FIRST OF ALL, SORRY ABOT TYPING IN ALL CAPITALS; M.S., NUMB HANDS, YADDA YADDA YADDA

RIGHT, HERE I AM ON ATKINS, HAPPY AS A CLAM, WHEN MY DOCTOR SUGGESTS TO ME THAT I MIGHT HAVE CANDIDA. WHAT? THE LOCAL CANDIDA SUPPORT GROUP SENT ME A TEST TO TAKE. IT SAID IF YOU SCORE 140, YOUR SYMPTOMS ARE *POSSIBLY* CAUSED BY CANDIDA; IF 180 OR MORE, THEY ARE *PROBABLY* CAUSED BY CANDIDA. WELL, I GOT 269, SO I GUESS THAT IS ME.

I WENT ALONG TO THE CANDIDA SUPPORT GROUP'S MONTHLY MEETING AND EVERYONE HAD BROUGHT FOOD. COULD I EAT IT? GUESS. A LOT OF THEM ARE LOW ON THE MEAT SIDE OF THINGS IF NOT COMPLETELY VEGETARIAN. OOPS. LUCKILY, EVERYONE SEEMED VERY OPEN-MINDED AND NOT CONDEMNIG. I GUESS THEY FIGURED WE ALL HAVE ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT JUDGING EACH OTHERS' DIETARY CHOICES!

THE ANTI-CANDIDA GUIDELINES I WAS GIVEN, WHEN COMBINED WITH ATKINS, AND MY SENSITIVITY TO EGGS (IF I EAT ANYTHING WITH EGGS IN IT MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK, I GET *REALLY* HUNGRY AND FEEL *TERRIBLE*) LEAVES ME WITH A *LARGE* HOLE IN MY LIST OF FOOD CHOICES!

BREAKFAST IS THE WORST; WHO CAN FACE TUNA EVERY MORNING I AM ALSO GLUTEN-FREE FOR THE M.S. (HOPE IT HELPS!), BUT ATKINS PRETTY MUCH RULED THAT OUT ANYWAY

BASICALLY, I GUESS I AM JUST NEEDING A BIT OF SUPPORT. EVERYONE THINKS I AM MAD, BARRING MY DEAR HUSBAND WHO HAS SEEN ATKINS RID ME OF MY PSYCHOPATHIC NEED FOR CARBOS!

I don't have candida, but what I would do is sit down and write a list of everything I could eat. Then, I would look for interesting ways of cooking it. It's exactly what I did when I started Protein Power.

From what I've read of the anti-candida WOE, it is similar to KISS or the Paleolithic WOE. These are LC at their finest and purist.

What about a chicken and avocado salad for breakfast? Leftover salmon with olive oil, lemon and cucumbers? It's the mindset that breakfast has to be eggs/bacon/sausage etc. that causes grief. You are allowed to eat anything you can for breakfast. There are no rules for what you eat.

And, you're not mad at all!

Karen

THANKS FOR THE ENCOURAGING REPLY, KAREN. I AM FEELING A BIT BETTER NOW; CHICKEN AND AVOCADO SOUNDS *LOVELY*, BTW.

MY DOCTOR SUGGESTED GETTING A REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER FILTER FOR THE HOUSE, AS WELL AS A BRITA JUG FOR MY DRINKING WATER (SHE IS A HOLISTIC DOCTOR, SO IT IS NOT *JUST* FOR THE CANDIDA). I HAVE BEGUN LOOKING INTO THE FORMER, AND HAVE BOUGHT THE LATTER. IT IS AMAZING HOW MUCH BETTER I FEEL AFTER JUST A FEW DAYS OF DRINKNG WATER WITHOUT CHLORINE AND OTHER SUCH NASTIES IN IT.

IT MIGHT BE ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY HELPING ME OR IT MIGHT BE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BOOST OF FEELING THAT I AM ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN MY HEALTH, BUT WHATEVER IT IS, I'LL TAKE IT!

ALSO. COULD YOU TELL ME ANY OF THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ATKINS AND PROTEIN POWER? I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT ANY OF THE DIETS OTHER THAN ATKINS AND C.A.D.

If you look to the right of the screen, there is a heading "Which low carb plan is right for me?" Which should help in your quest for info on PP and atkins. HTH. Doods.

O.K., SO I'M A BIT DIM A FRIEND OF MINE WHO ALSO HAS M.S. JOKES, "SORRY, IT'S THE BRAIN DAMAGE" WHEN HE IS STUPID; ME, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS!

PROTEIN POWER SOUNDS INTERESTING, THEN AGAIN, MOST OF THESE DIETS SOUND INTERESTING. I WISH I COULD DO THEM ALL AT ONCE THEN AGAIN, I'M ALREADY COMBINING THREE DIETS AS IT IS (ATKINS, ANTI-CANDIDA, GLUTEN-FREE)

WHAT IS BFL, BTW?

