candida, candidiasis, celiac, lisa richards, ultimate candida diet, yeast

Ultimate Candida Diet: Day 0 (Is It Legit?)

11:59 PM

I've been thinking about yeast a lot lately. I know, eww right? But hear me out. First of all, apparently Candida has become "a thing." I had no idea until I read that ridiculously funny Huffington Post article about shopping at Whole Foods and there it was, all mass-media. Then I went out into the interwebs and sure enough, it's a pretty popular (and controversial!) topic as of late. But I've also been thinking about it because I've been feeling like crap. I'm having really silly symptoms, the kind where people say oh, you're just stressed, or oh, you're just worn out. And maybe they're right—I am stressed and I am worn out—but I think this is more than that.

Do you know what I mean? Yes, stress can undeniably do crazy things to the body. Yes, it can cause headaches and breakouts and brain fog and sugar cravings (all of which I'm desperate to get rid of). And yes, it can be caused by factors like crazy work schedules. But before my food allergies were diagnosed, I was told it was stress—and sure enough, it was. My body was crazy stressed because it was fighting off food, every single day. This time I think it's yeast. I just really do.

SO, last night I finally jumped on the Candida diet bandwagon and bought the Ultimate Candida Diet by Lisa Richards (you can read about it here). Now, I'm not trying to talk you into this—or out of it, for that matter—because I've never done it before. It seems good, but I can't vouch for it. (Granted, I can't vouch for anything. Doing this research and writing these posts is pretty hard because everything is so controversial, and candida diets are the same.) However, I've decided to do it for three reasons:

My allergy specialist told me to. No, I don't blindly do everything that doctors suggest to me, but this woman is the best. I believe her.
There's a strong link between Celiac, Candidiasis and stress.
I want to experience it first-hand.

I'm hoping to clear up my headaches, my cravings, my breakouts, my horrible horrible brain fog, my slump, my tummy troubles and a few other things. This week I'll be doing the seven day detox, so there well be a number of yummy veggie recipes to look forward to. Check back tomorrow for more!

Have you done a Candida cleanse? What did you think?

Oh PS—Yes, there are certainly arguments against Candida diets. They make very good points. You can read a few here:

Busted: Candida Myths by Empowered Sustenance
The Candida Cleanse Diet: What Does It Do? by Mayo Clinic
Why Candida Diet Doesn't Work by The Healthy Home Economist