I'm afraid I may have Candida

[dizzyd]

I'm not sure. I went on a website and took a little quiz that says taht I more than likely do. If I do, that would certainly explain why I can't seem to lose an ounce. :(

So, my big question (I don't have the Atkins book to read anymore) is what's the Atkins way of controlling and eliminating Candida. What do I need to cut out of my diet, for how long, etc.

Just a quick run-down would be so appreciated!!!

Thanks!

[ellbeegee]

Hi dizzyd:

It is probably easier to list things you CAN eat with candida. . .

Here is the basic things not to eat ( I am getting these from a book entitled "The Yeast Connection Handbook" written by William G. Crook, M.D.). I have not copied this information verbatim.

In addition to everything Atkins says not to eat. . . .

Sugar and sugar containing foods including honey, moleasses etc. also avoid sucrolose, fructose, maltose, mannitol, glucose, etc.

Packaged and processed foods.

Breads, pastries and other raised baked goods (NO KRISPY KREME)

All cheese (contains mold). Moldy cheese such as roquefort are the worst.

Most condiments (because they contain vinegar which is fermented and they harbor mold) such as mustard, vinegar, bbq sauce, soy, pickles. You can use freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Malt products (say good bye to beer and wine :mad: .

Processed and smoked meats (bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham.

Edible fungi such as mushrooms, truffles.

Melons (watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe).

Dried and candied fruits

leftovers (harbor mold). You can freeze them to eat later.

Fruit juices (lots of sugar and they harbor mold from sitting in barrles and bins at the processing plants).

Coffee and tea. Alcoholic beerages, diet pop (very tough to give up). I still drink it. I do not recommend it, but I am a severe Carbo. addict and I need something sweet.

Stick to the LOW CARB veggies.

Dr. Crook says to shop mainly around the edges of the supermarket and he also recommends "organic foods". I personally cannot afford these, as I am on a tight budget.

If you think you have Candida, Dr. Crook is a good source of info. I believe Doreen has a link to his web site in her posting of sources at the beginning of the Candida forum.

I hope this is helpful. Anyone else? Please feel free to add or correct this info!!!

LBG

[dharris]

Hi Donna!
I've got candida (from antibiotics and sugar), and what LBG is pretty much the crux of it. Although, you can have diet pop as long as it doesn't contain caffeine, and they steer you away from tea and coffee - even the decaffinated because they also contain molds. If you want tea, it's suggested that you drink herbal tea. Also, you can have American cheese and cream cheese - small indulgences, but something worthwhile! I've read several places where you can have organic apple cider vinegar, but I've not gotten up my nerve to try it. I've been toughing it out with olive oil and lemon juice on my salads. :( But, my rash is beginning to go away, so I guess I'm doing something right. I suggest you read some of the candida forums and see what's out there...it's a wealth of information! Good Luck!

[dizzyd]

Well, I have a lot of info to go on now. I guess the best thing that I can do is try emliminating a few things (I only have a few left to eliminate!) and see what happens. Luckily, if I do have it, it's very mild. The only rash I have is something on my toe! I have just enough of the other symptoms to make me wonder.

Thank you all so much for your wisdom and assistance!

:bhug: 's to ya!

[dizzyd]

Holy smokes!

I was just browsing through the threads again and thought I would try it for a lark. Well, as I watch my spit's jelly-fish tendrils actually touch the bottom of a full 8 oz glass of water, I realize that I most definately must have Candida. I guess this could explain why I haven't lost an ounce. (The 7 pound loss in my profile turned out to be water, and I just can't bear the thought of changing my stats back to 0% lost!)

So, off to the health food store for some supplements and away with the fungi and yeasty causing stuff. Oh how I will miss nice aged cheddar!

How long does it take for Candida to clear up? Anyone? Rough guess?

Thanks again!

[dharris]

Donna - how long it takes to recover depends on how bad you have Candida. I had a terrible rash that covered about 1/3 of the back of my right hand. It was rough, red and ugly looking. I started taking Capryl Acid and Milk Thistle Extract 10 days ago, and the rash is all but gone. I've also been treating the rash itself with Tea Tree Oil. I'm counting the days until I can add goodies like aged cheddar and salad dressing back into my diet! :daze: But, to be on the safe side, even after the rash is gone, I think I'll stay "legal" until I've taken all the medicine.

[dizzyd]

Hi dharris, thanks for replying.

