Day 13 - But You Don't Need To Lose Weight

Whenever I tell people for the first time that I have a very specific diet, the response is always, "But you don't need to lose weight!"

It's true, I've never been overweight a day in my life.  In fact, for many years, I struggled to put on weight, because I was so thin I just looked unhealthy.  When I finally started eating real food, I attained an ideal weight for me within a couple of months, and I have maintained that weight for well over a year now.  

It's a shame that when people hear the word "diet", their first thought is a weight-loss plan, and usually some negative ideas.  If you've struggled with weight problems and have had enough of the roller coaster, the best thing you can do for yourself is to change your definition of "diet".  If you have to, eliminate the word from your vocabulary completely.  When you realize that your diet is actually whatever food choices you make every day, and not some temporary fad that has more to do with the way you look than how you feel, then you will be able to use the word "diet" without all those crummy feelings that go with it.

A candida diet, in it's strictest form, is truly a "crash diet".  I certainly would not recommend it as a long term weight loss plan - in fact , the point of the candida diet has nothing to do with losing weight.  However, if you have been carrying around extra weight, you will certainly begin to see that drop as your body is cleansing itself of all the junk that's been inside for so long.  If you continue to eat real food, and cut out the chemicals and processed junk food, there is a good chance you will look and feel better in no time.  As your body gets used to the idea of real nutrients instead of empty calories, it can't help but get excited about the change and get ready to work for you again.  Your body really does have the amazing ability to heal itself, given the chance and a little kick start from you.  

If you are like me and grew up on processed, instant, and fast "foods", it will take some time getting used to eating real food.  You may not know what to do with things like rutabaga and kale.  You will most certainly not like the taste of most raw veggies when you try them for the first time.  Don't give up - remember, new things are often difficult; give it two or three tries before you decide you don't like something.  Try a new veggie different ways - raw, steamed, roasted, mixed in a salad with familiar favorites...  Make up your mind to enjoy the adventure, and remind yourself again and again that this stuff is actually food, as opposed to what you've been eating!

Learn to reward yourself with pedicures and Netflix time, instead of desserts.  Keep a stash of almonds or walnuts in the car, instead of chips and cereal bars.  Take one day a week to cut up fresh veggies, so you can snack on them any time during the week.  Determine to make a big change, and then do whatever works for you to get there.  I promise, you will never regret it!

Whether or not you need to lose weight, you can experience wonderful changes in your health when you have a healthy "diet"!

Day 12 - Ready for the Weekend!

What a long week!  Working full time again, and being able to do things after work, feels so amazing!  It's Friday night - late Friday night, and I'm tired, but it's a "good tired" - it's the kind of tired you feel after working hard all week, not the kind of perpetual tired that plagues a person who eats junk food and processed foods regularly. 

I had the special privilege today of running around a preschool playground for about an hour with a very energetic four year old.  It was good to feel young again.

 I feel good - about my week, about my health, about myself.  

This weekend, I will share with you some more of the foods I've been enjoying, including one of my all time favorite salty snacks. 

Until then, I want to leave you with this article a friend of mine shared on Facebook the other day.  "Why your grandparents didn't have food allergies..."

Day 11 - What's YOUR Excuse?

Today, I met a lady who noticed my big salad for lunch and struck up a conversation about diet and health, alternative medicine, and some other related topics.  It was really nice to talk with someone who "gets it", to share my experiences and hear hers, and hopefully to have educated her a little about how food affects health.

This lady mentioned some things that she "knows" but just isn't "doing" yet.  

I get that.  

It took me a long time to make those big changes that changed my life.  And, even after I had experienced for myself the tremendous health benefits of going gluten-free and cutting out chemicals, I continued to feed my "sweet tooth", until it eventually took over.  My cravings for sugary foods consumed my every waking moment - my body's way of telling me things were out of control.  When I didn't pay attention, I was given a few more serious warnings, and I took notice.  I already knew my food choices were to blame.  But I lacked the self discipline to do anything about it.

Which brought me here.

