What I Have to Work With

Here is a list of Candida Diet approved foods, by category:

Vegetables (which will comprise the bulk of my diet for the next three months):

Artichokes

*Asparagus

**Avocado

?Beet greens

*Broccoli

-Brussel sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Celery

-Collard greens

**Cucumber

Dandelion greens

*Eggplant

Endive

*Garlic (raw)

*Green beans

Kale

Kim Chi

Leeks

**Lettuce (all types)

Okra

-Olives

*Onions

-Radish

Rutabaga

-Sauerkraut (raw)

?Seaweed

Snow pea pods

**Spinach

Summer squash

-Swiss chard

**Tomatoes

Turnip

Zucchini (only like it in baked goods)

Live Yogurt Cultures:

*Plain yogurt w/ Probiotics

*Kefir

Meat/ Fish:

**Beef

**Chicken

?Lamb

*Turkey

?Wild Game

Eggs

--Anchovies

--Herring

--Sardines

*Wild salmon

Nuts:

**Almonds

*Almond milk (unsweetened)

?Coconut Cream

**Coconut milk (unsweetened)

*Flax Seed

*Hazelnuts

?Hemp Seeds

*Macadamia Nuts

*Pecans

-Pine Seeds

*Pumpkin Seeds

*Sunflower 

*Walnuts

(No peanuts, cashews, or pistachios)

"Grains":

?Amaranth

?Buckwheat

?Millet

?Oat Bran

**Quinoa

**Wild and brown rice

Oils (extra virgin, cold pressed):

**Virgin Coconut Oil

**Olive Oil

Sesame Oil

?Pumpkin seed oil

?Macadamia Oil

?Almond Oil

Flax Oil

Safflower Oil

Sunflower Oil

Coconut butter

Ghee

Organic butter

Seasoning:

Black Pepper

**Sea Salt

**Lemon Juice

?Coconut Aminos

**Apple Cider Vinegar (Organic, Raw, Unfiltered)

Mustard Powder

?Mustard made with apple cider vinegar

Beverages:

Chicory root coffee

Kombucha

*Cinnamon Tea

Clove Tea

*Chamomile Tea

Pau D'arco Tea

Peppermint Tea

*Ginger Tea

*Licorice Tea

*Lemongrass Tea

Sweeteners:

Stevia

*Xylitol

For a complete list of these foods and why to add them, plus a list of foods to avoid and why to avoid them, go to http://www.thecandidadiet.com/

Key:

*Like it, use it

**Love it, use it a lot

-Don't like it, try not to use it

--Really don't like it, avoid using it

?Haven't used it yet, any ideas?

Starting from the center of the maze

If you ever really want to make your life complicated, try eating healthy.  I mean REALLY healthy.  Let me warn you, the food industry and the FDA make this very difficult for the average American consumer.  (If I had my own private chef planning and cook meals  for me, and if I could afford said chef, things would be much more simple!)  There are toxins, chemicals, and unhealthy additives in nearly everything we eat.

If you want to make your life even more complicate, get tested for food allergies.  This is especially true if you are already experiencing symptoms such as digestive issues, fatigue, mental fogginess, headaches, and just about any other malady known to mankind.  I had been eating healthy, a "clean diet," and gluten free for over three months when I decided to get tested for food allergies to see if that would help clear up my acid reflux and migraines.  That's when my relationship with food got really complicated.

I won't go in to all the details, but I have sensitivities to gluten/wheat, eggs, and whey protein.  I have an overgrowth of yeast in my digestive system and I have a parasite (not contagious, thankfully).  Gluten free isn't all that difficult, I'd been doing fine for the past three months.  Removing eggs from the equation made it more difficult.  Removing all forms of sugar and anything that your body turns in to sugar (white rice, potatoes, fruits) is what really, really made things complicated.  The Candida Diet is not for the faint of heart.

For a fun exercise, go through your cupboards and look to see how many products you have that contain eggs.  (Soup, for example.  Chicken wild rice soup, with egg whites added for protein.)  Now try and see how many items you have in your pantry that are gluten free, egg free, sugar free (there are more than twelve different forms of sugar, including artificial), AND preservative free.  Not so fun, right?

So this blog is my way of keeping track of my journey out of the food maze and in to good health, while still attempting to preserve my sanity.  I plan on recording the good, the bad, and the ugly- just to warn you.  My sincere hope is that by doing this I can help someone else through this journey.  For the next three months I will be on the Candida Diet, after that if all goes well, I will simply remain gluten/egg/whey free.  I'm guessing by that point, being "only" gluten/egg/whey free will indeed be "simple."

Wish me luck, pray for me, let me know if you have any good Candida Diet recipes!
Thank you and God Bless~ Jenni