So let me ask you this... where did you get the Capryl Acid and Milk Thistle Extract? A health food store, or did your Dr. arrange that for you? I hope not to have to see my Dr. because I really don't like him. I inherited him after my old doc retired. He's a quack. Really. One more question... what do you put on your salad now? I've been wondering about that since yesterday when I went to the grocery store and started reading labels. They all have vinegar! Every single one! Ay-yi-yi-yi!!!

This is a bummer. But, at least I can fix it now that I know what it is!

Thanks for your help!

[razzle]

hey, dd, I hope this works for you!

Yes, both products can be purchased at a HFS. Kinda moderate priced for supplements, in both cases (I can't wait until one day I try a supplement that is CHEAP! lol)

you can substitute a bit of lemon juice for vinegar in homemade dressing.

I had mild candida...for me, staying away from coffee was the big trick!

[dizzyd]

Oh gawd, I don't know if I can live without coffee!!!! I guess I better try though. I'll go get the supplements and get to it. Hopefully this will get things moving for me!

Thanks for the help Razzle. You are the best!

[dharris]

Donna, if you're like me, you're going to feel just a little deprived for awhile. I had just barely started low carb when I discovered that I had Candida. I really didn't mind low carb, but when I discovered I couldn't have caffeine, cheese, mushrooms, OR vinegar, well, I very nearly rebelled! :( And, yes, like Razzle said, you can get those supplements at the health food store. The Capryl Acid is the "yeast killer", and the Milk Thistle is a support for the liver (mine had been hurting for some time). There are a few salad dressing recipes around without vinegar, but be careful. Even mayonnaise contains vinegar :mad: , so there's not a lot of latitude. I've been using olive oil and the juice from about 1/4 th of a lemon on my salads - really tests your constitution. But, it's paying off, and before long I'll be dining on good aged cheddar and salad dressing - among other things.

Debbie

[dizzyd]

I've started my anti-candida campaign today. I've taken the vinegar-free mayo recipe and made that and I stopped short of blending "mayo thick" to use as a dressing on salad. Added some lemon juice to it, and it wasn't too bad. I've got supplements up the wazoo! (I got this "Yeast-Cleanse" that makes me taste grapefruit!)

When you started treating the candida did your weight loss get better? This is a big thing for me. Not only have I not lost an ounce, I've gained about 7-10 pounds now since I quit smoking 5 weeks ago. This is awful!! (I really should change my stats.) I feel so terrible about that! I know it was to be expected, but it still sucks!

I just need a little reassurance that things will get back to normal and I'll be able to lose weight once the candida has been dealt with.

Thanks everyone for your help! I sure appreciate it.

:bhug:

[slm6596]

I don't know if this will work for you, but I've started using Bovine (cow) Colostrum Plus. They have a formula too for people with Candida. According to everything I'm reading, Colostrum (which is the first milk right after birth for mammals), has so many benefits, that it seems too good to be true. But I am willing to try to see if this will help me lose weight and also get rid of my allergies, which it claims can be done. Everything for allergies to relieving multiple sclerosis symptoms. The first site below, will give you information from a prominent Colostrum make (Symbiotics), where the cows come from New Zealand (no pesticides used in their food, etc.). The second site is the best price I could find for the products.

http://www.symbiotics.com

http://www.metafoods.com/colostrum/plus.htm

Hopefully I won't start desiring to eat grass from some farmers field ;)

[dharris]

Good for you, Donna! I wish I could tell you that things turn around immediate, but they don't. The fact of the matter seems to be that as long as you have an overgrowth of Candida in your system, your weight loss is going to suck :cry: . I'm going through a bit of depression right now myself for that very reason. It seems like the harder I try, the less good it does. I've not cheated once, and it seems that I'm putting the weight I initially lost (my water weight, if you will) back. It's very distressing when you're doing it to the "T". But, I'm not going to give up on this. I'm over 50, and I know that the weight won't fall off like it did when I was 20, but darn it, it should come off eventually! You've got to get determined and stay that way! I wish you determination!

Debbie

[dharris]

slm6596 - I do hope you will keep up posted on your progress. I, for one, would be most interested in your results. Oh, and if it's grass you crave, my lawn is starting to sprout :D .

Debbie

[nsmith4366]

Is yogurt cheese okay??? It says it contains all those good bacteria in it. Eat it for the bacteria or avoid it for the mold properties??? I'm confused on this one!

http://www.heinis.com/html/yogurt-cheese.html
------------------------
This is the part of my diet that is anti-yeast.
Not my whole diet/I'm also IBS but I left that out.

