Candida?

[koru]

Hi everyone,

I wonder if anyone here has the experience of doing Whole30 with a candida diagnosis. I'm entering my third month of Whole30 and I don't intend to stop anytime soon. Last week I went to see a new (and excellent) doctor who is completely on board with my new diet. After listening to my health history and the reasons why I went on Whole30, he strongly suspected bacterial overgrowth, and likely candida (he ordered a comprehensive test to confirm it, the results of which we'll know in a few weeks). If it turns out that I do have candida, it's likely that I'll have to follow a version of the GAPS or anti-candida - type diet for a while. Luckily, this is already very similar to Whole30. There are some small differences (no caffeine, no vinegars, no mushrooms etc); but I would also have to stop all fruit (this is ok by me) and more importantly (and this gives me pause), I'd have to stop all starches for a while. I'm completely fine with stopping them for a time (though I will miss them a lot), but this will mean deviating from the template somewhat. I also wonder what adjustments I'll need to make to my overall nutrient intake - I imagine more compliant veggies and upping my fat intake a bit to compensate.

I'd love any help you can give me on this. Thanks!

[Wendyland]

I don't have a diagnosis, per se, but I know that I have problems with candida. I've read a lot about the gaps diet. I think it's a great protocol to get your health on track. I like the emphasis of bone broth and healing the gut. You may find that just doing the whole30 diet is enough. I find that my candida symptoms lessen after a week. By two weeks, I feel great.

[Angela Marie]

One exception to vinegars is apple cider vinegar, which is very helpful for your gut and combating candida, but it needs to be the raw, unfiltered type like Braggs. I put 2 teaspoons in a mug of hot water & drink daily.

Also, coconut is very effective at killing off candida...if you have it pretty bad, ease into the use of the coconut oil/ butter/ pulp/ milk to prevent too many die-off symptoms at once from an overload of toxins and the lack of ability to remove them quickly. I use it daily in at least one of my Whole30 meals as a fat.

If you start feeling this way, drink hot lemon water in the morning & night to detox your liver & kidneys. You heat the water, then add the juice of 1/2 lemon room temperature (important for enzymes to be active) into it and drink on an empty stomach.

I also eat sauerkraut (the real kind that is fermented with only cabbage & salt as ingredients...usually German brands in the grocery store) for more probiotics in my gut. Look for "raw" or "unpasteurized" brands.

[Karen]

It appears candida is an issue for me as well. I just received the results of a test from my doc... Two whole30s and a whole50 didn't cut it, I guess. Ugh.

Re: fermented foods - I've read in several places that they are to be avoided during treatment. Has anyone seen some good literature on why that is? That probably explains why I react negatively to them...