Stop with the "dim" talk... we all have to learn our way around the forum... I am learning something new every day.
BFL is "Body For Life", an exercise and nutrition programme a lot of us are doing (except we have modified the nutrition end of it to be more LC) There is a whole section of the exercise forum devoted to it... have a gander...
Doods.

RIGHT, I'M ACTUALLY DEAD CLEVER; I WAS JUST BEING MODEST

I FIND THIS MODIFYING OF DIETS FASCINATING. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SO RULE ORIENTED, THAT I EITHER STUCK TO SOMETHING *EXACTLY* OR BLEW IT OFF. THIS WHOLE DECIDING TO DO ANTI-CANDIDA WITH ATKINS, THEN REALISING IT WAS ALREADY GLUTEN-FREE SO ADD A BIT OF THAT TOO...HAS FREED ME OF SOME LONG-HELD INFLEXIBILITY.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT I WAS REALLY EASY-GOING, BUT REALISING HOW CAUGHT UP IN RULES I WAS HELPED A LOT. LEARNING TO COMBINE DIETS LIKE THIS IS GIVING ME GREAT HOPE. I MEAN, BEFORE, IF I STEPPED OUT OF LINE, THAT WAS OFTEN THE DEATH KNELL. NOW IF I HAVE SOMETHING THAT ONE OF THE *THREE* PLANS I AM DOING DOESN'T ALLOW, SO BE IT.

I MUST ADMIT THAT I AM DOING RATHER WELL WITH IT ALL. I DON'T TEND TO GO OVERBOARD ON MUCH OF ANYTHING, UNLESS IT IS AN ALLOWED FOOD, IN WHICH CASE THE DAMAGE IS LIMITED

SPEAKING OF WHICH, TIME TO EAT.

I am a genius too! Who woulda thunk it.
Isn't eating the BEST?!
Doods.

WELL, IT *WAS* UNTIL I HAD TO GIVE UP *ALL* MY FAVOURITE FOODS (SWEETS, CAKES, BISCUITS, BREAD, ETC.) BECAUSE I WAS ADDICTED TO THEM

EATING IS FINE NOW, BUT NOT THE GREAT THRILL IT WAS. BEING SENSITIVE TO EGGS IS THE PITS, BECAUSE MAYO IN MY TUNA, MIXED WITH CHICKEN, ETC. IS JUST *SO* FINE. I HAVE TRIED THE VEGAN STUFF, BUT IT MAKES ME HUNGRY, WHICH MEANS THERE'S SOMETHING IN IT THAT DOES ME BADLY.

WOE IS ME

HAVING GURNED MY FACE OFF, I'LL BE POSITIVE NOW. WHEN I WAS IN AMERICA, I GOT HOLD OF SOME ATKINS CHOCOLATE(!) AND IT IS WONDERFUL JUST TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMETHING REMOTELY CHOCOLATE (IT'S NOT BAD, ACTUALLY). MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO THE CINEMA LAST NIGHT, AND IT WAS AMAZINGLY FINE TO HAVE A SWEETIE TO SCOFF. I HAVEN'T TRIED THE ONES AVAILABLE IN THE U.K. YET. CAN YOU GET *ANYTHING* LC OVER THERE, OR DOES IT ALL HAVE TO COME FROM ENGLAND? I COMPLAIN ABOUT HAVING TO GET STUFF FROM DOWN SOUTH, BUT AT LEAST IT IS INLAND POSTAGE!

lossiebeth,

this may sound wierd to you.. but I like to eat tuna like this...

take a can of tuna and cook it with some butter in a pan, add spinach and cook it up good. (about a cup of spinach) then when it's done.. stick it on a plate and add one stalk of diced up celery. add more butter for flavor and or salt and pepper. you say you like tuna, but wish you had mayo? was hoping this might help.

Lain

THANKS FOR THAT, LAIN. I USED TO MAKE TUNA WITH MAYO AND ADD SPINACH, SO CAN'T IMAGINE WHY THIS DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME. IT SOUNDS NICE!

"THE LOCAL CANDIDA SUPPORT GROUP SENT ME A TEST TO TAKE. IT SAID IF YOU SCORE 140, YOUR SYMPTOMS ARE *POSSIBLY* CAUSED BY CANDIDA; IF 180 OR MORE, THEY ARE *PROBABLY* CAUSED BY CANDIDA. WELL, I GOT 269, SO I GUESS THAT IS ME."

I'm new to the forum. Lossiebeth, I would love to see a copy of that test....to see the questions and find out how I'd score.

And a 'Candida Support Group....' that's new to me. I will have to look into that here. Fortunately there are PLENTY of holistic doctors in my neck of the woods (covered by insurance, even) so they may be able to steer me in the right direction. I even go to an acupuncturist at times! I bet she'd know. (No it doesn't hurt! It is very relaxing.)


Ciao

hi Wombat, welcome aboard

The questionnaire is from "The Yeast Connection" by Dr. William Crook, original edition (1983). Later editions of the book have an abbreviated version.

The original long questionnaire can be found here.

Or you can try the shorter questionnaire which is posted on Dr. Crook's website.

hth,

Doreen