Hello! Question....So I have been back and forth on the low-carb/anti-candida diet and it is damn hard. I feel I have will power. I went two weeks eating just eggs, shrimp, vegetables and some almonds here and there. I was starving but my tongue and my yeast over-growth seemed to be getting better...Well a family gathering came up. That means food. I had not seen them in a while and told myself control the cravings...but as a nice guest the host offers me food, "try this and try that" Oh it was soo hard.

I pretty much binged!! I had a bite of this one small potato casserole and then i threw my hands up and went crazy.

I ate everything and more than that.

Pretty much I am realizing that I can most definitley do this starvation/fasting diet where I just eat nuts, protein, eggs and shrimp or what not...but when I am in a situation where I am vulnerable..where I have gone 2 weeks with no food practically I just give in. And I don't blame myself either cause I know I will do that all the time.

SO my question is...instead of just cutting out all sugars, carbs, yeasts and all those lists of foods that candida sufferers can not have...is it ok to have some treats ever so often. For example. I was trying to eat celery as a snack occasionally on the diet. It got boring and I hated it. Now I want to try to eat it with some peanut butter (organic stuff with not hydrogenated stuff in it) and/or some cream cheese. Same goes for a salad. I was eating salad with just lemon and olive oil. BORING and I knew that would be set up to binge in a couple weeks. If i just limit my portions and put some salad dressing on I think it would be ok...or maybe not?

Does any on agree that people with candida can just slowly reverse the damage by introducing these kinds of snacks and not just elminating everything all together...it just seems un-realistic. I mean after all isnt a piece of celery with some cream cheese or peanut butter better than eating fast food cheesburger, or a huge cookie? Isn't having some cereal with milk in the morning for breakfast better than that afternoon pizza snack?

hello, for what it is worth I have been suffering with candida for five years,the diet is horrible i know ,but I think the most important thing is not feeding the yeast. don't give up! two weeks and some improvement in your symptoms is a positive sign. also,I don't know how severe your candida is but I think that you can start allowing certain foods back in after two weeks of strict dieting.However some people stay on phase one of the diet at least a month before adding foods back in. I have heard that cream cheese is okay however peanut butter is full of sugar sooooo? have you tried almond butter? it is a really good substitute for peanut butter? I'm actually fighting this beast again as well so I completely feel your pain. I hope these suggestions help you.

Hi there, my question is, are you hungry or just suffering from cravings? Fats can really help you feel full. Also, 2 weeks is just a beginning, and depending on how low your immune system is and how severe your case of Candida, it can take even a few years to totally recover. I wish you luck. I know when I was starting a strict Candida diet, I just started to do Atkins to break myself into a low-carb way of eating, then transition to the stricter Candida diet. I think it can really help to transition more slowly to the stricter diet, or, as you are discovering, you feel very deprived and suffer from cravings.

Good luck on your healing journey!

Of course you are going to give in once in awhile but the best thing you can do is to start right back up again. I have read that if you are feeling hungry and craving things, you are eating too many carbs right now.

There are a lot of foods that you can add but don't go overboard on cream cheese and peanut butter.

Try a flax meal pancake with whipping cream on top. That works for me everytime and it is very easy to make. Go to the recipe section of this site and you will find so many ways to make low carb meals that won't take you out of the fat burning system that you are fueling by sticking with low carb eating.

I don't worry about any of the rules regarding foods with molds in them, because i don't have bad allergy issues, and there would be no way i could stick with the diet anyway if i did. A diet I can't stick with is useless. I cut out all sugar, honey, maple syrup, and white flour or other proccessed grains, and am unlikely to eat fruit or whole grains more than once every couple days - that's one serving of either every 2 days. Unless it seems to cause a reaction, than i hold off longer. One exception is steel cut oats for breakfast, i don't even count that cuz i think i had better be pooping as much as i can. That's it, I eat peanuts, vinegar, anything else i want. As a longtime vegan, that is enough limits in my eating life.
it's true that social situations are the hardest, what can i say, but stay strong, and bring some food you like and can eat along, or eat healthy snacks before you go. I was dealing with this aspect before my illness as an ethical vegan.

ps: salads don't have to be boring - jazz up the veggie ingredients.