Diet for low carb + inhibiting yeast.

Twinlab Multisport Vitamins/contains all the anti-yeast vitamins you want - b vitamins, biotin, it's a great vitamin!
Flaxseed Omega 3's /Borage Oils - Gla's
Citrical Calcium +D
Benefiber (new kind!)
Yeast Fighters (garlic, caprylic acid, good bacteria, fiber, Paul Darco, Goldenseal, and other anti-yeasty beasties!)

- Meals/ Lean proteins-monounsaturated "good" fats w lcvegs.- No processed foods, coffee, sugar, alcohol, starches, mayo,vinegars,cheeses,mustards,pickled, mushrooms.
----------------------------
I eat only - All unprocessed meats, olive oil, lots of garlic, butter, a little lemon juice, plenty of low carb veggies.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? I've done alot of reading - have I learned?
GREAT LINK: http://www.vitaminlady.com/Articles/Candida.art.htm

[dizzyd]

First off, let me just say how much I am loving the fact that this thread has become a "community" thread! I was feeling pretty alone for a while there and wow has that changed! I no longer feel like no one else is going through this right now! This is wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy that any of us have candida, but at least we have someone to share the misery of all the side effects with! :sunny:

Debbie: I feel your depression, believe me. :tears: I had to break down and go to Cotton Ginny today to get bigger pants, not smaller. Between the candida and quitting smoking, I am 10 pounds heavier now than when I started LC'ing. (Still can't bring myself to change my stats, tho! :eek: ) That wasn't the plan!! I was supposed to be shopping for smaller clothes! That was pretty painful!

I will continue to take my supplements, eat my anti-candida foods and try not to watch the calendar! I had orginally hoped to be at my goal weight by my birthday, which is in May. I think I may be looking at something more like late August / September at the earliest. That's the hardest pill to swallow. Once it starts moving in the right direction it will feel a lot better, that's for sure. Let's hang in there together! It's nice to have someone to commiserate with!

slm6596: Thanks for the info! I have already spent $50.00 on supplements, so I won't try this one right away. Let me know how it works for you though, and I'll look at it for later in the game. I appreciate the information, always! :rose:

nsmith4366: I am only on day 2 of the anti-candida plan, but what you've got there looks right to me. I got all my information here and on the web, and it looks as though we are getting the same message. The only thing I'm not sure about is the yogurt cheese? I've never heard of it. I've got the plain yogurt for the good bacteria, and I'll list the supplements that I'm taking as well. Then we can compare!

Active Acidophilus & Bifidus (same as what's in the yogurt)
Made by Natural Factors, 1 pill - 3x a day.
Inner Sync Sybiotic Intestinal Bacteria Balancer
Made by Natural Factors, 1 pill - 3x a day.
Milk Thistle Extract (250mg)
Made by Herbal Factors, 2 pills - 3x a day
Yeast-Cleanse (contains: carylic acid, pau d'arco, grapefruit seed extract and tea tree oil)
Made by Solaray, 2 pills - 3x a day (they make me burp grapefruit!) :rolleyes:
Vita-Vim Level 2 Multi-Vitamin (yeast-free!)
Made by Jamieson, 1 pill - 1x a day
Vitamin C (500mg)
Made by Walmart, 4 pills - 2x a day

It's a lot, but I just can't see how any yeast can survive such an onslaught! :lol:

I plan on taking all the above for the next 6 weeks, then once my candida is under control, I will continue to take the Acidophilus & Bifidus and possibly the yeast cleanse (in a much smaller dose) as well as the multi and the C. Kind of a maintenance "good Lord, never let me go through this again" measure!

I just have to say that my boyfriend is so great. He wants to make me dinner tonight, and he keeps asking me what I can have and can't have, and is planning an entire meal around me. What a sweetie. He's incredibly supportive. I feel very blessed today. For him, and for all of you!

Thanks all!

Keep in touch! :bhug: for y'all!

[nsmith4366]

You are so lucky! Hug your boyfriend for all of us! Everyone should have that much support!

I wrote the Yogurt Cheese people (they have a website) and asked THEM! I'll let you know what they say!

:) N

[dizzyd]

That would be great. I saw yogurt cheese advertised at a local store, but I won't buy it until I hear what they have to say.

