What food CAN I eat? New to candida.

[choirs]

Hello there,

I have read some posts on this forum about candida since I am pretty certain that I have it. For the past 10 years I have had a massive 10 month pregnant looking stomach (which I thought was lack of exercise) and recently realised after starting a colon cleanse with psyllium that my stomach started to reduce and when I ate ANYTHING it would swell up again. I noticed that I ate something with wheat in and got a very itchy throat, so I probably have IBS too.

I think I have candida as I did have vaginal discharge and since the colon cleanse I now have very little (still doing the cleanse now). I have taken a look at this website http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/index.php which is very informative and seems to be accurate. Unfortunately it lists all the foods you should NOT eat and doesn't list the foods you CAN eat. Does anyone know of a comprehensive list of foods that you can eat ? Also when looking at probiotics I read that THREELAC is very good. Can anyone recommend anything. Also there is a book called the 'Candida Cookbook' on amazon which I am thinking of buying - it sounds pretty good.

I am very confused as getting rid of candida seems like a mammoth task - the time it takes, the different stages of treatment, contradictory opinions on diet and it may or may not work. If you have any suggestions I am most grateful.

[zorra_1]

One of the best books I've read is by Trowbridge called "The Yeast Syndrome." His diet is called MEVY:

Meat
Eggs
Veggies (low starch)
Yogurt (some won't agree because a probiotic in pill form contains more strains)

[choirs]

Thank you for your reply. To be honest, I don't what my condition is at the moment. The psyllium husk I have been taking has probiotic bacteria in so maybe my stomach is reducing in size because I don't have enough probiotics in my stomach.

I don't have any vaginal itching or mouth itching although I have had thrush in the past a few times. I have had itchy skin though and my toes. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me!!! :)

[zorra_1]

Candida is such a beast. Honestly, I too don't really know what some of my crazy symptoms are exactly but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a yeast issue - just because of my history of antibiotics and the wide range of systems affected.

However, I do know that when I stick to that MEVY diet (I call it no flavor, no fun!), I feel tremendously better. It's just a shame it's so darn inconvenient.

[choirs]

Hi Zora 1 rhymes with 'No flavour, no fun' - I know, it's the frustration of finding out about candida and then all the steps that you are going to have to take, like a zillion in order to cure yourself and guess what you might not even manage that! You say you feel a lot better when you eat this diet so, have you cured yourself or is this a diet that you have to have for the rest of your life?

[slimjane11]

Meats w/o starches and added preservatives (bacon okay on occasion. try to avoid tuna), low carb veggies like broccoli, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, and leafy greens, butter, grape seed oil, coconut oil, EVO, and eggs. I definitely DO NOT recommend yogurt. It's full of lactose and sugar. Take a probiotic instead. =)

Good luck, I hope this helps!

[slimjane11]

Meats w/o starches and added preservatives (bacon okay on occasion. try to avoid tuna), low carb veggies like broccoli, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, and leafy greens, lemon juice & lemon zest, butter, grape seed oil, coconut oil, EVO, and eggs. I definitely DO NOT recommend yogurt. It's full of lactose and sugar. Take a probiotic instead. =)

Good luck, I hope this helps!

[choirs]

Thank you slimjane11 for your comment. I cannot wait to get going with this, bought all the food today! You look very healthy and happy by the way - have you yourself overcome candida, if so did you do the 4 steps on the I can't remember what it is called 'bees' site. I am going to try to follow her she really knows her stuff. I am a bit confused though as to do I start the diet now AND take a probiotic OR do leave the probiotic for now and take it at step 4, when one has to replenish the body after the antifungals?

[slimjane11]

No worries, Choirs....No I have to say my battle with Candida is still ongoing. I've been struggling with it since this last summer. I say take the probiotics and antifungals as you are able to tolerate them. They will make you feel very sick at first...it's just those little buggers dying. The thing that really makes my Candida out of control is STRESS. Do not stress if you are unable to stick to the diet 100%. We are human! lol. It's best to gradually phase things out of your diet...i started with sugar, went to carbs, then dairy (except cheese), then nuts, and finally cheese.
You're going to be shocked when you eat those things again. They just don't taste the same. =)
Hope that helps answer some questions...

