No carb/no sugar diet

beldenc

Hello!

I saw a new doctor in the beginning of this summer and she ordered various kinds of blood tests in order to see where my levels were at (vitamin d, b12, hormones, etc). When the results came back she found I was positive for candida overgrowth in my gut as well as what she believed to be "leaky gut syndrome". In order to get rid of the yeast overgrowth she wants me to take oil of oregano, a probiotic which I can't remember the name of right now and to eliminat carbs and sugars for 1 to 3 months or until the yeast overgrowth is gone. Everything I have read online suggests lots of lean meats, but being a vegetarian I feel like I don't know what to eat and I start this diet change on Monday (7/28). Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Thanks!!

DamePiglet

Try a different doctor?

thinbeautifulnonsmoker

http://www.livestrong.com/article/260299-high-protein-low-carb-vegetarian-foods/

royaldrea

That sucks!!! (I don't have anything else to add - if you don't eat any meats at all I guess you can have really huge salads every day for lunch, and broccoli and carrots for dinner?)

Magenta15

check out whole30 website, might be a starting point. don't have to go that far but they take out sugars and refined carbs as well

was the probiotic VLS3 i hear a lot of good things about that one.

Unknown

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17ChargerGirl17

I would say no on the Carrots. Loaded with carbs and sugar.
You don't eat meat of any kind? Or fish?
I'm a low carber and there is no way to eat NO carbs and no sugar.
Even vegetables have some carbs.

laurie04427

I would say eggs and veggies but are complex carbs out too?

beldenc

Yeah I saw this too! And yes I do have these symptoms which lead to that blood test in the first place. The no carbs and no sugar do not have to do with the leaky gut. Cutting out carbs and mainly sugars is to stop overgrowth of yeast (yeast loves sugar!). Leaky gut can (or what doctors think can) be caused by too much yeast in the intestines

beldenc

Try a different doctor?

I think a second opinion might not be the worst thing.

Now of course, I AM NOT A DOCTOR, but looking on WebMD they say this:

""Leaky gut syndrome" is said to have symptoms including bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivities, and aches and pains. But it's something of a medical mystery.

“From an MD’s standpoint, it’s a very gray area,” says gastroenterologist Donald Kirby, MD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic. “Physicians don’t know enough about the gut, which is our biggest immune system organ.”

"Leaky gut syndrome" isn't a diagnosis taught in medical school. Instead, "leaky gut really means you’ve got a diagnosis that still needs to be made,” Kirby says. “You hope that your doctor is a good-enough Sherlock Holmes, but sometimes it is very hard to make a diagnosis.”

“We don’t know a lot but we know that it exists,” says Linda A. Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center. “In the absence of evidence, we don’t know what it means or what therapies can directly address it.”


So reading this, it seems kind of strange that your doctor would use it as your diagnosis and immediately recommend treatment. Do you suffer from the symptoms listed above?

Yeah I saw this too! And yes I do have these symptoms which lead to that blood test in the first place. The no carbs and no sugar do not have to do with the leaky gut. Cutting out carbs and mainly sugars is to stop overgrowth of yeast (yeast loves sugar!). Leaky gut can (or what doctors think can) be caused by too much yeast in the intestines

beldenc

I would say no on the Carrots. Loaded with carbs and sugar.
You don't eat meat of any kind? Or fish?
I'm a low carber and there is no way to eat NO carbs and no sugar.
Even vegetables have some carbs.

No, no meats at all! And no fish. Yeah I'm sure I can still eat SOME carbs, like those found in vegetables. I think I just have to stay away from the real sugary carbs which would only increase the yeast growth. Thanks!!

vismundcygnus27

When I looked up "leaky gut syndrome", one of the first pages to come up was a Dr. Oz article, so I was a bit skeptical. The wiki article isn't that encouraging - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_gut_syndrome

According to Wiki, it's not a recognized medical diagnosis. And the website "Quackwatch" lists it as a fad diagnosis with no scientific backing. I'd definitely get a second opinion on this.

FindingAmy77

so no fruits or vegetable at all??? pretty much everything you eat turns to sugar eventually. some carbs are good for you. did this doctor give you suggested meal plan as well. maybe get a second opinion from a certified nutritionist.

Unknown

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Debbjones

Try a different doctor?

I think a second opinion might not be the worst thing.

Now of course, I AM NOT A DOCTOR, but looking on WebMD they say this:

""Leaky gut syndrome" is said to have symptoms including bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivities, and aches and pains. But it's something of a medical mystery.

“From an MD’s standpoint, it’s a very gray area,” says gastroenterologist Donald Kirby, MD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic. “Physicians don’t know enough about the gut, which is our biggest immune system organ.”

"Leaky gut syndrome" isn't a diagnosis taught in medical school. Instead, "leaky gut really means you’ve got a diagnosis that still needs to be made,” Kirby says. “You hope that your doctor is a good-enough Sherlock Holmes, but sometimes it is very hard to make a diagnosis.”