In an attempt to keep myself accountable, I decided to record my 28 day anti-candida diet here, for others to see, giving me motivation to stick with it.

Since I've made it a personal goal to educate everyone I come in contact with about food and health, I've heard some excuses repeatedly.  It seems there are a few things that keep a lot of people trapped in their unhealthy lifestyles...

I'm too busy.
Today's world is hectic for even the most laid back individuals.  We eat and run, or eat on the run.  Who has time to wash and cut up fresh vegetables, plan healthy menus, and read ingredients?
My response - Who has time for chronic pain, insulin injections, blood work, or open heart surgery?  Is a trip to the pharmacy really that much quicker than a trip to the produce aisle?  I am currently working with three different clients, which means I am at work or in commute for up to 10 hours a day.  This week, I made a great big salad on Sunday, placed a paper towel on top before covering, and it was still fresh and crisp today.  You can prepare healthy snacks and portion them out for the whole week.  The bottom line is, you make time for what's important to you - shouldn't the body you live in be one of them?

It's too expensive to eat healthy. 
Yes, actually, it is.  In a perfect world, I would be eating organic produce and grass fed meats, supplemented with probiotics and a raw whole food multivitamin, washed down with purified water or homemade veggie juice.  We don't live in a perfect world.  The all organic section doesn't have a dollar menu.  But, I know that my body will respond to any real attempt I make at treating it right.  I am doing the best I can on a very tight budget, and I am reaping the health benefits, so you can, too.  Remember, sick days, prescriptions and insurance co-pays are expensive, too.

I don't have the energy.
Now, to this one, I can definitely relate!  This has got to be the single most difficult trial a person can face when learning to eat right.  Chronic fatigue will take away all but your life itself and make you wish it had.  If you get up at 10:00 a.m. and are ready for a nap by noon, I have been where you are.  If on a "good day" you feel ready to conquer the world and then find you are wiped out after conquering the dishes in the kitchen sink, I know how you feel.  Throw in fibromyalgia, rheumatory arthritis, lupus, or any other autoimmune disorders, and you will gladly eat pop tarts for dinner because it was the first thing you laid eyes on when you finally got hungry enough to get off the couch and make the trek all the way to the kitchen.  I wish I knew a way to make it easier, but there just isn't one.  The folks who give me this "excuse" are the reason I'm here - I want you to know that there is hope for you, but you have got to fight the battle with fatigue - over and over again.  With every bite of food you take.  Never give up.  You can win!

When I started this 28 day plan, one of my biggest reasons was fatigue.  I had won the battle with pain, and in so many ways I felt like a new person.  But I was still tired all the time.  I sort of settled into living that way, but something in me was always saying, You've come this far, why stop now?  I almost didn't want to hope that I could have energy again - it's been so long, I'm not sure I would recognize it or know what to do with it.  But here I am, day 11, first week of working full time again, and I have run errands every day after work, came home and cooked supper, and dome some little odd things around the house before sitting down to write blog posts.  I haven't even thought about a nap.  Could this be real?  Time will tell, but it has given me new motivation to keep the salads coming and keep the junk food at  bay.

And, my personal favorite...
There's really not enough research to back that up.
I'm okay with that.  You see, nobody has shown me any research to prove that putting real, healthy food into your body is in any way harmful.  I haven't read any scientific articles on the dangers of MSG deficiency, or the health benefits of yellow #5.  I don't have time to wait for research to be approved by whatever big entity gets to say that there IS enough research.  This is my life, and I want to live it.  Now.  

I'm not telling you to stop taking your current medications or working with your doctors.  I'm just saying that YOU are the only one responsible for YOUR health; if you don't learn to listen to your body, and if you don't make the choice to make the changes that can change your life, then nobody else will.  Do your own research.  Be your own guinea pig.  Prove to the naysayers - and to yourself - that better health is as simple as the food on your plate.

