Candida Diet Breakfast

It is often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I believe this wholeheartedly.  My morning rarely goes well when I have not had at least a little something to eat.  Although breakfast is characterized as the most important meal of day, breakfast in the traditional American diet usually consist of highly processed, sugar laden and low nutritional value foods.  Since many of us are used to consuming foods and beverages, such as bagels, french toast sticks, Pop-Tarts, doughnuts, muffins, coffee and instant breakfast shakes for breakfast we usually have a very hard time figuring out what to eat for breakfast on the candida diet.  An additional consideration is of course time.  Most of us do not have a lot of time to sit down and eat breakfast.  Many of us eat in our cars on the way to work or when we get to work.  This is why it is important to have breakfast options that are easy to prepare and can be taken with you in a hurry.  The following are some of my favorite candida diet breakfast ideas.

Eggs- I am so glad the eggs are okay for a candida diet because I can’t get enough of them.  Eggs cook really quick and can be easily stored in a container if you have to take them along with you to work.  You can scramble them, fry them, make omelets and boil them.  If you are scrambling them and like to add milk just use unsweetened soy or another unsweetened milk alternative.  When I fry them I often eat them on rice cakes to make sort of a breakfast sandwich.  If I am cooking an omelet I fill it up with veggies such as tomatoes, onions and spinach.  Boiling them is one of my favorite options because I can do this in advance.  I often boil several eggs and store them in the refrigerator.  I boil about 4 at a time and keep them in the refrigerator no longer than 3 days because of possible contamination if left there too long.  Sometimes I just boil them at night while cooking dinner if I know that I want them for the next morning.

Gluten Free Yeast Free Pancakes – It is possible to make pancakes that are both gluten and yeast free.  I had to discover how to do this when both of my children were diagnosed with multiple food allergies.  My Gluten Free Yeast Free Pancake recipe covers a lot of different food allergies.  Having pancakes without syrup can take some getting used to.  I just top mine with cinnamon.  Some people can tolerate honey on the candida diet.  I am not one of them but this may be an option for some.  I do not propose that you get up and cook these pancakes daily.  I understand that can be time consuming.  I make a big batch and then freeze these for reheating during the week.  This also makes them easy to grab and go for work.

Oatmeal – Oatmeal is such a healthy breakfast and its cholesterol lowering properties have given it much praise over the last 20 years or so.  Oatmeal is okay for most on the candida diet but I have read that some people who are sensitive or allergic to wheat and gluten may have trouble with oats because of cross contamination.  There are certified gluten free varieties but I use the regular quick oats.  I eat my oatmeal with a little unsweetened soy milk, a packet of stevia and dash of cinnamon.  This was a hard transition for me considering I used to dump an exorbitant amount of sugar on my oats but after a while I have gotten used to my candida diet friendly bowl of oatmeal.  When I worked in an office I used to keep a container of quick oats on hand to prepare in the microwave at work.  The plain instant variety may be okay too.  This is the type in those convenient little packets, but just be sure as always to read label so that you do not inadvertently consume prohibited candida diet ingredients.

Cream of Buckwheat -  I loved Cream of Wheat as a kid and although wheat does not tend to exacerbate my candida symptoms, my kids are allergic to wheat.  I found Cream of Buckwheat (nothing to do with wheat) to replace Cream of Wheat because I still wanted my kids to be able to enjoy it.  I eat it with a little bit unsweetened soy milk, a packet of stevia and cinnamon just like my oatmeal.  It is tasty and gives me that Cream of Wheat feel.  Cream of Buckwheat does get clumpy when it is allowed to sit.  If this is something you want to eat at work I suggest buying a box to leave at work and preparing it in the microwave.

Grits – My family is from the South so grits have always been a part of my diet.  Grits are made from corn so people with a corn sensitivity/allergy should stay away from this one.  The good thing about grits is that they are not typically eaten with sugar.  Most people eat grits with butter and salt.  I enjoy my grits with a little bit of clarified butter and sea salt to keep them candida diet friendly.  Grits like oatmeal and Cream of Buckwheat clump together fast so cooking them and carrying them to work may not be a tasty option.  If you get Quick Grits they will be easy to cook at work in the microwave.  Grits are another questionable food for the wheat sensitive/allergic as I have ready they may be contaminated with wheat.

Raw Veggies – Eating more raw food is essential to a healthy diet.  More and more research is surfacing that diets high in raw foods are the most healthy.  Cooking greatly diminishes or destroys many of the nutrients found in our foods.  Our bodies need these nutrients to thrive, so why not eat raw foods for your first and most important meal of the day.  Cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots and celery are some of my favorites to indulge in for breakfast.  I often eat them with homemade hummus.  Vegetables are easy to grab and go.  You may need to do some peeling and slicing the night before so that you can grab and go in the morning.

Yeast Free Cereal – I have not found many yeast free cereals but fortunately I did stumble across Nature’s Path Rice Puffs.  These are made of 100% organic brown rice.  I enjoy them with a little stevia and unsweetened soy milk.  This is an easy one to store at work as I used to just buy a bag for the office and store some unsweetened soy milk in the refrigerator at work.  Rice Puffs are not a gluten free and I confirmed this fact with the company.  This is due to the possibility of cross contamination with wheat products.

Leftovers - Leftovers are my favorite candida diet breakfast.  When I cook a great meal and have leftovers I am so excited to get up in the morning knowing that I will get to taste it again without have to cook it from scratch.  Just like many of us take leftovers for lunch, why not breakfast.  I got over the whole notion of what is appropriate to eat when a long time ago.  Nothing is off limits for breakfast on the candida diet.

Rice Cake Sandwiches - I am a big fan of rice cakes sandwiches.  I use Applegate Farms turkey meat which has no preservatives and just throw a couple of slices onto two rice cakes.  If time permits I may add some veggies or mayonnaise but usually the turkey on rice cakes is filling enough.  This can easily be put in a sandwich bag and you can be on your way.

I am sure there are many other candida breakfast ideas out there.  I would love to hear how you make breakfast work on the candida diet.