Hi Everyone,
I was reading a book on gut/stomach health and it talked about candida and listed some symptoms. I realized I had some of those so I went to the web to investigate further. I found about 3 online questionnaires with about 30-50 questions each (long list of symptoms...) and all of them indicate that my symptoms are probably candida related. Then I did the spit test twice and it showed some of the signs (I won't gross anyone out by describing them ).

So now I'm not sure what to think or what to do. The problem is that I don't have health insurance and I'm not in a financial position right now to go to a doctor to have a test done. Not to mention I have a phobia of doctors .

So I'm a little unsure of what to do next.

My main "symptoms" have been carb/sugar cravings that lead to binge eating, chronic headaches, sinus pressure, skin rashes, sensitivity to perfumes/strong odors/cigarette smoke, and anxiety/mild depression. There are a couple of others on the questionnaires, but those are the ones that have really been persistent and nothing I do seems to help.



Tam

You know, it probably can't hurt to go on a yeast-elimination diet. I think there are some other threads around here that describe things people have done. I know the basics include avoiding sugar, grain, and I think fermented foods like vinegar, soy sauce, yeasted things. Get yourself a good reference for a candida-stopping diet, and give it a try, why not?

I see you're on a vegetarian version of South Beach, and I'm no expert on that, but you could at least look at the anti-yeast plans and see if they could be adapted to your WOE.

Good luck!

Hi Clare,
That popped into my mind and I'm researching that. I'm thinking if I go on an anti-candida diet and start to see symptoms disappearing, then that will be the time to seek out a doctor and dish out the price for a test, if necessary.

I guess my problem is that I'm actually trying now to be a vegan, so that means no dairy or eggs. So that might make an anti-candida diet even more limiting...

Tam

Yeah, that could make it a challenge! I prefer vegan-type foods, myself, but I find I'm just not healthy eating that way, and I end up needing meat and animal products to be well. Maybe there are some other folks on the boards who might be able to help you though..?

Do you remember any of the sites that you took the test at. I have often wondered if I had a yeast sensitivity. I was tested for food allergies and everything came back negative but maybe it is just when I have a buildup already going and I eat a little more it pushes me over the top?

I've noticed that many people who do well on a vegan diet have intolerances to dairy or eggs. A small number of people even have intolerances to specific meats, and some processed meats actually contain gluten or dairy. Dairy is a notorious candida aggravator. However, gluten and soy are extremely common allergens and in the likely event that you consume a lot of them on a vegan diet, they can get you into a vicious cycle with candida.

I was trying to be vegetarian/vegan when I discovered I have a gluten intolerance (among many food-related problems). I always loved meat, but no one ever told me that an all-meat diet was the perfect allergy elimination diet. Since I can't eat grains, nuts, beans, or starchy vegetables, meat makes up a pretty big part of my diet. But if you're against that, olives, avocadoes, and coconut can help you avoid the carbs that feed candida. Coconut is an especially good anti-microbial food.

One more thing I'd like to put out there. If there is one new WOE I'd like to see created it would be the "ossi-vegetarian" - I believe you can have a very healthy diet if the only animal product you consume is bones, in the form of broth, marrow or gelatin. Homemade fish broth and chicken broth are very healing to the gut, and in my opinion are an important ingredient for recovery from candida and food intolerances. I think there is an ethical advantage of using a part of the animal that most people throw away. You can get chicken backs, necks, and feet from a butcher or farmer's market (true pastured chicken, in addition to having a happy life, also has bones much higher in nutrients and lower in toxins). Fish sauce and SF jello might do as well. If you don't want to try that, you might look into agar. I don't know if it has the same benefits but it is sometimes called "vegetable gelatin."