Day 10 - Some Days Are Better Than Others

Yesterday was a rough day for me.  Only the second day of my new job, and I was sent home with a ton of paperwork to fill out for employment, plus informed there were more fees involved than I had originally thought.  In the evening, I checked my bank account and realized that, because of a mistake I had made, my account was seriously overdrawn.  I tried to stay up late to greet my husband when he came home from work, but he was later than I expected, and I ended up going to bed anyways.  Some days are like that.

Today was much better.  I realized that at some point, my sugary-food cravings have gone, and I'm feeling better, physically, than I was during week 1 of my anti-candida diet.  I have been taking salad to work every day - baby spinach, red leaf lettuce, kale, broccoli, celery, and either two hard boiled eggs, or a turkey burger.  I sprinkle a little sea salt on the salad in the morning, and by lunch time it is amazing - I don't even bother with dressing!

Today was also a cold, dreary, spring-had-sprung-but-winter-is-making-a-last-hoorah kind of day.  From rain, to freezing rain, to snow, and plenty of wind to go with it all.

It was a soup-for-supper kind of day.

And, I just happened to have a head of broccoli in the fridge that was getting just a little wilty. Don't want that good, fresh broccoli to go to waste, now; so it's a good thing I know thee best way to make broccoli soup!

If you, like a few people I know, are turned off by green food, then you may as well just skip this post.  But, if you like broccoli soup (or, if you like broccoli and you like soup and you are willing to give it a try), then you don't want to miss this.  I found this recipe online a few years ago, and I didn't believe it myself until I tried it.  

Two ingredients.  

Very healthy, and very affordable.

All you need is broccoli and water.  Yep, that's it.  For real.

Oh, and you will need a blender.

Chop up your broccoli in small pieces - this is another good way to use up those stems.  I had about 4 cups of chopped broccoli, which ended up making two bowls of soup.  

 Boil the broccoli in a pot of water until it is very soft.  Yes, I do realize that boiling takes away a god bit of the nutritional content, but this is, after all, soup.  In the long run, it's going to be much better for you than opening a can of condensed broccoli and cheddar.

Drain the broccoli, BUT save the water you cooked it in.

Rinse the broccoli in cold water, and then put it into your blender, with a cup of cold water. Blend on high until the broccoli is completely pureed.  You may have to add a bit more water, depending on the quality of your blender, to get it all pureed and mixed up nicely.

Next, pour the puree into a clean pot and add some of your reserved hot water, a little at a time, until your soup has reached the consistency that you like.  Bring to a boil, and stir in a little salt if you like.

This has got to be one of the easiest and most inexpensive meals I have ever made.  Perfect for a cold day, simple and delicious.

Day 9 - "Foods" to Avoid - Period

This month, I have embarked on a 28 day anti-candida diet, and I have invited you to join me.

You may or may not suffer from symptoms of candida overgrowth, but there is more to this "diet" plan.  

I have combined the candida diet with the blood type diet, and in so doing, I've created an "elimination diet" - a time of eliminating some of the most common "trigger foods" that can cause autoimmune symptoms, such as inflamation, fibromyalgia and/or joint pain, and chronic illnesses.  

My hope in doing this is that you will learn to appreciate eating real food.  

Sounds simple, I know, but do you even have any idea what's in the food you eat?

Today, I am going to give you a list of foods - or, chemicals that are in your foods - that should be avoided completely at all times.  I hope you will learn to read ingredients, research ingredients you don't know, and put things back on the grocery store shelf that have the potential to harm your body.  Keep in mind that, even if you don't have a sensitivity or allergy, some things just shouldn't be put into your body, and those things will take their toll eventually.

"FOODS" TO AVOID - PERIOD

MSG

("MSG is a chemical and known by many names. Here is a list of most of those names to keep with you so you recognize them when you shop. They include sodium caseinate, yeast nutrient, calcium caseinate, hydrolyzed protein, autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, yeast food, hydrolyzed corn gluten, natrium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, carrageenan, maltodextrin, citric acid, soy protein isolate, malt extract, whey protein protease, malt flavoring. Foods labeled "enzyme modified" has MSG. Food labeled as protein fortified, whey protein isolate and protease enzymes, should be avoided. Beware of flavorings and fermented foods, enzymes, natural flavor and seasonings.") - http://www.livestrong.com/article/75255-foods-trigger-fibromyalgia/

artificial sweeteners

corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup

artificial colors

hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils

nitrates and nitrites

This is a very short list, but these are things you should cut out of your diet completely for better health.  

