Cucumber Bites

This is a yummy appetizer or meal I love to make that is super quick and easy.

It is so easy to make and adjust to your own tastes. Here I sliced cucumbers into thick circles, topped with some homemade hummus, added a slice of avocado and topped with kale. I would have preferred to use parsley, but I only had kale on hand. I also sprinkled the bites with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Other options for toppings

• slice of tomato and mozzarella
• tuna salad
• yogurt and mint
• smoked salmon and dill

Namaste

Cassandra

Review of the 80/10/10 Diet

I recently read the 80/10/10 Diet book by Douglas M. Graham. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the 80/10/10 diet, it advocates a high carbohydrate(mostly in the form of fruit), low fat, and low protein diet. It is a completely raw vegan diet. He claims it is not sugar that is the enemy, but the combination of fat and sugar. Fat, Graham explains, slows or blocks the absorption of glucose (sugar!) into the cell. This causes multiple issues in that cells are not getting their energy source and the excess sugar in the blood stream can feed candida and cause spikes in blood sugar. He also advocates eating monomeals- meals comprised of just one food item (usually fruit). The idea is that the body can more easily digest one food at a time.

My take: This diet advocates tons of fresh produce, gets people away from the SAD (Standard American Diet) concept that people need meat and dairy to survive, and eliminates processed foods. However, I am extremely skeptical about the amount of fruit. Your body does not distinguish between types of sugars. Sugar is sugar is sugar. Eating a monomeal of bananas causes a huge spike in blood sugar levels and what goes up, must come down. So, in my experience with the diet I often found myself getting fatigued in the afternoon when my blood sugar dropped. While Graham does address this in his book, I felt his science was not strong.

Bottom line: An 80% fruit based diet is pretty extreme, while I believe it can be a healing lifestyle for some, I would be interested in the long term effects. For the average person, simply moving towards a plant based whole foods diet should be just fine.

Fantastic Tool from greatist.com

Part of living with candida is living with food allergies/reactions. An elimination diet is a must in order to find the foods that are causing you to feel sick. I came across this AMAZING tool from greatest.com that shows the basic format of an elimination diet. While It can be a difficult process, the end result will be a diet that is tailored to your own needs and therefore the best for healing.

Here’s the link: http://greatist.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_main/public/Elimination-Diet_V4.jpg?itok=Lc9DXgJ-

I really like this version of the elimination diet because of the phases. When I began my elimination diet I took out nearly everything from my diet. This caused an extreme shift in the way I was eating and was just too much at once. My advice for others would be to have a transition week or two where you experiment with different food options. Easing into the diet will allow you to feel prepared instead of deprived.

Namaste

Cassandra

Turkey and Avocado Salad

This is my go to salad when I need something filling and satisfying and totally candida friendly.

yummmmm

I started with a bed of kale and shredded cabbage. I added olives, red bell pepper, cucumbers, and avocado to the corners. I drizzled olive oil, tahini, and lemon juice on top. Sprinkled salt and pepper and topped with a turkey burger. Easy, healthy, delicious!

Meditation and Candida

The brain and the stomach are strongly connected. Therefore stress often manifests itself through stomach and digestive issues. With candida, stress could be a causing factor or it could be what is preventing you from healing. If you want to get better you must heal your gut, but this will not happen without managing stress.

I found an article by Harvard Health Publications (link below) that explains it best, it states,
“The brain interacts with the rest of the body through the nervous system, which has several major components. One of them is the enteric nervous system, which helps regulate digestion. In life-or-death situations, the brain triggers the “fight or flight” response. It slows digestion, or even stops it completely, so the body can focus all of its internal energy to facing the threat. But less severe types of stress, such as an argument, public speaking, or driving in traffic, also can slow or disrupt the digestive process, causing abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal symptoms.”

So what can you do about this? Manage your stress, don’t react to it. I had to learn this the hard way. With my PTSD, I had become so accustomed to being stressed that sometimes I did not notice until it was way out of check. This was a major reason, despite following a candida diet and taking the supplements that I could not heal. Instead of waiting to feel totally and outrageously stressed, I had to incorporate daily practices that kept stress levels low.

The Chopra Center actually suggests meditation for candida. In my case, when I began a meditation practice I finally started to heal. It was the missing link in my recovery.

Meditation may not work for everyone though; it took me a lot of convincing. Some other stress management techniques might be yoga, running, creating art, or gardening. Anything that makes you feel peaceful and strong.

Bottom Line: Be proactive in managing stress in order to keep your belly happy and healing!

Namaste
Cassandra

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/why-stress-may-cause-abdominal-pain