Anti Candida diet, which one?

[alfiemama]

Okay bit of a long story, but I am referred to a chronic fatigue team. However, after a discussion with the Dr we have decided to give an Anti Candida diet. It was only a brief conversation because I was ringing due to a swollen tongue because (I thought) of some Anti depressants I am on.

Anyway my question is which Anti Candida diet am I best following/ There seems to be such a conflict of information. I am currently (for 3 weeks) cutting out bread/gluten/ryes/wheat, alcohol, any sauces, dairy, caffeine, sugar and sweetners except for truvia oh and having one small portion of fruit. So basically eating meat, fish, veg and sour fruit or berries. I have just added back in natural yoghurt. I have to admit to eating quite a few granny smith's apples due to lack of anything to eat.

I was also prescribed 1 weeks of antifungal tablets.

I am now though, suffering with what seems withdrawal and have a lovely white coated tongue (disgusting) I have just ordered a repeat of the antifungal meds.

Can anyone help? I just want to be well again. [SAD]

Sounds like you have got it right. The idea is to cut out sugar which the candida may feed on I think. I would be very intersted to hear how you get on and if you feel ant better. Did they test you first for candida?
Some diets say to cut out anything that has been fermented and also mushrooms which I dont understand because just because a mushroom is a fungus doent mean it will cause fungus in your system.
Is it fluconazole that you are on?

Thanks Topsi, yes that's then one. No I haven't been tested but pretty sure that's what is is. I was reading a lot of immune problems can be because of the candiadasis. I'm hoping it's just a matter of it gets worse before it gets better.
I have lots of things pointing to it.
Hairloss
Fatigue
Aching bones
Tingling hands
Sinus probs
Ibs
Sore tongue white coating

alfie I feel your pain - I went on a complete elimination diet for 5 months and STILL had thrush at the end of it......I ate brown rice, most veg, no fruit, organic fish and £100 weekly of supplements for that time and lost weight but nothing else!!! Having said that, one month later the thrush vanished and has very rarely come back (after having it for approx 20 years)

Good luckx

....and yes, it def gets worse and then some.

Meant to say one month later (i.e. at six months in), the thrush disappeared.

Bloody ell shush really?
The problem I'm finding is keeping the
meals varied there is only do much chicken salad and fish salads you can eat.
I'm really struggling without coffee surely it won't do that much harm, I don't have sugar and have it black?

I've been having natural yoghurt with a sachet of trivia in. Is this allowed do you think?

I've cheated tonight. Had some cooked chicken from Asda but it was the Chinese type. I just couldn't stand plain chicken again.

If anyone has any recipes or ideas, I would be most grateful?

Another odd thing is, I lost a lot of weight in first 2 weeks (11lbs) and now it's just stuck yet for all my body knows its a low carb diet, so, I would assume it would be dropping off.

Would your body hold onto weight because of the candiadasis?

Have you had your thyroid tested? Or diabetes test?

Had every test going yes they were fine according to the Dr. The only one was I had high Red blood cells. I'm wondering though if my thyroid was just borderline though.

This is a typical day at the moment for me. Maybe someone can see where I might be going wrong.

Breakfast. 2 egg scrambled with nothing small minuscule touch of rock salt. Apparently I can have this.

Lunch. I buy a roasted chicken and have with salad and cherry tomatoes and a few carrot sticks with some apple cider vinegar. Again I'm okay with this.

Snack granny smiths apple

Tea chicken with small portion of brown rice with spinach or salad

Drink is sparkling water and green tea.

I had been upping the apples though so cut this back drastically. Oh and occasionally I will have nuts. Just a handful of allowed ones either almonds or hazelnuts.

So, I cannot see why my weight would be stuck. I surely can't be over in my carbs or calories. Any ideas?

Google insulin resistant and see if it applies to you. Sorry i haven't figured out how to do links on my phone yet!

It is very common when people are low carbing to see significant weight loss in the first two weeks, and then in weeks 3, 4 and/or 5 for the weight loss to stop. Sometimes a small amount may go back on. Then after this, weight loss will start again, albeit at a slower rate - more likely to be 1-2lbs a week.

