Hi Tom,

White grapefruit is still allowed in moderation on the candida diet, although I sweeten mine with ground cloves now instead of sugar and occasionally add some spiced stewed homemade cranberry "sauce" to add to the flavours (no sugar added, but I mostly sweetened the cranberries with cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, and threw in one orange to stew in with them).

These should help the irregularity. Again, the veg should really help clean you out. Make friends with Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Brussels sprouts taste nice with some fresh lemon squeezed over them and some dried (or fresh) basil or thyme mixed in. On a high veg diet, you should notice that you are going to the . . um . . powder room more than once a day and so irregularity should not be a problem on this diet.

Increase your water and herbal tea also (not the sweet flower herbal teas, but peppermint, fennel etc) and this should help too. Lentils and soups with pulses are good and keep you regular as well.

Courgette (zucchini), grated carrots and salad (try to choose other leaves than iceberg lettuce, though, only because it is hard to digest), grated beetroot, roasted nuts and sunflower seeds, plus natural yogurt mixed with either lemon juice, grapefruit juice or apple cider vinegar for a dressing (or blended with cold cucumber) should also help your digestion improve.

I agree about missing oatmeal a bit, but in my case it's due to the gluten issue. Some people with candida might be ok on the whole-grain oats (Scotch oats, not refined) but I also have to avoid them for now.

Think of it this way ---it shouldn't be forever, but just until you get well. Then you may be able to resume a few treats like oatmeal occasionally. It all depends on what your doctor and your gut think about the idea.