I was talking to a girl at work who had Candida a while ago. It took her 4 weeks to see a difference, but then she lost 10 pounds almost immediately and has since lost about 20-25. She warned me that when the Candida starts to die off we will really feel like crap for about a week while our bods detox. Nice to have something to look forward to... not!

So, that's that. We'll wait and see!

By the way, I love the "I am not a number anymore" message in lieu of stats. I salute you for that! :thup: I hate numbers!

Cheers!

[nsmith4366]

OKAY, a big NO on the yogurt cheese, despite the happy friendly bacteria in there, the MOLD factor in the cheese wins in the end.

The yogurt cheese makers said it was fine (of course they are selling the cheese), but the experts on Candida/Yeasts and Molds said no way. Cheese is cheese. One expert claimed that heated cheese and mushrooms is fine but when that was put to the test - everyone else I contacted said NO WAY.

Sorry, no cheese, not even yogurt cheese, no mushrooms, not even if heated. Sorry. The only encouraging thing they said was a SMALL amount may be tolerated...but a habit will encourage yeast to grow regardless of what good bacteria they add. Just like vinegar...you could add all the junk you wanted to that too, and the vinegar wins.

I went to several websites and wrote and consulted with experts.

[dizzyd]

Well, so much for that. I have been eating Mozzarella because the Candida web sites that I've seen have all said that was okay. No vinegar, mushrooms, malted beverages, yeasts, wheats, etc. however. I wonder if Mozza is even okay now?

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

[nsmith4366]

All cheeses are molds...the relation to yeasts - I don't know the details. I'll look it all up tomorrow - I'm tired. I'm going to bed now.

Later we will learn more.
N

[dharris]

I'm with you Donna - I'd heard that Mozzarella cheese as well as cream cheese was okay on the Candida diet, not that I eat a lot of Mozzarella (I mean if you can't have lasagna or pizza, why eat mozzarella, right ;) ). I actually eat more cream cheese - been giving mock danish a run for the money lately - but stupidly forgot that I shouldn't be doing chocolate. I've also change probiotics, so I'm not sure if the resurgence of the rash on my hand is due to that or to the chocolate. Geez! I guess I should do a scientific experiment and keep having the chocolate mock danish and see if the hand clears up??????? :confused: That would just be really too good to be true, wouldn't it?

Debbie

[nsmith4366]

May be helpful -
http://www.mall-net.com/mcs/afung.html

The best food advice I've found. Summary for cheese, if you have to have it, it's a your mileage may vary kind of thing, you might need to experiment for what is right for you - however, least trouble are the lower-fat (not rock hard) cheeses, like cottage cheese, mozerella etc...(found this on another site).

Check it out.http://www.howdyneighbor.com/jbayliss/foods.htm

...and this is the BEST understandable explanation of WHAT it is. Scroll down and interesting stuff on treatments below, then go to the links/next page you'll find a reference to low carbing for it right there and other interesting things.
http://www.cfs-recovery.org/candida.htm

So low fat& softer cheeses are better, avoid hard aged cheeses (still no reason why specifically yet that I have found)...the yogurt cheese was a medium soft - nope - I'll stick to mozerella now, and cottage.

Hope some of this was helpful. N :thup:

[dizzyd]

I am getting so tired of this. I had a lunch date on Saturday and had to order a burger, "hold the bun and the condiments", and a side salad, no dressing. It was so boring and I was a tad grouchy about paying $8.00 for that! And it's only been a week!!!

I've been talking to a girl at work, and she said that it took her 10 days or so to notice her symptoms clearing up. So, I'll give it another week and then start hoping for results!!!

I have another lunch date in a couple of weeks that I am going to cancel because I'm not paying 8.00 for another dry burger patty.

Thank goodness this is a short-term condition, as long as it's not a severe case!

Talk to you soon!

[nsmith4366]

Next time ask for mayo and bacon bits (most places have these) - why settle for a dry anything when you can have FAT? And if nothing else, there's always butter.

Keep the faith. We all did and we aren't sorry!

[dizzyd]

Every commcerial brand of mayo that I've seen has vinegar in it. That's okay, i can wait. I've beaten worse than this!

NSmith, do you have Candida now, or is it something that you've had and have beaten? I'm interested to know how long it took anyone to get rid of it and what the results on the rate of weight loss were.

Thanks much! I'm keeping the faith, no worries!

