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Cure for the Candida Blues – Part 2
Remember my last post on Natural Cures for the Candida Blues? I just modified it to reflect the new information I recently learned. After my first round of research I wrote that first post with the assumption that the general consensus about candida was true. Which was that in order to beat it you had to avoid all carbs and sugars including fruit sugars. I should have known not to believe the hype. There are so many posts online about people who have been struggling with candida for YEARS with no signs of improvement. Partially because their dietary changes are not addressing the root cause. After two months on a sugarless diet, I kind of forgot about the whole candida thing and went off to make a movie. During the shooting period my sugarless diet went out the window and I ate what was available to get me through the day. Needless to say the symptoms came roaring back early this month and I was not happy. Frustrated I went back to researching. How could it be that there was really no cure? It really made no sense to me that people could struggle with candida for years, because the body is always able to bring itself back to balance.
Finally, a miracle occurred. After resuming the sugarless/carb-less diet and feeling absolutely horrible, I started to research again. Using my intuition I was led to find a bunch of testimonials of people who had successfully cured their candida and even hypoglycemia. How did they do it? By eating boat loads of FRUIT, one of the things that everyone, including my doctor said NOT to do. I listened to the youtube video below where Dr. Douglas Graham discusses how and why our friend candida flourishes and it’s purpose in the body and it made a lot of sense. Basically whether you are raw foodist or not, if you have a diet that is high in sugar and high in fat, you are going to begin to have blood sugar problems, because the high levels of fat prevents glucose from being transported out of the body. Did you know that the average American’s diet is comprised of something like forty percent fat and that raw foodists sometimes eat diets that are as high as sixty percent in fat!? Even if its fat from coconuts, avocados, nuts, it can still throw you body out of wack leave you depleted and lacking energy. This is the major reason why most raw foodists can’t go the distance on the diet and eventually burn out.
According to Graham, fruit is for raw foodists a replacement for the carbohydrate food group. The body needs carbs to fuel our energy and maintain balance. Vegetables are also key, but fruit have the highest calories, so in order to maintain an 80% carbs-10% protein-10% fat balance, which he touts as the ideal based on his research, you will be eating calorically speaking more fruit than veggies. I got all of this information on a Sunday, and then the next day as scared as I was to contradict popular opinion I started eating a bunch of fruit, some greens, and held the fats for the time being. I also began taking a daily probiotic and eating fermented foods daily including kimchi, sauerkraut, or kombucha. After one day my energy shot off the roof. I had a few cleansing reactions on day two and then I felt like new money. By Friday I was completely candida overgrowth symptom-free and somewhat in awe once again with the power of living foods.
We are taught that fruit sugar is harmfully to us if we have candida, blood sugar issues, and diabetes, but this is really not the case. Our major problems are high refined sugar intake along with high FAT intake. If you are struggling with candida, I urge you to look at your diet, minimize your fat intake to ten percent of your calories, eliminate refined and processed sugars, but increase your vegetable and especially fruit intake drastically. You really have to ensure you are getting in enough calories. Making smoothies with fruit can help a lot to get more in one sitting, or you can do it old school and eat mono meals which consist of a lot of one type of fruit at a time throughout the day. Green smoothies are a good way to get in some greens, and also including at least one really large salad or green juice in your day. If you are on a raw food diet and it’s not a low fat diet, if you are experiencing any issues with your energy or otherwise, I recommend you try modifying it to include more fruit and cut down on your fat intake. You may also have deeper issues with your adrenal glands or pancreas that need to be addressed if your condition is really bad.
I don’t believe in becoming a disciple of “diets” or “fads” by I do believe in following what makes sense to me and what my body responds to. Where people go wrong in general and even with principles like this 80-10-10 idea is they don’t really listen completely and implement all of the information. It’s easy to play telephone and hear what you want to hear rather than what is being said. Taking on a low fat raw vegan diet does not mean you are on a fruitarian diet, it just means you lower your fat intake, and increase your fruit and veg intake with an emphasis on fruits to ensure a proper balance with the amount of fats you take in. As someone who works out four to five times a week I have seen marked results in my performance and a boost in my energy with the shift to a low fat raw vegan diet and I am grateful for more confirmation that the body can indeed restore itself to balance when given the right fuel. Listen to your body, always do what works for you, and by any means necessary #EAT2LIVE! -XoXo Raw Girl
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsmcYRSvwGM]
Natural Remedies for the Candida Blues
Candida is a word we are hearing thrown around more often in conversations. Before I was like candi-who? It kind of sounds like a dirty word. Now I know all too well about this imbalance that is quickly becoming the least talked about health epidemic in our nation. These days pretty much all us have it or have had some symptoms, it’s about what degree from mild to severe. Candida is a group of single-celled organisms that live in our bodies and are actually good for us until our body gets out of balance because of diet, stress, or medications that throw it out of whack. Candida overgrowth is literally a “genus of yeasts” or in lamens terms a gang of fungus who have been granted permission to hang out and bring their friends en-masse anywhere in your body that’s cozy. Candida usually grows in warm moist areas of the body, and the most common candida condition is yeast infections which can affect both men and women, but also includes nail fungus, athletes foot, thrush (on the tongue), and may be the culprit with some prostate issues. In its most aggravated and full-blown state cancers especially and AIDS deal with aggressively overgrown candida. Which is why many have been able to reverse cancer and some holistic healers (namely Dr. Sebi who says all diseases are born from mucus) has been able to reverse HIV/AIDS.
