Yeast Free Living

Archive for December, 2009

Do you feel sick all over?  Do you have a hard time describing your symptoms to doctors but know that something just isn’t right?  Are you tired of feeling like and being treated like a hypochondriac.  Do you have the sneaking suspicion that you could live a happier and more fulfilling life if only these chronic and unexplained health problems would disappear?  If you answered yes to any of these questions I hope that the following information will help point you in the right direction in order for you to regain your health and ultimately live the life that you so desperately seek.   First I do have some more questions, well they are not really my questions but they are questions that I was confronted with when first learning about Candida Overgrowth (Dysbiosis) and its link to many common diseases and conditions many years ago while trying to solve my own chronic and unexplained health problems.  The following questions are from Chapter 1 of William G. Crook’s The Yeast Connection and Women’s Health and may resonate with you. 

• Have you taken antibiotic drugs?
• Have you sought help from many different specialists?
• Have you taken birth control pills?
• Are you troubled by fatigue and/or muscle aches?
• Are you bothered by food sensitivities and/or digestive problems?
• Do you crave sugar?
• Do you sometimes feel spaced out?
• Are you bothered by depression and/or irritability
• Are you bothered by headaches
• Are you sensitive to tobacco smoke, perfume and other chemicals?

I answered yes to every one of these questions and was thrilled to find out that my chronic health problems, the problems that I had sought answers to by seeing countless doctors, undergoing numerous tests and even exploratory surgery, for over 15 years may finally have an explanation.  After answering these questions I read the words “Your health problems may be yeast related.”  I sure hoped so.  I desperately wanted an answer and this felt like my last hope of regaining my health.  No doctor was able to help me so I was out of ideas.  I figured I would keep reading and see what this guy had to say.  I went on to read the wide array of symptoms associated with candida overgrowth.  The following is a list of diseases and conditions that were listed not only in Yeast Connection and Women’s Health book in other books that I have read on Candida Overgrowth. 

• Weight gain
• Chronic Vaginal Yeast Infections
• Chronic Bacterial Vaginosis
• Premenstrual Syndrome
• Vulvodynia
• Sexual Dysfunction
• Dyspareunia
• Infertility
• Endometriosis
• Interstitial Cystitis
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Crohn’s Disease
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Colitis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Eczema
• Acne
• Lupus Erythematosus
• Asthma
• Sinusitis
• Psoriasis
• Chronic Hives

This was another list that resonated with me.  Especially the first eight conditions listed.  I was plagued by numerous female health problems from the age of 15 and I was treated with alternating rounds antibiotics and anti-fungals several times a year for over 12 years.  In retrospect I realize that this treatment was making things worse but who knew.  I would have taken anything just to feel normal. 

I do not know about you but I am amazed at how many diseases and conditions that candida plays a role in.  This is probably why it is so hard to diagnose and may even seem ridiculous to think that your vaginal yeast infection, eczema, joint pain and sinusitis are all somehow related but  now a days after living and breathing the treatment plan I am convinced that they are very much connected.  I believe that our body is just trying to tell us that something just isn’t right in anyway that it can.   If you can relate to all of this keep gathering your information on candida overgrowth and it’s treatments.  I highly recommend The Yeast Connection and Women’s Health by William G. Crook.  It is a great starting point to understand and beating Candida Overgrowth. 

It is really cold here in New Jersey and we are expecting our first big snow storm of the season.   I am actually looking forward to it.  I promised my seven year old daughter that we would go sledding and attempt to make a snowman.  We always get too cold to finish the snowman.  Hopefully things will go better tomorrow.   The impending snowstorm got me thinking about what we would eat to warm up after our time in the snow.  With my childrens’ recent diagnosis of multiple food allergies and my trying to tackle candida overgrowth issues warming up with a bowl of canned soup and hot chocolate is no longer an option.  For this reason I experimented with making my own chicken noodle soup this week. 

I have been using Trader Joe’s Organic Free Range Chicken Broth for my brown rice pilaf and egg drop soup but I decided to take a stab at creating a Yeast Free Chicken Noodle Soup.  It came out delicious!  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.  It is sure to warm you up on a cold day. 

