If you didn't catch my fist post on my crazy eating... fill yourself in here and then this will make a lot more sense.
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So since the end of vegaism my digestion issues have remained the same. Not horrendous but not great either. Just more of putting up and dealing with them. Fast forward to the past week couple weeks though and things started getting worse.
I have been WAITING for our full Navy insurance to kick in so that I could get in to some specialists and see if they could offer me some help on this. After things really started getting even worse I couldn't keep sitting around and waiting though. On a trip to a natural remedy store to pick up some supplements I chatted it up with an employee there who sparked me on something. She mentioned that maybe I should look into a yeast overgrowth. That my symptoms sounded similar to those of people suffering from that problem.
Candida is an overgrowth of the natural yeast we all have in our bodies. Overgrowth can be caused by lots of different things and the yeast manifests itself in different ways for everyone. I only suffer from the digestion issues, thank goodness, that is IF I have this. Apparently Candida is not widely recognized as an issue by all doctors. They tend to pass off the problems associated with it to other issues. Candida is treated by diet. Most people do a cleanse of some sort and then follow a STRICT Candida Diet.
Well you KNOW after doing some research that I was willing to give this a try. Especially after feeling so horrible the past while, waiting another 2 1/2 weeks to see a doctor seemed like an eternity. So first thing in the morning after getting home from our trip from Kansas, I dove head in.
I spent the morning at the library and bookstore reading and gathering info and by the end of the day had my fridge stocked with the foods I was supposed to eat. The only frusteration I have with this is that every resource you find of the topic has it's own opinion of what you should and shouldn't eat and for how long till you move on to the next step. Anything ranging from only living off ginger tea and broth soups for weeks to just cutting things back in moderation but avoiding certain foods. A little confusing right? I tried to get a good range of info and then form something that was manageable for me that was aggressive yet doable.
The main idea is that you don't eat ANY sugars, including fruits. I know a lot of bloggers have been not eating sugar for a week or something, which I have done for 3 months before and I don't think is too bad. Once you get over the hump you stop craving it. But I ate fruit that whole time so that is a different story. Try not having ANYTHING sweet for an unknown amount of time. THAT is rough. Remember this comes from a girl who already lost her tastebuds. Yikes right?
You also cut out starchy vegetables (yams, carrots, potatoes, squash), grains, legumes and nuts as they all feed the yeast that is overgrown in your body until you can get it back down. Then you slowly start to add things back into your diet as you feel you can tolerate it and symptoms do not come back. Some sources said this could take 2 weeks, others said you have to live on a moderate Candida diet for years to manage it. Cross my fingers this just clears up.
So what HAVE I been eating? Any green veggies you can think of and proteins. I can only spice up my cooking with a few choice oils, lemon juice, onions, garlic, ginger and salt and pepper. Those are basically the options. It is testing my creativity but it is going better so far than I thought it would be. This is what I eat 99% of the time but I am also listening to my body. Side effects are feeling fatigued amoung other things and I definetly have been tired this week. They say that can be a by product of yeast dying off but also I think when you cut out so many carbs in your diet you can feel it. A lot of the more moderate diets said rice cakes were okay and they have saved me on several days. I try to keep things like that to a minimum though. I would rather be really hard core for a shorter amount of time and get it cleared up then drag it out.
How do I feel so far? Better! It has been a little over 1 week of eating this way and I can already notice a difference. Now maybe because there is just less food in my body for my digestion to get upset about with eating like this, so time will tell. But for now I feel am improvement. I am hoping as I continue (as least until my doctors appointment) that I continue to see improvement. The main lame thing about this diet is that you can blow all the progess you have made REALLY fast by just eating something you digestion reacts to and then the yeast can grow right back and you are back to where you started. That can happen in 1 meal. Great right? This is a test of stregnth for sure.
Now I KNOW that I am not sure that I have this. But some of the symptoms that I read about seemed unique to this condition and I have been unable to find anything else that matches up with what I have as much.
I don't tell you this because I think you are all dying to know about my personal digestive adventures but more because it will make sense as I post photos of the random things I am eating lately. Not a ton of variety, but I try to make it as interesting as I can.
Also, in my search for finding out what the deal is with me, I have found out how common these kind of issues are for other people and how they have had challenges clearing them up too. I have learned a lot from reading blogs, testimonials and chatting with others. If I can help someone else to find out what is causing them stress and grief I would love to help them.
So there it is! This is as strict as I have EVER eaten before. I have to cook all meals fresh (3 times a day) eat fresh veggies and protein and drink lots of ginger tea. Cooking meals and eating like this takes time in the day and effort. The journey continues though, so we will see how it goes.
I will be posting more photos of what Ben is eating too and what I make for him. Just so you don't get completely bored with all the greenary on my plate and want to poke your eyes out.
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Do you have more questions about Candida or think you might have it?
If you have experience with this PLEASE let me know! I am eager to learn as much as I can. ;) Because heck, if this isn't what I have I am going to go right to the store and load up on treats!!!
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