[nsmith4366]

I had a really mild case. Took garlic, used tea tree oils, caprilic acid, biotin and cut out all cheese, vinegar, mushrooms from my lc diet. I think it's gone now, just doing maintenance. I was below my lc goal weight when I discovered I might have it - just a mild case...so my weight is unrelated. I got rid of it for health reasons, not to lose weight. Took about 2 months to feel free of it.

---- I wouldn't have recommended the mayo had I remembered this was the candida thread - but there's always butter and oils!

I'm going to experiement making some kind of whip spread with oil/eggs and sweetener/salt??? There must be something we can have!??

N

[dizzyd]

So, I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I have read that during "die-off" syptoms get worse before they get better?

I must be on the mend! I have a rash on my neck, my whole body itches at different times, I am having intense sugar-cravings, I am bloated, and I have had a couple incidents of strange looking discharge.
:rolleyes:
These better be good signs of a cured me on the horizon, and not just a worsening of the candida!

I have to be getting better, I've been soooo good!

Hope ya'll are getting better as well!

[TAT]

Dear Dizzy,

I know exactly how frustrated you are. I've been doing the Atkins diet now for three months and haven't lost anything. My alternative doctor put me on the diet and on several other homeopathic medicines to get rid of the yeast in my body...one is oregano oil and the other a mixture of herbs (FC Cidal). I eliminated all the same things that you are doing and I haven't had any luck :( losing weight, etc. I question now if it's from the mayonaise. I also have 1 or 2 cups of decaf coffee a day. I've been doing this a quartrer of a year and not even a pound :exclm: My husband has been very supportive and can't believe my 'non' weight loss since he's been very successful at losing on the Atkins plan.
I guess it's good to know that we are not in this alone>

Terri

[sdalton912]

Hi! My name is Sherry :) I was skimming thru your journal over this candida (SP?) stuff...Very interesting...What are the obvious signs..I am on the adkins and have really slowed down in my weight loss compared to the last time I was on it?? Darn, you can find anything here! huh?? I have no rashes of any kind, but get bloated, 'food elimination' is not normal , dry mouth?? Oh, and I love my coffee!! I would hate to think of having to give this up :( Well, your response would be greatly appreciated!! Sherry

[TAT]

Dear Sherry,

From everything I've heard ...yeast really affects weight loss. I don't know if everyone gets rashes or not. Mine is much more confusing. I have fatty tumors the we have trying to get to the bottome of...my alt. dr. uses accupressure and a soft ware program to analyse health conditions. He has alway gotten a real stron chemical/fungicide/pesticide reading on my fatty tumurs but also gets a real strong fungus reading. My father also had fatty tumors and he died 1 1/2 years ago of a very rare type of non-hodgkins lymphoma that was fungus like....part of it's name was 'fungosis'. His cancer was horrifying ...like leoparsy. Since my readings reflect fungus so much we are treating it as such. I also had a horrible rash over the top of both of my hands last summer. I used a cetyl myristoleate/msm cream and it healed. It was amazing since I didn't think I'd ever get skin back on my hands again. I have systemic lupus also and I thought the rash was related to that. Since my problems are so unique...you should hear from others that are more "normal"!!!!!

Terri :wave:

[not2fat]

DizzyD (Donna), have you had any luck with the Yeast Cleanse? do you feel much better or do you think you might have to get a prescription medicine to clean the yeast out? I am in your situation...I am taking probiotics right now, sticking to the yeast-free diet, and my Yeast Cleanse is on the way...I was just wondering if I should be making an appointment with my doctor to get the strong stuff. ;) Thanks.

[dizzyd]

Hey there;

Actually I do feel a lot better. I have stopped getting the rash on my neck, the "whatever that was" on my toe is gone, my scalp doesn't itch anymore, I'm not bloating. I can't remember all what I listed originally as my symptoms, but I can't think of one that I still have. I haven't done the "spit test" lately, but I'm not sure it's necessary.

I'm just finishing up week 4 of the pro-biotics, yeast-cleanse and anti-yeast diet. I plan on keeping on it for another couple weeks for a total of 6, just to be sure it's really gone before having anything like a mushroom, or aged cheese or whatever.

I think that it takes a while to work, but the program you're on should do it if you don't have too severe a case. "Severe" being completely a matter of opinion for who-ever has to live with the symptoms, right?

I still haven't lost an ounce, but I expect that come along sometime soon... (I hope!)

Keep me posted on how you make out Sugar!

:bhug: