My interpretation of the basics
NicoWoodruff
Posts: 369 Member
I know there are different sources saying what to do/not do.. eat/not eat.. to help with Candida issues. It is my belief that the anti-Candida type diet approach (which matches so well with Paleo and the Zone and even Atkins to a degree..) is helpful to a great many ailments not just Candida. Since I've been eating this way I've lost weight, had better skin, better mood, less achey joints.. the closer I come to sticking with this the better I feel. Yes it's somewhat restrictive but YES YOU CAN have wonderful satisfying meals on this plan. I also find I generally save a lot of money at the grocery store compared to how I ate before.
I thought it would be worth reposting the basics of the diet as I understand them. First a disclaimer, I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, however; I have done nutritional counseling in natural food stores for many years and what I present you here is my personal system/philosophy of what has worked for me based on many years collecting knowledge from various sources.
My Anti-Candida approach =
FOODS YOU CAN EAT:
Beverages: Water, sparkling water, veggie juice, coconut milk, unsweetened almond milk, green tea, herbal tea
Meat: (Organic, local and grass fed are best) fish, duck, chicken, cornish hen, turkey, lamb, rabbit, pheasant, pork, beef, eggs, (all seafood) tuna, fresh fish, clam, lobster, shrimp, crab, oysters
All fresh or frozen veggies including but not limited to: aparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, greens (collards, mustard, kale etc) cucumbers, eggplant, legumes, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, radishes, red potatoes, tomatoes (fresh), squash (acorn, summer, winter, zucchini, etc) okra, parsnip, peppers (green, hot, etc), spinach, sweet potatoes, turnips. (The only "veggies" to avoid are sprouts and mushrooms)
Whole Grains: quinoa, amaranth, spelt, wild rice, rye, millet, barley, brown rice, corn, oats, wheat, ezekiel bread, plain corn tortillas, and (sparingly) pasta made from quinoa, brown rice and kamut
Fruit: (avoid fruit the first 2 weeks then can add back but only one serving of fruit per day, all fruit eaten by itself without other foods present. Best are granny smith apples, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries (any berries) pineapple, coconut, grapefruit, avocado, mango, banana, nectarine, peach, orange, pear, papaya, apricot
Nuts, seeds and unprocessed oils: almonds = first choice! brazil nuts, cashews, filberts, pecans, pumpkin seeds
Oils (cold pressed) almond, apricot, avocado, coconut, olive, butter, safflower, sesame, grapeseed
Sweeteners (try to avoid totally if you can) Stevia or Xylitol only otherwise.
FOODS TO AVOID:
Fruit Juices: either canned bottled or frozen
Coffee and Tea: regular coffee or instant coffee, decaf coffee and black teas
Processed foods: packaged and processed goods containing yeast and refined sugar. Also avoid enriched flour products
Processed and smoked meats: pickled and smoked meats or fish, including sausages, hot dogs, corned beef, pastrami, ham lunch meats
Melons: watermelon, honeydew melon, and especially cantaloupe
Edible fungi: all types of mushrooms, morels, and truffles.
Cheeses/Dairy: milk (cow or goat), cheese (ALL types including cottage cheese, cream cheese, powdered cheese etc), No buttermilk, sour cream or any other sour milk products.
Yeast: brewer's yeast, baker's yeast, vitamins, minerals, unless labeled "yeast free" and "sugar free"
Antibiotics: avoid ALL antibiotics when possible
Nuts: peanuts and pistachios usually contain mold which feeds yeast
Sugar: avoid all sugar containing foods and sweeteners including honey
Alcohol, avoid fermented liquors and liqueurs, brand beverages such as cider and root beer also. Alcohol is pure sugar which feeds yeast.
Malt products: milk drinks, cereals, and candy
Condiments, sauces, and vinegar containing foods: mustard, ketchup, worcestershire, MSG, steak sauce, BBQ sauce, chili, cocktail sauce, soy sauce, pickles, pickled veggies, relishes, green olives, sauerkraut, horseradish, mince meat, tamari. Freshly squeezed lemon juice may be used as a substitute for vinegar or soy sauce.
Dried and candied fruits: ALL dried fruits including apricots, dates, prunes, figs, and pineapple
Leftovers: minute amounts of mold grow quickly in left over food unless properly refrigerated, consume leftovers quickly and freezing leftovers is better when possible.
Pasta: Avoid all pasta and macaroni products including those made from wheat and spelt.
A good example of a typical meal would be a palm sized portion of lean meat with a generous portion of raw and cooked veggies, a small portion of whole grains, and a handful of nuts (not peanuts or pistachios) and an herbal tea.
As I mentioned Paleo.. I've realized that my approach also fits with what you might call “Paleoesque on a budget” so I'll also give you the differences between my approach and the rules you see for Paleo or Primal type dietary approaches.