If you are doing an anti-candida diet you need to cut out all sugar. This definitely includes the apple and also the cherry tomatoes (tomatoes are fruit). You should also beware of buying roast chicken as often sugar is used on the skin to make it brown and tasty.

Anything fermented is also a no-no, so the vinegar isn't a good idea either.

Anti-candida is a really tough one, so I sympathise with you! Try reading Zoe Harcombe's book - The Harcombe Diet. The first 5 days of her diet are anti-candida. She has a recipe book that goes with it too.

Thanks cocole, I will have a look.
Thanks Bwi, I didn't know it was normal for it to stop, just assumed mainly water loss at first. I've been following the candida cure book. Will find link in a min
She has tomatoes in recipes so assumed they would be okay. She also says one small portion of sour green apples or berries allowed and stevia sugar. I couldn't find this but found truvia which comes from the stevia plant apparently doesn't disrupt the yeast. She also lists rice vinegar and apple cider vinegars as okay.
This is why I am so confused. I just need a list from an accurate source, because I know if I'm following it half hearted I won't get better. it's really hard though as at least with low carbs you can have dairy.

Oh, and one other thing you should consider is to take a good probiotic supplement, to help re-populate your gut with good bacteria. Go to a decent healthfood shop. They should stock probiotics in the fridge - get some acidophilus capsules.

You may find this site helpful - and they allow apple cider vinegar!

Thanks Biw, good link. I've seen it before but just confused over which to follow. The only thing I can see that I'm having is the apples and tomatoes.
But, even so I would still be having low carbs so weight should still come off. My friend is on a low fat diet under 4 per 100g and she can lose 3lb in a week. So, how come they say to avoid and low carb? Fat has more calories in doesn't it?

Other foods that are helpful too are garlic & coconut which both have anti-fungal properties.
I suffered really badly with candida in my early 20s - after I had glandular fever. It is often a sign that you are run down & your immune system is struggling.
Don't get worried at this stage, as it can take quite a while for the body to sort it self out completely. Definitely ditch the granny smith though as that is a hit of pure sugar!

I've had candidasis since I was 6 - but didn't follow an elimination diet till I was 22 (thanks mum). I've been left with yeast, gluten and dairy intolerance and my 'leaky gut' just does not seem to heal, but then at 29 I still had the candidasis longer than I've been without it so who knows if the damage is permanent or just going to take forever to heal.

The chinese chicken is a total no no, not only will there likely be sugar in the recipie there will also be soya sauce and that's fermented. These days I get a nice indication if something has fermented food in it - I blow up like a balloon.

I think everyone is different and it can become trial and error to find out what you are reacting to and what you arn't - that's why total elimination is needed inc mushrooms. I react to quorn but not to normal mushrooms, can have vinegar but no alcohol whatsoever even in small ammounts in cooking - so white wine vinegar is in and white wine is out, very wierd.

I have certainly found I hang on to excess weight if I've been eating any of my 'not allowed' foods, regardless of the calorie intake. Infact the only diet I loose weight on is Paleo/Primal - I can maintain on a diet that includes normal amounts of grains and carbs I just cannot shed any weight.

I think Barbara Cousins is great for recipies, and I find her explanations of the elimintaion diet nice and easy to understand too. I'd reccomend the cooking without made easy (though it assumes you have her first book so doesn't go into the elimination infomation much it's mostly recipies) - especially if you have ME as they really are very easy to make and hopefully won't take up too much energy.

Also some people have found they react to stevia too, I think it depends how bad the systemic infection is, some people have to cut out all the sour and berries for 6 months too just because they are so sensitive - listen to what your body tells you and you'll get there in the end.

Good Luck

Thanks postbellum, will do. That's probably why I like them.
I don't get thrush though which is strange yet, lucky.
If I did stray off the diet, would I just become more ill and fatigued. Is this my life now I mean no alcohol or anything? I'm baking cakes for kids party at the minute and it's so hard. Good job I know I have some will power buried deep.

Omg trickle, since 6
How did it affect you then if you don't mind me asking? Just my ds has gut and I'm now wondering if there is a link. He has add which I know is linked to gut probs. but, he has childhood reflux and is he doesn't go to the loo everyday has major impaction problems. His diet is very carny because of a food phobia
I knew when I was eating the chicken and afterwards said to hubby my belly had bloated.
I will check out those books, thanks that's just the kind of thing I need.

