrhea, sugar craving, brain fog, and more...but these are the most typical symptoms. After starting candida diet, characteristc candida die-off symptoms (like hangover) appear.

The point of candida diet is to avoid monosaccharides (fructose, glucose), disaccharides (lactose) and alcohol, which are food for candida. Brown rice contain some fructose. Anyway, symptoms should lessen in few days, if it was candida...

But if your problem is bloating/diarrhea, it is possible you have fructose malabsorption, and you need to avoid most fruits and all foods containing FRUCTOSE (high fructose corn syrup is added in many foods!!), SORBITOL (sugar free chewing gums, "low-calorie" foods and drinks, and MAYBE also fructans (moleculs with fructose) which are in wheat, onions and artichoke, also asparagus.

[RiceGuy]

Though this thread seems to have been resurrected unintentionally, I'll add my experience for anyone reading.

What I did was to avoid all sugars, vinegars, yeasts, and fruits. I still ate complex carbs. I took caprylic acid capsules. It took about two weeks for the cravings to subside, and day by day I was feeling better. In a month it was like having a brand new body. I continued the caprylic acid for two bottles. Never went back to eating those items except fruits, which I gradually added back only after several months without any.

Here's a product with many of the most popular candida fighters:

Open Original Shared Link

[mslee]

I've had some good luck with caprylic acid as well...have not yet researched the best brands of supplements but the Solgar brand did seem to work better than the more generic version I bought the next time.

[tiff001]

lol I am hungry and frustrated too! I went on the candida diet a month ago, and I can't tell if it's working. I don't even know if I had a candida problem to begin with, although I did fail the spit test.

I eat potatoes, rice brown and white, and almond butter, which only has 1.5 grams of sugar. I have a piece of fruit a couple times a week out of weakness. I have also splurged onceor twice and had peanut butter on a bananaand an entire cantaloupe. I also cook with rice flour and gluten free all purpose flour.

I've been on 500,000 mg nystatin for 4 weeks, and it's almost gone. I don't know if I'm going to take any more after it's gone.

[nora-n]

Hi, have you read Karen Tripp's Candida page?

Open Original Shared Link

Everything about the diet is there. I read elsewhere that rice is ane excellent food for candida (and not so good for us)

Karen Tripp says no fruit. It will set you back to the beginning, it looks like.

nora