Trader Joe’s Organic Free Range Chicken Broth (32 0z)
32 0z water  
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 cup Brown Rice Pasta Rotini
2 stalks of celery
2 cups baby carrots
1/2 yellow onion chopped
Sea Salt to Taste
Black Pepper to Taste

Bake 2 Chicken Breast at 350 degrees until chicken is cooked thoroughly
Chopped Cooked Chicken in tiny pieces
Chop Celery and Onions
Combine Chicken Broth, Water, Celery, Onions and Carrots and Chicken into large sauce Pan
Cook on Medium Heat for about 30 minutes until vegetables are tender
Add Rice Pasta
Cook until pasta is Al Dente about 6 minutes

Enjoy!

Yesterday ended pretty much uneventful.  Their were no internal battles to stay away from prohibited foods.  In addition to not cheating at all on the Candida Diet I managed to keep my carbohydrate count pretty low which is usually the biggest struggle for me.  Dinner last night was as follows:

1 bowl homemade chicken noodle soup
1 cup spinach
1  cup green tea
1 bottle of spring water

The homemade chicken noodle soup was soooooo good.  My kids and I really love soup.  They have really missed the canned varieties that we used to enjoy pre being diagnosed within multiple food allergies and battling candida overgrowth.  I am thrilled that they enjoyed the homemade version much better.  

Well all in all I am very excited that I have made it through the first day.    I hope that I can keep this enthusiasm along the way.

It is now 2:00PM and I am still fighting the good fight.  Now temptation yet but it is only day one.  The first week actually is usually pretty easy for me.  It is week 3 that usually makes or breaks me.  By then my enthusiasm is waning and the die off reaction feels as if it is at its’ peak.  Let’s not think about that yet.  For now I am

Lunch today was as follows:
2 Baked Chicken legs
1 cup organic black Beans Trader Joe’s
1 cucumber with 2 Tablespoons Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup green tea
1 bottle of water

I feeling pretty full and awfully healthy.  I will tackle this Candida Diet yet.

So so far so good but it is only 8:33AM.  I have decided to colon cleanse at the same time as restarting the candida diet in order to get rid of toxins and such.  I am hoping this will also help fight the candida as there lots of herbs in the supplements that have antifungal properties.  Additionally there are probiotics you must also take with the program.  
 I have just finished my daily glass of fiber and first dose of colon cleansing supplements.  This always helps me start off on the right track as I have to drink a lot of water to successfully drink the fiber and take the supplements. 

So Breakfast this morning is as follows:

2 Shoprite Rice Cakes
2 Slices of Applegate Farms OvenRoasted Turkey
1 Avocado
2 Tablespoons 365 Mild Salsa
Small Bowl of Leftover Cabbage Salad from dinner 
1 bottle of Poland Spring Water

I make kind of a sandwich with the rice cakes, turkey, avocado and salsa.  I abandoned the notion of eating certain foods at certain times years ago so I hope that you are not too alarmed that I do routinely eat and really enjoy turkey for breakfast.  Well so far so good.  I am feeling a little bit better today.  I am not as tired probably because I am very optimistic that I am going to make it through this.  I am still a bit achy but I know that if I stay on task relief is just a few short weeks away.

So after almost 3 1/2 weeks of blatantly cheating and consequently feeling like absolute crap I am really ready to get going again on a strict candida diet.  I am currently feeling depressed, bloated, gassy, unfocused, achy and extremely fatigued.  I got off track a few weeks back when I failed to make a plan for how  I would make it through Thanksgiving and 3 consecutive birthday celebrations (including my 30th) yeast free.  It was an utter disaster.  I consumed numerous alcoholic beverages, bread, white rice, pizza, desserts and at least a ton of other foods all strictly prohibited on the candida diet.  I have to admit that it was fun not thinking about what I was going to eat for a little while but I feared I would eventually coming crashing down and here I am back at the beginning.  There are two  more big hurdles that I must overcome.  Celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Yeast Free will be no easy task but I am going to develop a yeast free plan so that I can make it through.  Considering that I am staying home for Christmas cooking yeast free should be okay.  I only expect maybe one guess and I am sure he will not mind diving into some new tastes.  He is a good sport.  This may not be an ideal time to start up again as I really wanted to make it through all the holidays first but I feel so very bad that I can not ignore what I am doing to myself.  Besides I really want to get back on track as it would be nice to start 2010 on my way to conquering my candida overgrowth.  I will keep everyone posted on my progress.  I hope that you are having more luck than I am adhering to the candida diet this holiday season.