“We don’t know a lot but we know that it exists,” says Linda A. Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center. “In the absence of evidence, we don’t know what it means or what therapies can directly address it.”


So reading this, it seems kind of strange that your doctor would use it as your diagnosis and immediately recommend treatment. Do you suffer from the symptoms listed above?

^^ This... I am not a doctor either, but here on the West Coast some our Internists at UCSD Medical Center (some of the best physicians on the West Coast) never make health care decisions based on a first diagnosis. Which leads me to ask, you never mention if this was a first or second opinion... or if these doctor's instructions were the first step in treatment and more like a "doctor's suggestion"?

That said, best of luck to you... The only suggestion I can offer to your original post is to read the nutritional labels on all foods. It is how I manage my sugar intake and it was such an education... there is such a variance in nutritional values in even the basic of all foods, bread. I only purchase my breads based on their stated nutritional value!

beldenc

When I looked up "leaky gut syndrome", one of the first pages to come up was a Dr. Oz article, so I was a bit skeptical. The wiki article isn't that encouraging - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_gut_syndrome

According to Wiki, it's not a recognized medical diagnosis. And the website "Quackwatch" lists it as a fad diagnosis with no scientific backing. I'd definitely get a second opinion on this.

Okay I guess I should not have mentioned her mention of "leaky gut syndrome" because this is NOT MY DIAGNOSIS and not my point of this post!! My diagnosis is candida overgrowth in my gut which means that feeding the yeast in my gut with sugary foods will only make it continue to grow and get worse. I posted this to get help with ideas for things I can eat in the next month or so. I do not need a second opinion on the overgrowth of yeast in my gut. My blood test was positive and it will come out positive in the next blood test as well. An opinion by a nutritionist on what to eat yes, but not by another doctor who will tell me my blood test is positive again.

Timshel_

Amazing the extremes people go to instead of just moderating caloric intake and exercising.

vismundcygnus27

When I looked up "leaky gut syndrome", one of the first pages to come up was a Dr. Oz article, so I was a bit skeptical. The wiki article isn't that encouraging - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_gut_syndrome

According to Wiki, it's not a recognized medical diagnosis. And the website "Quackwatch" lists it as a fad diagnosis with no scientific backing. I'd definitely get a second opinion on this.

Okay I guess I should not have mentioned her mention of "leaky gut syndrome" because this is NOT MY DIAGNOSIS and not my point of this post!! My diagnosis is candida overgrowth in my gut which means that feeding the yeast in my gut with sugary foods will only make it continue to grow and get worse. I posted this to get help with ideas for things I can eat in the next month or so. I do not need a second opinion on the overgrowth of yeast in my gut. My blood test was positive and it will come out positive in the next blood test as well. An opinion by a nutritionist on what to eat yes, but not by another doctor who will tell me my blood test is positive again.

Even then, when I looked up "candida overgrowth", I was also getting no reliable results. Your doctor seems to be putting you on a "candida cleanse diet", which also seems to be primarily supported by alternative medicine types. The whole thing just seems strange to me.

yo_andi

I am dealing with candida overgrowth right now.

You don't have to completely cut carbs/sugars. Steer clear of artificial sugars, added sugars and anything that says "Naturally sweetened". Steer clear of bread, pasta, and limit other starchy carbs to a few times a week if that.

Fill up on veggies, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, and whatever protein sources you currently use (provided they don't contain the added sugars mentioned above.

Finally, add a high quality prebiotic and a probiotic every day.

Good luck. Hope you feel better soon!

hookilau

When I looked up "leaky gut syndrome", one of the first pages to come up was a Dr. Oz article, so I was a bit skeptical. The wiki article isn't that encouraging - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_gut_syndrome

According to Wiki, it's not a recognized medical diagnosis. And the website "Quackwatch" lists it as a fad diagnosis with no scientific backing. I'd definitely get a second opinion on this.

Okay I guess I should not have mentioned her mention of "leaky gut syndrome" because this is NOT MY DIAGNOSIS and not my point of this post!! My diagnosis is candida overgrowth in my gut which means that feeding the yeast in my gut with sugary foods will only make it continue to grow and get worse. I posted this to get help with ideas for things I can eat in the next month or so. I do not need a second opinion on the overgrowth of yeast in my gut. My blood test was positive and it will come out positive in the next blood test as well. An opinion by a nutritionist on what to eat yes, but not by another doctor who will tell me my blood test is positive again.

got it...look up vegetarian ketogenic diet.
Done.
:drinker:

BrianSharpe

I have to ask.....was this a real doctor you saw?

The leaky gut syndrome & candida overgrowth rang alarm bells......

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/candida-and-fake-illnesses/

yo_andi

I have to ask.....was this a real doctor you saw?

The leaky gut syndrome & candida overgrowth rang alarm bells......

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/candida-and-fake-illnesses/

Not to get graphic but usually a diagnosis of candida overgrowth by a real MD involves blood/stool samples and multiple tests.

diannethegeek

If all that your doctor told you was no carbs/no sugar, I would go back and ask to be referred to a dietitian to help you get a better meal plan started. No carbs is fairly non-specific, since so many people define that differently. Did your doctor mean no vegetables either or just no breads/no pastas? If there were no further instructions given for this diet then you need to go back and get some.

Or a second opinion. Never a bad idea, either.

vismundcygnus27

I have to ask.....was this a real doctor you saw?

The leaky gut syndrome & candida overgrowth rang alarm bells......

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/candida-and-fake-illnesses/

Thank you for that link! I love that blog, but hadn't thought to search it for any enlightenment on this subject.

ValGogo

When I looked up "leaky gut syndrome", one of the first pages to come up was a Dr. Oz article, so I was a bit skeptical. The wiki article isn't that encouraging - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_gut_syndrome

According to Wiki, it's not a recognized medical diagnosis. And the website "Quackwatch" lists it as a fad diagnosis with no scientific backing. I'd definitely get a second opinion on this.

Okay I guess I should not have mentioned her mention of "leaky gut syndrome" because this is NOT MY DIAGNOSIS and not my point of this post!! My diagnosis is candida overgrowth in my gut which means that feeding the yeast in my gut with sugary foods will only make it continue to grow and get worse. I posted this to get help with ideas for things I can eat in the next month or so. I do not need a second opinion on the overgrowth of yeast in my gut. My blood test was positive and it will come out positive in the next blood test as well. An opinion by a nutritionist on what to eat yes, but not by another doctor who will tell me my blood test is positive again.

I sighed for you. Wrong place to post this I guess. I would just do what the doc says; it's only temporary and in my unprofessionsl opinion, lowering simple carbs is a good thing. We eat way too many carbohydrates to begin with anyway.

Good luck.

cwolfman13

I would suggest getting some clarification as well as a 2nd opinion.

msf74

I have to ask.....was this a real doctor you saw?

The leaky gut syndrome & candida overgrowth rang alarm bells......

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/candida-and-fake-illnesses/

I have to ask as well: what qualifications does your doctor have?

beldenc

I am dealing with candida overgrowth right now.

You don't have to completely cut carbs/sugars. Steer clear of artificial sugars, added sugars and anything that says "Naturally sweetened". Steer clear of bread, pasta, and limit other starchy carbs to a few times a week if that.

Fill up on veggies, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, and whatever protein sources you currently use (provided they don't contain the added sugars mentioned above.

Finally, add a high quality prebiotic and a probiotic every day.

Good luck. Hope you feel better soon!

Thank you!! My doctor mentioned some of what you did as well. Thanks for actually believing me unlike many people posting on this... Thank you very much for the suggestions!

beldenc

I have to ask.....was this a real doctor you saw?

The leaky gut syndrome & candida overgrowth rang alarm bells......

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/candida-and-fake-illnesses/

I have to ask as well: what qualifications does your doctor have?

What qualifications? As in did she go to medical school? Does she have an M.D.... Yes she has all of those. I saw her because I was feeling lethargic, tired, moody, poor concentration and bloated and wanted to know if it was a result of me going off my anti anxiety medication lexapro. Instead of just sending me home with no answer other than "wait it out and we'll see" like all my other doctors have done she ordered blood and urine tests to see if where my levels were at (b12, vitamin d, hormones etc. like I mentioned in the original post) to see if that could be a possibility. When those tests came back I was positive for candida overgrowth (you have 80% good yeast in your gut and 20% bad and mine was too much of the bad) and she suggested this diet plan for a month and maybe more if my levels don't return to normal in 4 weeks. I don't know how else to explain a blood test confirming that there is too much bad yeast in my gut but apparently no one wants to believe me?? Would you be satisfied if I scanned in my blood test paper that says positive? I came here for support and help with ideas to eat and I'm honest offended and sad by most of you no taking me seriously.

SnuggleSmacks

I had similar symptoms when I was younger and my doctor wanted to label me with IBS. I took a really good probiotic for months (Garden of Life RAW is my favorite) and felt better without changing my diet. I was having symptoms daily for years, and now it's been years since I've had those symptoms, and I'm pretty sure that the "cure" was just restoring intestinal flora which had been damaged by antibiotics use. Regardless, it sounds like your doc is into a lot of quack psuedo-science and if you really like your doc you should proceed with caution and research everything your doc tells you.

msf74

I have to ask.....was this a real doctor you saw?

The leaky gut syndrome & candida overgrowth rang alarm bells......

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/candida-and-fake-illnesses/

I have to ask as well: what qualifications does your doctor have?

What qualifications? As in did she go to medical school? Does she have an M.D.... Yes she has all of those.

Thanks. That's all I really wanted to know because, to my knowledge at least, such a diagnosis would not have been made in the UK. Therefore it sounded odd to me.