My only concern though is if start making fancy breads that I can eat will I put weight on? Just thought I would embrace this diet as a way of getting rid of it all once and for all.

Thanks everyone, you're all really helping me get my head round it all.

I had reccurant boughts of thrush that seemed to be resistant to prescription meds, chronic atheltes foot that used to bleed and never fully went away, I did have joint pain and fatigue but I have an underlying condition that causes that anyway so I'm not sure if it had anything to do with that. I never realised I was constipated becasue I never had a normal bowel movement (TMI sorry). I really think there is a mind body connection - my 'eating disorder' was much easier to recover from after I found what I was intolerant to - it used to lead to a feeling in my stomach that made me want to throw up - and I never had true bulimia, I never binged till I felt sick, I just felt sick and horrible when I ate food, so I either didn't eat or threw it up. I had a lot of brain fog too, I think far more clearly now without quite such a fuzz. I was also always squishy - no matter how fit, or how much excercise I did I was always less well toned than my couch potatoe friends

That's good about the chicken, it means you are starting to feel what is bad for you - and when you start to understand and feel the difference the diet gets easier because you feel better when you don't eat something and feel worse when you do. I still hate the smell of fresh bread and toast - because I want to eat it lol

I havn't found any bread I can eat on a regular basis, I react to all gluten in grains and there isn't any nice rice based bread, I've heard good things about coconut flour but it's just too far outside my budget. I tend to stick to rice cakes, and remember you can have popadums if you have a curry - they are made with chickpea flour and are really nice. You can get ready made ones to fry at home in the world foods section of most supermarkets. For packed lunches fritata, and the pastryless flan in Barbara Cousins book is a good start and pretty much rice salads and stuff on rice cakes - I tend to pack the filling separate from the rice cake then scoop it up with them or they go soggy. And contrary to most modern advice - make sure you get enough fat, as you need to keep the carbs/sugars low, too much protien isn't that good for you and you just cannot eat THAT much green veg don't be afraid of good fats, they'll keep you full longer and don't feed the yeast and they stop you going slightly nuts and reaching for a sandwich or a cake :)

Firstly, I just found this www.candidasupport.org/test_saliva.html not sure link will work as on phone. I've just done it even though it says first and if it's true I have a problem. Yuck makes me feel a bit yucky.

Thanks trickle, sounds awful. The dr really does think fibromyalgia for the aches and stuff. Rheumi said defo not arthritis. I know though candiadasis can be an overiding cause to auto immune problems. I could however, just be dealing with 2 separate issues, but at least when referral comes through I can say I tried everything.

I didn't think I could have rice cakes? Any particular ones? Thought white rice was a no no and just brown rice?
I do need to up the fats your right especially oils and I need to look at supplements too. Just want rid of this thing.
Omg I can really have poppadoms. I could cry thank you.
Any more tips appreciated.

Hope that link helps someone else. Not sure why Drs don't suggest candiadasis at the beginning with cases like mine.

They don't really believe in it, alfiemama, for some reason!

If you're in any doubt about what you can eat, then the best thing is to focus on fresh/pure meat/fish with fresh vegetables and salads to go with it. Keep it simple and avoid anything processed.

Re the weight loss, you lost 11lbs in 2 weeks! A lot of that will be water. Your body is now switching to burning fat for fuel, rather than carbs, and you will start to burn fat. But weight loss isn't linear, and it definitely isn't linear on low carb. However, it sounds like it's more important for you to sort out your candida issue first rather than worrying about the weight.

Your right Biw, just you hear people who go on special diets and the weight drops. I'm probably expecting too much. You can tell anyway or at least I can. I have a waist again. I haven't touched anything processed Biwi except the chicken last night. It was bloody good though

Is Aspall Cyder vinegar okay? Yep it's spelt right

I don't know - is apple cider vinegar just cider (cyder ) vinegar? What does it say on the label? Personally I don't really understand why this kind of vinegar would be ok when others are specifically forbidden.

It says it's okay for coeliacs and it's organic. It's specially filtered. I've googled and some say okay others say unfiltered.