It all started on Thanksgiving.  At first I started out optimistically that I could make it through Thanksgiving dinner with my family and fully adhere to the candida diet.  I had almost 3 whole weeks of strict Candida Diet adherence prior to Thanksgiving and I was determined not to fall off the wagon.  I was experiencing die off symptoms and did not want to halt this progress but I began to have so much fun at Thanksgiving dinner that my will power quickly became obsolete.  Turkey with gravy, Stuffing, Macaroni and Cheese, Cornbread and so many other pleasant dishes and I just wanted to participate in the full Thanksgiving experience.   Additionally, I failed to prepare my own candida diet dish to bring to the gathering which is a cardinal rule when on the diet.  I was hungry and I just gave in knowing I would have to start all over again.

I immediately got back on track after Thanksgiving but I knew that temptation would come sooner than I was ready for.  My birthday is about 1 week after Thanksgiving.  I had severe doubts that I could make it through my birthday yeast free but I was really hoping.  This year I celebrated my 30th birthday.   Plans had been shaping up for a big celebration for many weeks prior to the celebration.  Final plans included a 2 day celebration with dinner at an Italian Restaurant and dancing after on day one and Dave Buster’s (An Adult Arcade, Bar and Restaurant) on day 2.  Failure was immediate this time.  I started the first night off with an Apple Martini and it was down hill from there.  I did however have an awesome time.  It was my best birthday celebration to date. 

I eventually came to terms with the situation and tried not to beat myself up too much.  I realized that I may have to postpone full commitment to my Candida Diet until after the Holidays as I am really fearful of the imminent Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.   The Candida Diet is difficult to follow at any time of the year but I feel that back-to-back Holidays and events make it increasingly difficult.  Since I am cooking for Christmas I will plan a full candida diet menu but I am sure that my guests will be expecting some traditional yeast filled dishes that they have come to know and love.  I am not planning to abandon the diet but I am not going to kick myself for a mishap either.  I feel like by giving myself that latitude I will actually fair much better for Christmas than I did for Thanksgiving and my birthday.  I will also take some time this month to regroup and come up with a good candida diet plan for the New Year.  I hate New Year’s resolution as they always seemdestined to fail but with the right preparation I feel that I can eventually succeed with fewer mishaps. 

If you are making in through the Holidays Yeast Free I commend you and encourage you to keep up the good work.  If you have fallen off the wagon don’t beat yourself up just regroup and make a plan of when and how you can get going again.  We would love to hear how each of you are making it through the Holidays yeast free or not? 

Take care!
Tennille

I was delighted to see  that on my last visit to Trader Joe’s that they made a version of Stevia, a 100% all natural sweetener that is permitted on the Candida Diet.  I was very happy as is was of course cheaper in Trader Joe’s than it had been at Whole Foods or my local health food store.   Tonight I finally grabbed some as I out of the Sweet Leaf brand that I usually get. 

As I was preparing to make my herbal tea I grabbed the Trader Joe’s Stevia.  I never even thought to read the ingredients but I was appalled to see other ingredients Milk.  I am really kind of angry as I do not understand the need to put milk in Stevia.  It is however totally my fault as I just assumed that there would not be any additional ingredients.  Lesson learned.  Read every label carefully.  Even products that you have bought before as sometimes things do change.  I will try to return the Stevia.  I know it will be a loss to them but I am a loyal Trader Joe’s and I will just turn around and spend it right in the store.  I just hate to waste that money. I hope that they are understanding. 

So just to recap, today’s lesson is to Read Labels every time.