Hi Everyone,

I'm new here and started a low yeast diet a few days ago. I've been trying to figure out what's been going on with me for awhile now and right before I started this diet, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome entered into my head. So, I got on the internet and did some research which has led me here.

Anyway, I moved to a small town in the midwest around four years ago to take care of ill parents. Before I moved here, I was living in California and was eating REALLY well. All organic fruits and veggies and just basically a pure and simple diet. When I moved here I told myself I could still be healthy even though the organic produce from the health food store was rarely fresh and was really expensive. As I made friends here, I found myself going out to eat a lot as well as many trips to Starbucks. I also found myself not going a day without putting a piece of chocolate in my mouth.

Around two years ago I got a really bad kidney infection. The first round of antibiotics didn't do anything and the doctors were concerned I had the infection for too long so quickly put me on a different antibiotic which did the trick. I told myself I would never have anything like that happen again and proceeded to drink a ton of water everyday, thinking that was all I had to do.

To make a long story short, that wasn't my last kidney infection and my symptoms are/were as follows: Weakness, depression (but that could be from living somewhere I don't want to live), sinus trouble, constipation, acid reflux, indigestion, being flushed in the face, and weight gain (10lbs). I should add that before my kidney infections, I was a runner and after my first one as well as the first round of antibiotics, I quit running and going to the gym altogether and haven't since. Oh!!! and dizzyness/vertigo! That and the weakness is my main complaint.

So, my questions are, does this sound like Candida/Yeast to you guys and if so, what's the best I can do in regards to where I live? I know I can order anti-yeast products over the internet but I'm also on a major budget right now. Here's what I've been doing so far:

-- No sugar except for once a day I have some tea with a little milk and honey and some raisins in the morning. I then drink some water and let that digest and cook some eggs.

-- I haven't eating any bread or pasta but bought some no yeast bread today at the health food store.

--Avocado with my salad to fill myself up along with snacking on carrots and celery.

I'm leaving out other stuff to keep this as short as possible but here are my questions:

Is honey okay and can I have one piece of dark chocolate a day? Also, I read the ingredients for the veggie burgers and they have wheat protein and some have gluten. Is it okay to have these a couple times a week? I was going to wrap it in some lettuce with some tomatoes and onion for lunch.

Okay, I know this is a long post so I'll stop for now. By the way, even though I'm starving, I do feel better and have gained some energy!

Are you a vegetarian? Or can you eat meat?

I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and a candida overgrowth...they seem to tie into each other. I was a vegetarian for 12 years but my health started to fail with all of the candida symptoms and now I find that my body does much better with meat (it was realllly hard to eat it again though). You might want to consider meat again (if you are a vegetarian).

This is definately a challenge though. I used to subsist on almost all grains and tofu and Starbucks but now I'm eating meat and vegetables. The only thing that keeps me going is that I feel so much better.

I'm on a budget too...I find myself eating lots of soup and salads. Organic whenever possible...

Good luck.

P.S. I would stop all sugar if possible...even raisens. They have a very high sugar content.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. So, how on earth can I stop eating sugars altogether without falling down from weakness? What I mean is, I can't stop my normal routine and that requires energy.

My family is a big fan of dark chocolate and there's a big bowl of dove dark chocolate sitting right by the front door for everyone to grab when they go in and out. Needless to say I've been putting my blinders on big time!

So, do you eat veggie burgers at all? I'm just about to head to the store so until I find this out I guess I'll get some low fat hamburger meat to wrap in lettuce with tomato and onion. I really don't want to eat red meat often though. Maybe once a week.

I used to be a vegetarian too but since moving here, it's really hard to continue. I have to say that I really do feel better when I eat it though. Does anyone know what fish I can eat that doesn't have high mercury content?

So, what can I do to satisfy my sweet tooth?

Thanks again!

I feel your pain...definately. I'm a chocoholic too. Along with my whole family. We have bags of those Dove dark chocolates stashed all over the house.

I've learned that I can't stay away from chocolate altogether (although it's a no no on the diet) so I indulge in some sugar-free chocolate (not great for you..but better than sugar) and make weird conconctions with cocoa powder, stevia, vanilla, and coconut milk. Occasionally I'll also make whipped cream with stevia. These things aren't exactly legal on teh anti-candida diet but I figure it's a step up.

I have stopped eating fruit altogether though.

No, I don't eat veggie burgers. If I'm in a bind, I'll eat a Boca Burger but that's very rare. I don't eat red meat at all so the diet can get a bit monotonous. I eat a lot of turkey, chicken, and fish. Fish I have a few times a week...it's so frustrating how EVERYTHING seems to be bad for you!

I completely understand how hard the diet is to stick to when you are out of your element (i.e. living at home). I find myself on the road a lot and it's so hard to find things to eat. And whenever I go to my parent's house for dinner, there are always ample temptations. I try and just make a substitution so I don't feel too deprived. Sometimes I'll have a few bites of low carb ice cream.

Anyways, hope that helps. And if you have any tips, please let me know.

One more thing....

I used to be worried about my energy too. I think I used to eat so much chocolate and drink so much coffee (or better yet, have both at once...grande mochas..yum) because I was trying to keep my energy up. But I've found now that the fewer carbs I eat, the more lasting energy I have. I dont get energy rushes any more, but I have far fewer energy lows. I feel more even-keeled. I was in Costa Rica a few weeks ago and I had to subscribe to an almost vegetarian diet (or go hungry for a week) and my energy definately dropped. I felt as awful as I did before I started the diet. So I know that all of those sugars impact me in a negative way.

The hardest part is the week or so of doing the diet strictly. Your body has to adjust to it and you may feel worse. But stick with it....I think you'll feel better.

Hi Shelly,

So, are veggie burgers bad for this diet? Also, what kind of fish do you eat? I was at this Wal-Mart superstore today and I found some cans of wild salmon. I know this sounds silly but I didn't buy it because it seemed too good to be true to find cans of wild salmon at Wal-Mart. As far as I know, wild salmon has no mercury in it, right?

Yeah, veggie burgers aren't great for this diet. They have a lot of carbs. I would stick to meat and some occasional tofu. I eat all kinds of fish...tuna, salmon, tilapia..whatever is available. Wild salmon does have mercury in it, but less than farm raised salmon. Does seem weird that Wal-mart carries it, but I'd go ahead and try a can and see how it tastes. I've read that fish 2 x a week is fine for you as long as you aren't pregnant. I probably eat it 3 x a week.

What can you do with canned salmon? I don't really cook so I'm wondering if there is something easy you can do.

The first thing that springs to my mind to do with canned salmon is to get some of that vegenaise (sp?) from the health food store and mix it in, then put some in stalks of celery or just dip some organic carrots in and have it as a meal! Okay, I might be having a little fun with this now.

OR just mix it in with some lettuce and have a salmon salad. OR mix some sliced celery and other veggies in the bowl of salmon and vegenaise and eat it like that!