[choirs]

Hi Slimjane11, I will start taking the probiotic soon then and buy some antifungals (still haven't bought everything) and I will try not to stress. I try not to be to hard on myself at first since I am on day 2 of the diet and have realised that I have been drinking sugar heavy Rice dream which is not good so I i will have to cut that out too. Thank you.

[slimjane11]

No problem...I use LOADS of coconut oil when I cook...that's such a great natural antifungal. I advise against using it late in the afternoon/evening as it will stimulate your metabolism and keep you up all night long.
I use a product called Candida Clear by NOW Foods and that seems to be working really well for me. Reasonably priced (about 15 bucks/90 caps.)It has all the biggies in it. Caprylic acid, Pau D'Arco, oil of oregano, garlic, biotin, etc. I'm planning on getting some clove oil here soon and add that to my regiment.
I'd stay as far away from rice, soy, hemp, or almond milk for as long as possible just to get a head start on getting rid of those buggers.
Good luck to you!

[mermaiden9]

May I suggest you try to appropriate some Kefir. It's amazing once you have the grains you never have to get them again as they continue to multiply.

In the past I've had fungal conditions on my feet (sounds lovely doesn't it) that wouldn't respond to anything but once I got onto kefir it knocked it right out.

For more information on what Kefir is check out Dom's site
http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

[Karkel]

People name all this stuff you should try and take.....what do you take , what do you take togther ? I'm confused . Are nuts bad ? I know cheese is...what else ?

[slimjane11]

People name all this stuff you should try and take.....what do you take , what do you take togther ? I'm confused . Are nuts bad ? I know cheese is...what else ?


Well....

I take a product called Candida Clear by NOW Foods. 2 caps twice daily. It contains all the main things you should want to include in your anti-candida diet. (Caprylic acid, Pau D'Arco, Black Walnut, Oregano Oil, Garlic, Olive Leaf, Cat's Claw Root, Wormwood Herb, & Biotin) I take 2 caps after breakfast and after dinner.

I also take a dose of acidophilus before breakfast and before dinner. Can't remember what the name of it is, but I found it at a local natural food store in the refrigerated section and it is in loose form, not capsule form. You want to make sure this product is dairy free.

As far as the diet goes, here's a list of things I can tolerate best (My stomach hurts no matter what I eat. I seem to be much more sensitive to foods compared to anybody else I've ever discussed "candida" with):
-eggs
-meat (not including ANY lunch meats as they have added starches, sugars, & other preservatives, also excludes bacon, sausage, salami, proscuitto, scallops etc)
-veggies include zucchini, lettuce, spinach, cucumber, broccoli, green beans, celery & cauliflower in very small portions
-stevia (unflavored)
-flavor concentrates include vanilla and maple (alcohol free extracts, of course)
-lemon and lemon juice in very small quantities
-fats include extra virgin coconut oil (AWESOME antifungal I use loads of it daily), olive oil, butter, and grape seed oil
-garlic & onion (the more you use, the better you will feel!)
That's about it as far as the diet goes, no vinegar, alcohol, nuts(especially peanuts), soy, dairy (except butter), chocolate, yeast, sugar, carbohydrates, any sort of sweetener other than stevia, anything moldy....

My advice is just listen to the signals your body is sending your brain. If you're craving something, it's most likely the candida craving it, not you. It's really hard saying no all the time, but definitely possible. I've fallen off the wagon many times, but always get right back on just because I know quitting isn't an option. I have a life to live and without sticking to this diet, I can't leave the house. I, unfortunately, recently binged on a bunch of foods I'm not allowed and have been paying the price for about three days now. It's never worth it.

I hope this helps and good luck!

[Karkel]

Thanks for all the advice....may I ask how you use the coconut oil ?

[slimjane11]

Thanks for all the advice....may I ask how you use the coconut oil ?
I use the coconut oil to make an "egg smoothie" like Bee lists on her site.
3 eggs
stevia to taste
vanilla extract (alcohol free)
cinnamon
nutmeg
2 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs butter
add enough hot water to make 2.5 cups, let sit in blender with lid on for 1 min
blend for 10-20 seconds

I also use it took cook everyday things with. Use it just like you would any other type of oil.