Sometimes it takes a health issue to turn our unhealthy habits around. About four weeks ago I got a seriously uncomfortable Candida reaction. Now I have had a systemic Candida problem for more than half my life – approximately sixteen years. Most of this time I had no idea what my problem was. I was vegetarian/vegan and was going through a young adult life, eating lots of white carbohydrates, sweets and alcohol. Before I new it my problem became systemic. I got pregnant with my first daughter, so the alcohol stopped but the carbohydrates didn’t. After my daughter was born, nursing was extremely painful. I was certain that she had thrush. My nipples were red sore and sometimes even bleeding. This is when I educated myself on candida. I cut out sugars, but since I was vegetarian I could not cut out carbs. My daughter showed sensitivity to milk and eggs so then we became vegan.
My daughter became sick and started to show signs of dental decay. The doctor told us that my daughter at 18 months was classified as failure to thrive. That shocked me and I took it personally that I was being a bad parent. It put the fire under me and I started to do research on dental decay and nutrition. I found the Weston A. Price Foundation and the book that was written on Dr. Weston Price’s research called Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictorats by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig Phd. This is the book that ended twelve years of vegetarianism. My daughter started on probiotics and yogurt and her milk and egg sensitivity went away. Her dental decay did not worsen and to this day she is almost six years old and has no cavities. This book teaches the importance of enzymes, beneficial bacteria, culturing and fermentation for the importance of digestion and nutrient assimilation.
I got pregnant again with my second daughter and had a blast working with this cookbook. However, I found out that I still had a very bad case of candida. Not to mention all of the sweet cravings that I was having and my hormones going wild. After the birth I did not have a reoccurance of thrush and I was very thankful. I did continue to follow the cookbook and its nutrition. But I could not get rid of the candida. I stay away from sugar and sweetners and the main sweet things I would eat was fruit.
So back to four weeks ago and my candida reacion… I have had enough! I cut out the only sweet things I eat. Fruit! I researched the Atkin’s diet a bit. I cut out sprouted breads, fruits, and grains. And it took a while but I am in the middle of a “yeast die-off” Not fun, but I have had my worst day and I am now on the road to healing. I know I can do this diet in combination with the Nourishing Traditions diet. I have no cravings at all for sweets or fruits. I feel SATISFIED after eating and I am not hungry. Another big bonus is that I have lost 10 pounds in four weeks!
So I ask for help and advice.. How did you cure your Candida?
