Candida Diet newbie Questions

[rachelernst]

I am whole foods literate, probably fairly advanced user, but I need some quick answers on Candida Diet and will be happy to share ideas and experience (I have a blog, too). I am really digging into the Candida diet this week, already underway.

If you have a web page that you like for Candida diet questions, please post it.

I need to know about:

Tomatoes
mushrooms
lemon juice, lime juice
xylitol
bee pollen
onions
garlic (use only a little, or okay to use a lot?)
cocoa and cacao
tofu
sweet potatoes
green beans
beets

WHY no raw vinegar?

Would a soy sauce with just soybeans and salt be okay? I've seen someone suggest you must boil it first or use it in a food cooked more than 30 minutes. Seems a little odd to me considering that it should be "good" stuff, on the line of probiotics.

Soy-only miso?

Have you eaten at restaurants on the candida diet? Sushi restaurant?

I also have lots of questions about probiotics, because I need to rebuild the good stuff but stay dairy free (I'm intolerant of that right now).

Would GT's Kombucha original flavor contain too much sugar or even vinegar-similar?

What are your favorite probiotic solutions on the candida diet?

How long is the initial ZERO sugar period? What's your general experience on candida diet?

Do you suggest any essential oils or herbs to help with the yeast kill-down? Anything else that comes to mind?

Has anyone investigated deeply into the underlying causes, pre-determining factors for candida yeast overgrowth? I had something like histamine buildup reactions prior to coming to the belief that I have candida overgrowth--I think both are likely. I heard about a book called Hormones, Health and Happiness by Stephen Hotze, but haven't bought it yet.

Thanks!

Rachel
Michigan, soon to be Minneapolis

[WuWei]

Do you have/had any mercury fillings in your teeth?

Are you pregnant, nursing, ttc within 18 months?

What medications and supplements, antibiotics, symptoms, diseases do you have currently?

Gut healing, Where to start? Help 101.

Also, Healing the gut cheat sheet.



Pat

[nicolelynn]

Not to discourage you, but even though candida diets work for some people, it did NOT work for me. I also don't just have suspected candida (it is a pet DX for naturopaths), I actually had a stool test that turned up huge amounts of it.

Another thing about candida diets is there are dozens of interpretations. Some say in addition to sugar free, no fruit and very low carbs..pretty much only meat and vegetables. Others allow unlimited complex carbs but little to no fruit even. Others say avoid fermented foods like the plague, but naturally fermented foods are rich in probiotics which compete with candida.

I tried a general candida diet: avoid my IgG tested food allergens, only sugar allowed was 1 piece of low sugar fruit daily and limit carbs somewhat. Then I did Bee's Candida Diet which is pretty much just meat, vegetables, eggs and butter. Then I did the SCD/GAPS diet.

All really restrictive diets did for me was make me lose alot of weight and have very little energy. I am getting the best results now just taking 12 capsules per day of Primal Defense Ultra by Garden of Life (I tried several probiotics previously).

I am still not 100% well though so I am trying yet another diet: the rotation diet in the Yeast Connection Cookbook. It dosn't restrict complex carbs at all, and my digestion has improved since adding back plenty of them (whole grains, legumes, etc) and allows fruit, just no sweeteners. It also says that certain things candida diets tell you to avoid actually only apply if you react to them: baker's yeast, mold (cheese or on dried fruit, etc)...they physiologically do not feed yeast. So I actually have energy at least on this diet. We'll see if it helps, but I have a parasite as well so that's another issue.

[rachelernst]

Thanks

Nicolelynn:
How do you know if you have a parasite?

Might some parasites be part of overall symbiosis, somewhat like good bacteria and good yeasts?

I will "digest" all the rest of the responses later in the next day or two. Right now I am packing up my house for moving.

Thanks WuWei for the great links. Lots there to digest and I will probably join you on your message board.

-Rachel

[Adamsmama]

Originally Posted by WuWei

Do you have/had any mercury fillings in your teeth?

Are you pregnant, nursing, ttc within 18 months?

What medications and supplements, antibiotics, symptoms, diseases do you have currently?

Gut healing, Where to start? Help 101.

Also, Healing the gut cheat sheet.


Pat

I'm curious why you asked the ttc question? I'm going to be TTC most likely within 3 months and have had a yeast overgrowth for a few years that I've been battling with antifungals and now thinking about this diet...

[WuWei]

Check out the Preconception care: Mineral Deficiency Test thread if you have any nutrient deficiency concerns, thyroid or mercury issues.

The mercury issues are the big thing, especially if you've had any amalgam fillings placed or removed within 18 months prior to ttc, pregnancy or nursing.


Pat

[deditus]

Rachel, Have you tried just cutting grains and dairy? It may help to try that first, and then cut out the fruit and starchy veg/legumes if you need to. It would also lessen the die off all at once. I haven't needed to cut fruit at all (and since going paleo I actually don't eat much fruit at all, I have totally lost my sweet tooth). HCL, enzymes, and BIOTIN have been my big helpers in the supp dept.

[nicolelynn]

I had a stool culture that revealed "moderate blastocystis hominis and many yeasts". B. hominis is one of the most common intestinal parasites, though there is debate in the medical community as to whether or not it is a pathogen. To some it is a super-bug: I have found no natural cures for it in all my research and little hope even with drugs...some people have it the rest of their lives.

I am unsure myself, and you are right. Since b. hominis is usually found in conjunction with yeast overgrowth I am wondering if it is part of the gut flora like yeast and gets overgrown and becomes pathogenic with immune system dysfunction.

Either way, my main symptom is constant discomfort in my lower left abdomen for a year now. I am thinking it is colitis and have been putting off a colonoscopy. I also have had intermittent stool problems and developed a casein sensitivity.

That's why my main focus is just eating nutrient dense foods, build up good bacteria counts and trying to live stress free rather than just starve out yeast. Also I have read regardless of what you eat the glucose in your blood feasts yeast, so it really is about bringing your immune system into balance.

[rachelernst]

HCL, enzymes, and BIOTIN

Emily: I'm on the trail of many things, nice to see overlap in various opinions bc that makes me feel that there is clout to it. So, I am going to emphasize emzyme supplement right away, and probiotics. Also those methyl groups you spoke of earlier for histamines.

Now, could you please elaborate on "HCL, ..., and BIOTIN have been my big helpers in the supp dept."

Thanks,

Rachel

[deditus]

Well, the hcl does so many things in digestion - it is needed to break down proteins and also the ph of the stomach contents is what signals the pancreas to release enzymes when the stomach contents dump into the small intestine to continue digestion. So if your stomach acid is low it lets undigested food into the intestines (feeding yeast and bad bacteria and irritating the intestinal lining), also you develop nutrient deficiencies from not digesting food properly. It is also the first line defense against infectious microbes like h. pylori or those that cause gastroenteritis. So taking hcl helps on a bunch of fronts that help heal.
Biotin helps control candida. I like Pure Encapsulations brand.