When candida starts to flourish in the body it’s really like your once upon a time friend who decides to invite a bunch of unwanted guests who are now sleeping on your comfortable couch and require a fire marshal and an eviction notice to get them out of your apartment. Dealing with candida overgrowth just by wishing it away does you no good. You need to strap on some combat boots and be prepared to make some changes to get your body back in balance. Depending on the severity of the condition this is not a short-term thing, you may need to make some serious lifestyle amendments.
So you want to know how you managed to say yes and let in that frenemy name Candida who is now eating all your sweets with his buddies? Well, our bodies thrive on bacteria. I learned recently from a colon hydrotherapist who was very knowledgeable about bacteria that the metabolic waste of our good bacteria is serotonin! So part of the reason why people who are backed up or literally full of sh&% are also in a crabby mood is because the good bacteria is not present in their bodies to give them that natural happy boost. Same with candida, when yeast is overgrown there’s not enough good bacteria present in your body to give you that feel good natural serotonin.
There are numerous reasons in our modern day culture that this condition affects millions and the numbers keep growing. First off, it doesn’t help that doctors are prescribing antibiotics these days like candy at a Halloween party. Seriously, it seems to be the cure-all for anything nowadays. It may help alleviate short-term symptoms but long-term know that it wreaks havoc on most bodies’ and kills all of the good and bad bacteria in the gut leading to more problems that have to be addressed including candida. Another major factor involved is the Standard American Diet which is basically a trial that most are failing to see how long someone can last before getting ill while subsisting primarily on carbs, animal protein, frakenfoods, and sugar.
All of those things feed yeast, and your good old friend Candida basically throws a party when you consume them. The thing is you won’t feel like partying much because you may be experiencing fatigue, headaches, poor memory, or mental fogginess, and perhaps weight gain. Not exactly a reason to cut the cake. Last, but not any less important is STRESS. I forget all the time how important our emotions are for sustaining our well-being. In my own family I have seen how every single one of us is now dealing with some sort of health condition/struggle following my brother’s passing. Stress is no joke; it can kill you. Not meaning to scare you I’ll also add that in rare cases if fungus enters the bloodstream and is left unchecked, up to 50% of people affected die from this condition. Crazy!
I recently went to my doctor, who by the way is one of the best doctors on the planet. This woman should teach other doctors how to do their jobs. She can actually write me a prescription for things to treat anything that I can find in Whole Foods, and can suggest lifestyle changes or food elimination to help, but she also knows about all the typical medications prescribed. God must have sent me this woman. Anyway, to cut to the chase my consumption of brown rice in moderation the past two years has finally reared its evil grainy head. That in tandem with elevated stress in my life taking its toll. Looking back I really started to notice the slight imbalance literally a month after my brother passed. It took me awhile to figure it out, but all of this together diet issues and stress of loss has been causing ongoing yeast imbalances in my body. So, it’s time to buckle down and cut brown rice out of my diet altogether. Back to being 100% carb-free! Quinoa still doesn’t bother me, and wild rice soaked is a great raw option I plan to try. The good news is after being a drama queen and thinking it was really bad, it was a relief to discover that my case is super minor and manageable compared to a lot of people suffering out there who have it ten times worse. Thanks to my doc, and of course my own research, I’ve gotten some great lifestyle recommendations that I’m sharing:
Cut out Dairy, Meat, Processed Foods, & Sugar (including natural Sugars). I think this is self-explanatory. You just can’t have it. You want the yeast to die off right? Remind yourself in the thick of the cravings why you must stay away. They say that some low-level sugar fruits may be added like berries, grapefruits, or granny smith apples, but even these should be consumed with caution. You also need to eliminate sugary or starchy veggies like carrots, potatoes, or beets.
Incorporate More Fermented Foods & Find a Great Probiotic. I’m dying to try coconut water kefir which is a naturally fermented beverage made from young coconut water. There’s also things you can eat like fermented cabbage, namely sauerkraut and kimchi, and drinks like kombucha, brewed from the scoby organism, and rejuvelac, which is made from fermented wheat berries. All of these foods along with a good probiotic supplement are going to help you crowd in your good bacteria friends, while you starve the yeast and they die off.
Stress-Less. Back to hot yoga I go! Breathing and meditation are great. We can’t predict when those tragic things in life will happen to us, but we can try to handle them as they come with grace.
Drink Lots of Water. Staying hydrated is important and keeping the cycle of replenishing fluids and flushing out toxins going.
Exercise Every Day. This is a prescription I like! The reason this is necessary for recovery is that sweating is one of our primary sources of eliminating toxins from the body.
No Alcohol. Wine, beer, and hard liquor will all make candida worse and allow the yeast to thrive. So if you are a drinker, sorry to be the one to have to tell you to cut it out.
The thing about dealing with candida is that its very similar to battling a parasite infection. There is a withdrawal period and the yeast will create cravings for carbs and sugars because that is what keeps them alive. You may also feel irritable and extra hungry even for the green stuff you are eating to starve the yeast. As I write this I’m already feeling withdrawal and its only been a day. If you can survive a full week, the cravings should start to dissipate as the yeast dies off. Cave in and eat anything sweet, and you will be back to square one. It’s tough, but you will make it through. I will too…although I will be having vivid dreams until the end of this year about eating bananas, mangoes, and a million other things.
If you are a woman and experiencing yeast infections, a vaginal suppository that has boric acid as an ingredient is great for that. Candida suffers can also try things like consuming bitter grapefruit seed extract. Oregano oil is another one that is thrown around, but my doc says it can be very harsh on the system. I’m sure I’ll be following up with more revelations or tips as I work through this. I’m aiming for at least three months, six months would be ideal but may be impossible, of no sugar in any form (God help me besides maybe one apple in a green juice), and seeing how I feel as I go along. -XoXo Raw Girl