tiny cheats confession

i am still within my 90 day strict phase of the candida diet so technically i'm supposed to be as strict and limited as possible and i have to admit i am pretty proud of myself thus far but i need to get a few quick cheats and realizations about those cheats off my head.

• i have had beans twice (at mexican places to augment the size of my tiny meal once i realize that fajitas with no tortillas is not a lot of food)
• i've had one dollop of mayo (which contains vinegar) on tuna fish on two occasions
• i've had some soy sauce and now that i think about it i'm sure there has also been sugar in some of the sauces on beef with broccoli from chinese takeout places. (probably 4 or 5 times)
• as i mentioned in my previous blog i have had bread and pasta (each on time) which were mixed with wheat and corn flour.
• i've had a few cups of decaf coffee (3 or 4)

all of these cheats yielded in no real feeling of change or negative physical reaction. many of them had such minimal amounts of things i'm not supposed to eat that i think even in this early stage of my diet my body can handle it. i also think beans will be an early add back in after the 90 days i really feel they are a great addition to my personal diet. 

however last night, i was at a wonderful housewarming party and there was a beautiful slab pie with fresh hand whipped cream. i made it the whole night without really cheating more than accidentally having a carrot at the dip station and having a drizzle of soy sauce on some asian wraps. but that slab pie was calling my name. late in the evening i finally gave in and cut a one inch by one inch square put a dollop of cream on it and went for it. 

about 10 min later i did that same thing again. tiny insignificant pieces of pie. my body totally freaked out. i was full from eating lots of other things but suddenly my body was craving pie, i started imagining breaking down and just serving myself  3 massive slices and inhaling them. by body was craving sugar like i have never experienced. the yeast in my body had been fed on the minimal sugar in the two bites and was willing me to feed it more.

at this point i decided to leave, to take myself away from the overwhelming temptation. but clearly i'm not ready for tiny cheats, especially where sugar is concerned. my body is not in balance or control enough to handle that yet. and i think i have to be ready to not be at that place for a long long time. that feeling of salivation and almost un-natural convulsion is the same feeling i used to give into with sweets all the time wondering "if i'm so full how can i possibly be eating ANOTHER cookie or ANOTHER piece of cake?" it was an awful feeling and my desire to taste the pie was not satiated in any way. 

so it's back to the strict for me at least for the next 45 days. 

drum roll please...

bad news first:

what NOT to eat:

·         no sugar

·         no alcohol

·         no yeast

·         no grains

o    rice

o    wheat

o    oats

o    barley

o    spelt

o    rye

o    corn

·         no caffeine (caffeine prompts the liver to dump large doses of sugar into the blood stream)

·         no moldy foods

·         no dairy (except yogurt, cottage cheese and butter)

·         no starchy vegetables:

o    potatoes 

o    carrots

o    sweet potatoes 

o    yams

o    corn 

o    beans

o    winter squash

·         no legumes

·         no high sugar fruits

o    Oranges (very moldy as well)

o    Bananas

o    Dates

o    Raisins

o    Melons 

·         no preservatives and additives

·         no refined and processed foods

o    no processed meats like lunch meat, spam, bacon, sausage etc.

good news second:

what TO eat:

the basic and most successful anti Candida diet should consist of nothing but lean meat, eggs, and low carbohydrate vegetables. a small amount of whole fruit, nuts and seeds may be acceptable if they don't flare symptoms.

·         lean meat & fish

o    buffalo (is lower in fat and cholesterol than chicken or turkey)

o    chicken 

o    beef

o    turkey

o    lamb

o    ostrich

o    pheasant

o    venison

o    fish
-No processed meats like lunch meat,

·         eggs

·         non-starchy vegetables

o    cabbage

o    kale

o    lettuce

o    cucumbers

o    zucchinis

o    cauliflower

o    green beans

o    spinach

o    any green leafy vegetable is low in carbohydrates

o    onions

o    garlic 

o    green peppers

o    avocados

o    tomatoes

·         alternate grains

o    kamut

o    quinoa

o    amaranth

·         low sugar fruits

o    strawberries

o    blueberries

o    raspberries

o    blackberries

o    pears

·         sugar substitutes (moderate use)

o    fruit juice sweetened

o    maple syrup

o    rice syrup

o    agave or stevia

the beginning of the end

you may wonder after all my years of blog hibernation, why would i end the hiatus with a blog about the food i stuff my face with. 

the answer goes back to genetics, predispositions and generally not taking great care of myself in my 18-24 years

i grew up in a pretty health conscious household. we ate lots of veggies, tofu, salads etc. so naturally when out on my own in the world i ate all of the opposite kinds of foods. one example, the summer i lived in costa rica my diet consisted of:

1. copious amounts of coca-cola (made with pure cane sugar, the good stuff)
2. trits ice cream sandwiches (delicious vanilla ice cream with fudge swirls nestled between two chocolate cookes)
3. gallo pinto with a fried egg on top (white rice with black beans, and a greasy ass fried egg)
4. maduros & chicharones (fried sweet plantains & fried pork chunks)

this is the most extreme example of my outrageous eating habits but a good indicator of the stark contrast between my nutricious culinary upbringing and my absurd early adult eating habits. 

as i mentioned earlier part if the scenario that brings me to writing this blog is genetic & predisposed. those are annoying things that i can't do much about (other than exacerbate, which is exactly the point i'm getting to). the bottom line is i started feeling unwell in my early 20's. at first small issues crept up, mostly digestion related as well as some strange hereditary toenail fungus i can thank my dad for.

in a young persons life these small health issues generally don't tip the scales for lifestyle change as there are much more important things to worry about than mild discomfort. 

i will comment here that i (in real life, and in this blog) will talk about poop a lot. i call it poop and other derivatives, generally on the infantile side of the lexicon but poop nonetheless. this may make you uncomfortable. if so, go ahead and check the labels for blog entries before you jump in, i'll try my best to tag my poop blogs.

flash forward, i'm 27, married and living in the best/worst food capital of the world, New York City. i should be exercising more, i should be drinking more water, i should stop ordering out 3 nights a week (especially greasy chinese, pizza and spanish food). now i really feel bad. i'm lethargic, i've gained 15-20 pounds of fat weight depending on the day, i can't poop to save my life and literally all i want to do all day is sleep. to top those awesome symptoms i now have toenail fungus on all my toes to the extent that i can't wear open toed shoes. additionally, from my other genetic pot i've been diagnosed by my obgyn with poly cystic ovarian syndrome, a condition which all but eliminates my chances of losing weight, having a normal period or controlling my temperamental sleepiness. 

literally, all of these things had to pile on at once in order for me to realize how sick i am.

so here i am. 

i have known that genetically my dad's side of the family is prone to overactive yeast and an overgrowth of the bacteria candida albicans. this meant very little to me over the past 7-8 years. very recently i decided to make it mean a little more and started researching the condition. essentially, these bad bacteria take over your digestive system and feed on all the bad crap you eat and cause a host of crazy symptoms that typically would seem unrelated to food. i exhibit over 80% of the symptoms, so there. 

later i will post all the symptoms so you get a feel for how widespread they can be. but after speaking with a naturopath and family members i decided to try and tackle this pestering condition head on. 

thus i am starting a strict no yeast, no sugar, no caffeine, mostly no grain diet and i'm taking you along for the ride. i need to be accountable to someone, so why not blog to my friends and strangers who might provide some insight and support as i see how this works out.