What to eat and what to avoid

Ok, now that I've regurgitated everything I know about candida, what it can do to you and how you have to solve it with a specific diet, you're probably wondering what you can and can't eat.

Believe me, it's not easy to do this diet even if you are like me and already used to eliminating certaib foods. Due to my various long-term allergies and intolerances, which include eggs, walnuts, onions, garlic, dairy, wheat and gluten products, checking the ingredients of everything I buy was already second nature to me.

However, having to check and eliminate sugar as well just felt like taking things a step too far! I'd never imagined I'd have to cut that out as well.Anyway

Basically, the list of foods to avoid goes something like this:

• All sugars in general, whether white or brown, refined or unrefined. This includes all foods which include some form of sugar such as glucose, sucrose etc. (often they end with an "ose" at the end). Also maltodextrin which is a starch sugar. (Watch out for sugars in vitamin pills, medicines too).
• All sugary foods - cakes, biscuits, chocolate, pastries etc. Watch out for sugar in sauces too such as ketchup.
• All fruits including fresh fruit, dried fruit, fruit bars, fruit in cereals, fruit juices etc.
• All starchy or carbohydratey foods such as pizza, bread, pasta, potatoes, white rice, as they all turn to sugar in the stomach. (Brown rice is apparently ok though).
• All dairy products as they contain milk sugars such as lactose. I think some soft cheeses are ok in limited amounts but a watch out for hard cheeses as they contain mould. 

Also you need to avoid certain other items which are not sugary but apparently feed the buggers too:

• All fermented products including mayonnaise, vinegar, ketchup, alcohol etc
• All products with yeast in it such as breads, cakes etc. Also anything with gluten in it.
• All fungi foods such as mushrooms
• All mouldy foods such as hard cheeses but avoid mouldy/unfresh foods in general
• All (or as much as possible) processed foods and things that have high levels of chemicals/e-numbers etc. This includes non-organic meat which has antibiotics and hormones, or non-organic fish which is contaminated with mercury
• All alcoholic drinks and soft sugary drinks, fruit juices, tea and coffee, even herbal tea which could have mould in the bags.

When I say "All" I should add that there are some exceptions to some of these foods but it's best to read around the subject as there appears to be no complete definitive list of do's and don'ts. Some people say nuts are ok, or certain nuts, others say no nuts at all. Some say you can use sweetners, others no, (but I use sweeteners as I can't live without it). Also the jury's out on whether candida yeast can eat mould and fungi so it's best to avoid them all as much as possible, just in case, especially in the early stages of the diet (say first two months).

So now you're probably wringing your hands in despair over what's left to eat. So what is left?

Basically, the idea is to return to to a very simple diet free from all of the above. This doesn't leave many options open to you but the following are ok:

• Eggs
• Fresh meat and fish (organic if possible but avoid overly processed sausages or cured meats)
• All fresh vegetables and salads (but avoid carrots as they have a high sugar content apparently)
• Brown rice / brown rice pasta / brown rice noodles
• Herbs and spices (fresh as much as possible)
• Garlic, ginger, chilis and onions
• Olives, chick peas and sweetcorn (not always sure about corn though)
• Oats
• Some seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc.
• Brown rice cakes or corn cakes for snacks
• Hummus
• Quinoa

And that's about it. I guess it goes without saying that if you're intolerant to any of these then just avoid them. You can always try introducing them later on if you feel that your gut has healed sufficiently.

Despite this sparse-looking list of acceptable foods, it is possible to make some tasty meals with this limited range. However, I'm not a good cook so I tend to just live on the following:

My typical daily menu:

Breakfast:
1-2 bowls of Ready-Brek oats with water, heated up in the microwave and sprinkled with sweetener
Glass of cold water with aloe vera juice
Supplements

Lunch:
A fresh leafy salad (no dressing of course) with salmon flakes or slices, or chicken pieces. I tend to buy these from M&S or Sainsbury's but if you are more organised you can make your own. (I'm not that organised unfortunately!)

Dinner options:
Brown rice with cooked or steamed vegetables/indian curry or stir-fry etc
A piece of oven-cooked fish or chicken with steamed vegetables on the side such as spinach, green beans and sweetcorn.
Home-cooked indian food with lots of spices, chilis and garlic served with brown rice

Mid-morning/mid-afternoon snacks:
Sunflower/pumpkin seeds
Rice cakes with humous
Corn thins

I don't always stick to the organic meat and fish options as it's not easy to find, especially in ready-to eat options. It can also be expensive, especially if you're having to eat it more regularly than usual.

The worst thing about this diet however, is dealing with the lack of snack options. I'm a constant grazer and snacker in general so the time between meals is especially hard on me. I used to live on chocolate and crisps but now I tend to snack on rice cakes with humous, or sunflower seeds at work. But there's no getting around it, it's bloody BORING. Especially when everyone around you is snacking and sharing round sweets and cakes in the office. No matter how long I've been on this diet (nearly 2.5 months) the constant need for something sweet never really goes away, especially after meals.

It's also difficult for women in general when our periods are due as you tend to want to eat more anyway. Most women consume about 500 calories than normal before their periods so this just means I'm eating more boring rice cakes than usual on those days!