If you are following the elimination diet I am, then you will realize after 28 days how easy it is to live without these dangerous food additives.  

If you suffer from fibromyalgia or other autoimmune disease, please click on the link below and take ten minutes to listen to this interview about diet and candida overgrowth - again, I am not endorsing this book, but I may just have to go pick it up from my local library sometime soon...

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKkdZKszy5U

Day 8 - The Answer's On Your Plate

I started a new job today.  I'm working full time again, for the first time in two years.  

I had quit my full-time job teaching preschool in the Spring of 2012, because I was in so much pain it hurt to move.  I had been the one who was always running around the playground with the little ones, and I hated going from that to just watching them play.  In the classroom, it was even harder, when a child would bring a storybook and plop down on my lap - the pain was almost unbearable.  Or fighting fatigue while patting their little backs at nap time.

I had no idea at the time how things would turn out for me.  I took a part-time job in fast food, and I spent my last two paychecks on a new camera, hoping to turn a hobby into an extra source of income.  I was still hurting, and I was pursuing doctors and tests more than ever now.  I wanted answers, and I was determined to get them.  

I went for blood work three times that year, because the first test results were indecisive and the second ones somehow got lost.  I had x-rays and an MRI.  I had nerve conduction studies and an EMG, which are supposed to be no big deal, but because of the pain in my feet was more like some kind of medieval torture.  I cried all through the first part of the test.  I had more blood work done later, ordered by the same rheumatologist who actually listened to me, looking for lupus and who knows what else, and of course the parvovirus, which I had never heard of at the time.  I have since read many articles about chronic parvo (the virus stays in the body) and how detrimental it can be, but tests showed I do not have the virus now, and I have no reason to believe I had it any time after 1998; I can only assume that once was enough for me. (There were other factors involved - that same year I had strep, I was on antibiotics several times, I was taking birth control pills, and there were numerous outside stresses - a mix I like to call "the perfect storm".)

The last of the tests for me was the small nerve biopsy  of the foot. This one really was without any pain; however, I was so unnerved by everything I had already been through, that I passed out toward the beginning of the procedure!  The irony of this one was that I was feeling so much better after changing my diet, and I was tempted to not go for the test  (which had been scheduled pre-dietary changes), but I wanted to make sure I covered all bases, so I did what the "good" doctor asked.  When I went back for the results, the podiatrist told me I had some nerve damage in my feet, "which could possibly lead to severe pain in the future".  (My response?  "NO KIDDING!")

I know that I endured little in the way of tests and procedures compared to some people with autoimmune disease.  Through it all, I never stopped doing my own research, and I'm so glad, because I never would have known about the parvo if I hadn't "looked it up" myself after getting a positive test result - the "good" doctor didn't seem to think it was anything significant, and the follow-up visit consisted mainly of me going on about changing the way I eat and my new found health, and a young intern politely informing me, "You know, there's really not enough research to back that up." 

And, at the time, I was more than a little offended by that comment.  But since then, I've come to realize that for some people, that's what it takes.  After all, for so long, I was searching for a name, a label, a diagnosis, thinking if only I had that, I could begin to deal with it.  When I stopped looking to doctors and lab tests and started looking to my food choices, I found the answers I needed - right there on my plate.  It's hard enough living with an "invisible illness", but when people ask me about my diagnosis and I tell them I have none, it does tend to bring skepticism.  But the fact is, there are many, many people out there who live in constant, debilitating pain, and nobody can tell them why.  

If you suffer from fibromyalgia pain, or inflamation related to other autoimmune disorders, I want more than anything for you to know, the answer could be right there on your plate!

Day 7 - One Week Down...

