Candida and leaky gut are associated with most of the issues that people experience every day. Anything from headache, bloating and weight gain to severe sinusitis and it is also associated with asthma!
Thankfully there is a diet that can be followed that in most cases will help recover from a Candida related condition.
The problem with this diet is that it is highly restrictive on calories that come from carbohydrates. Some people like me need to follow this type of diet to avoid symptoms, plus I am shrinking and losing weight every week I follow it. In fact I would argue that even full sugar/low carb diets are worthwhile for some people following candida and leaky gut.
People like me who are very lean, have difficulty in gaining weight, they are called ectomorphs. We require a higher amount of calories on a daily basis. Different body types in simple terms are ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Endomorphs are always on the lookout for the next best weight loss diet because their body type thrives on fat and they can easily gain weight in fat. Mesomorphs are somewhere in between, they don’t put on fat as easily as endomorphs, but they can also be harder to get rid of completely. Then there are ectomorphs like me who can eat the entire world’s supply of bread and still not gain a pound. So an ectomorph needs a high intake of carbohydrates in their diet to keep up with their body’s high caloric needs, or else lose weight just as an endomorph can gain fat just by thinking about food. . A low-calorie diet for an ectomorph would seem like a ridiculous idea. However in the case of a diet like the candida diet where the aim is to eliminate sugars and carbs to kill off the overabundance of bad bacteria, that’s what a person does.
This is where the balancing act comes in handy. On the one hand you have a person suffering from candida overgrowth with a need to reduce carbs and eliminate sugars. Also if this person gives up too many carbohydrates they put their body at risk as their own health and energy becomes compromised. As an ectomorph I had the experience of giving up my carbohydrates and sugars while following the candida protocol, only to find myself feeling worse and losing weight, much of which was muscle mass. This treatment was not the result of the crisis. It was a food crisis! I was even more tired than before, so when someone suggested that I had come off the other end and was now experiencing carbohydrate depletion fatigue I decided to up my carbohydrate intake again and Symptoms went away. Any diet can be modified, nothing is carved in stone.
My whole point is that even a candida diet protocol is not the end all be all. Every “body” is different, and whatever the goal, that should never be forgotten. Eliminating sugar is definitely a necessity as bacteria have been shown to grow up to 200 times faster in the presence of sugar! Also, your carbohydrate intake should remain stable! Not all carbs are bad! just eat right Continue eating brown rice and eat more quinoa. I know some people say brown rice should only be eaten in moderation, but I say no if you have a very fast metabolism. Now with that said, if you eat brown rice and feel bad then don’t but otherwise don’t deprive yourself either. Your body’s needs come first and foremost beyond what a cleanse or diet protocol could ever ask for! If your body doesn’t have any more calories to burn it will drain all your energy and over time can actually be dangerous for you!
In addition to all of this, you need to be prepared to cook your own food and take the time to prepare it in order to be successful on this diet. This entire diet plan will fail miserably if you consume processed foods that are very high in sugar and artificial ingredients. The key is eating whole foods that are unprocessed, eat your carbohydrates from vegetables and grains. Again make sure they are correct, as I mentioned brown rice and quinoa as well as amaranth and millet. In addition, sweet potatoes are a great carbohydrate source because they provide lots of good carbs but the sugar content doesn’t seriously worsen candida like processed sugar. Just don’t overdo it because when you have this condition it is important to avoid eating too much of any one food as you are at risk of developing a food allergy to almost anything. Of course as if I didn’t need to mention it, you can never have too many greens. If you choose to cook your vegetables, try just steaming/cooking them. Meaning don’t steam for more than 1 minute and take them out before they lose too many nutrients.
So if you are trying the candida diet, suffering from leaky gut or just doing a flat out elimination diet. Keep in mind that not all carbohydrates and grains are bad. Some are but not all. Just stay away from processed foods with only added sugars such as cane sugar and honey. Also avoid glutinous grains like kamut, spelled and, of course, wheat. Top it off with lots of vegetables to balance this and you’re well on your way to getting your health back without making it worse!
Source by Ryan C Shea