Yesterday, I told you I would give you the run-down (no pun intended) on what I've been eating.  This first week will be the hardest, but if you are following along, hopefully by now things aren't so bad.  I found I was able to "get going" this morning better than I have for the past week.

I've tried to keep it simple, while at the same time feeding my own big appetite.  I have been eating a lot of salad, eggs, tilapia, broccoli, kale, spinach, onions, turkey, sardines, and of course let's not forget the lovely rutabaga.  Pretty much everything gets seasoned with garlic and sea salt, and cooked in olive oil.  I have been starting each day with a glass of water with lemon and ginger; and, I've been ending each day with a hot cup of green tea.  Snacks have been almonds and smaller salads.

For the coming week, I have prepared salad with baby spinach, red leaf lettuce, romaine, kale, celery, broccoli and just a bit of those forbidden carrots.  Dressing is lemon juice and olive oil, with sea salt, oregano and parsley.

I also made almond milk and almond cheese yesterday, which led to the most delicious supper, you would never think it was actually good for you.  I promised to share, so here are some different things I do with almonds, as well as my recipe for stuffed spaghetti squash...

First, an easy way to use almonds is by making almond meal.  Simply put your almonds in a blender and grind into meal.  

There are lots of things you can do with almond meal; I made almond crusted tilapia...

Next, you can make almond milk.  Please be aware, it isn't going to taste a thing like the milk you're used to - it doesn't even taste like store bought almond milk!  But, it doesn't have any sweeteners or extra junk, either.  

The first thing you want to do is soak your almonds in water over night.  This was the first time I soaked my almonds, and I was very happy with the results.  This step is not necessary, however, soaking the almonds has some health benefits, so if you are not pressed for time, I would recommend soaking.  For a quart of almond milk, simply soak one cup of almonds, in enough water to cover them, over night. 

The next day, you will be ready to make your almond milk.  Another step I have always skipped before is peeling the skins from the almonds.  Once I tried it, I realized this is much easier than I had thought.  It is just a bit time consuming.  This step is also completely unnecessary, so if you tire easily or if you have pain in your hands, you will want to skip it.

Next, put your almonds in the blender with 4 cups of water.  Blend on high for about 4 minutes...

And then, strain.  This is where the magic begins to happen.  Press the milk out of the pulp with a spoon, and save the pulp in a separate bowl for making the "cheese"...

From 1 cup of almonds and 4 cups of water, you should get about 4 cups of almond "milk".

To make the almond "cheese", simply add 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt to taste.  I added half a teaspoon each of sea salt, parsley and oregano to mine.  The result is something very similar in texture to ricotta cheese, and if you find you have troubles with dairy, you will still be able to eat lasagna - trust me, you could use this instead of ricotta in your grandmother's famous lasagna recipe, and nobody will ever know.

Which brings us to how I enjoyed this lovely little concoction this week...

Roasted, stuffed spaghetti squash!

The simplest way I have found to roast a spaghetti squash is right here.  

When removing the seeds, do yourself a big favor and don't throw them away!  Instead, put them on a baking sheet with a little salt.  Once your squash is out of the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees, and pop in the seeds for about 7 - 10 minutes; watch them closely so they don't burn.  This is great for when you're craving a "salty snack".

While your squash is in the oven, brown some ground turkey on the stove, with some garlic and whatever herbs you like.  (I used about a quarter pound of ground turkey for half the squash.)  Once your squash is nicely roasted, use a fork to pull the spaghetti-like strands away from the skin.  Now, mix the ground turkey and a great big dollop of the almond cheese in with the squash.  To finish it, I sprinkled a little of my almond meal on top and put it under the broiler for a few minutes.  

If you want something to make you forget all that you're missing, this is it!

I fixed half the spaghetti squash this way, and the other half I ate for lunch today, with a little of the almond cheese mixed in...

Who ever knew real food could be so good?

Now you have a list of allowed foods for the first 28 days, and a few ideas of how good it really can be; if you haven't already made the decision to join me on this little journey to eating well, I hope you will now.  You will never know what kinds of health benefits await you until you try.  

Your body will thank you!