The Paleo type rules I follow strictest are
#1 The "no sugar" Rule, including esoteric weird sources of sugars that we don't think about like condiments, high glycemic fruits, vinegar, and alcohol. I save any sugar intake for special occasions and tiny portions with the exception of a once a day at most meal of low glycemic fruit. If I'm trying to lose weight though I will avoid the fruit altogether for as long as 2 weeks at a time.
#2 The lots and lots of veggies rule. I'm constantly roasting or flash boiling veggies and enjoy making all sorts of salads. And raw almonds, pecans, and roasted pumpkin seeds have become "go to" snacks.
#3 Like many who follow Paleo I have become pretty strictly no dairy with the exception of butter. However I can't be bothered to buy expensive grass fed butter so I just get regular unsalted butter and keep some frozen on hand all the time. I love Blue Diamond unsweetened almond milk and I use it everywhere I would use milk. I avoid cheese whenever possible although I love it. Once in a blue moon I'll have something cheesy usually at an Italian restaurant special occasion with friends, but otherwise cheese has become off the menu for me because I see such a benefit to my health without it. One exception I make to all this is sometimes if I'm cooking at home something that would call for a small dollup of sour cream I'll let myself use a dollup of greek yoghurt instead as a small splurge. As far as eggs, I love em cooked almost any way.. but again I'm on a budget so I just get regular fresh large eggs from the grocery and try not to consume more than 3 to 4 per week.
I find cooking my own home cooked meals at home on this plan really satisfying and pretty easy/affordable..
Where I diverge from strict Paleo a bit..
#4 with meat I worry less about whether the meat was grass fed, I can't afford the fancier meats so I opt for what's really fresh and as good a price as I can get for the meat portion of the diet. My local grocers are good though because there's a large local Amish community here that they get a lot of their meats from. I cook a lot of split breasts of chicken then use the bones and skin to make broth for soups. I also bake wild salmon, boil large raw shrimp, and occasionally have pork chops or steak but I try to stick to the poultry and fish a bit more than the red meat.
Also on #5 grains. I allow whole grains and even occasionally might have something that's not whole grain when I'm dining out, like a croissant sandwich at a cafe' with a friend for example.. but I especially limit refined grains wherever possible and eat only small portions of whole grains occasionally when paired with something they make a whole protein with. Like home made long grain brown rice pilaf with black bean soup as an example. I do watch and limit my portions of even whole grains a bit more than I used to.
Which brings me to #6 beans. Personally I love to make my own bean soups that I feel are pretty nutritious especially when paired with something like brown rice (or a slice of sprouted "Ezekial" bread which is one thing I will spend the extra money on.) It seems to me beans digest much better when paired with corn/rice/grain to make a "perfect protein". So yes I do eat some beans, but I alternate my bean and rice soups with veggie/chicken and veggie/beef soups as a rotation so that I'm not getting too many beans which I do notice will give a bit of bloat. I love peanuts and do occasionally but rarely now have them boiled or in my own home made peanut sauce.. but I don't go out of my way to eat peanuts now as I did before starting a paleoesque regimen.
If I'm trying to lose weight; I will avoid fruit, grains and beans altogether for as long as 2 weeks at a time.
This is what has become my ideal diet and what I go back to when I get off track and it's amazing how much better I feel. If I didn't feel so good eating this way I don't think I'd have stuck with my own version of the rules as much as I manage to do. I hope this is helpful and gives you guys some ideas.
I thought it would be worth reposting the basics of the diet as I understand them. First a disclaimer, I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, however; I have done nutritional counseling in natural food stores for many years and what I present you here is my personal system/philosophy of what has worked for me based on many years collecting knowledge from various sources.
My Anti-Candida approach =
FOODS YOU CAN EAT:
Beverages: Water, sparkling water, veggie juice, coconut milk, unsweetened almond milk, green tea, herbal tea
Meat: (Organic, local and grass fed are best) fish, duck, chicken, cornish hen, turkey, lamb, rabbit, pheasant, pork, beef, eggs, (all seafood) tuna, fresh fish, clam, lobster, shrimp, crab, oysters
All fresh or frozen veggies including but not limited to: aparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, greens (collards, mustard, kale etc) cucumbers, eggplant, legumes, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, radishes, red potatoes, tomatoes (fresh), squash (acorn, summer, winter, zucchini, etc) okra, parsnip, peppers (green, hot, etc), spinach, sweet potatoes, turnips. (The only "veggies" to avoid are sprouts and mushrooms)
Whole Grains: quinoa, amaranth, spelt, wild rice, rye, millet, barley, brown rice, corn, oats, wheat, ezekiel bread, plain corn tortillas, and (sparingly) pasta made from quinoa, brown rice and kamut
Fruit: (avoid fruit the first 2 weeks then can add back but only one serving of fruit per day, all fruit eaten by itself without other foods present. Best are granny smith apples, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries (any berries) pineapple, coconut, grapefruit, avocado, mango, banana, nectarine, peach, orange, pear, papaya, apricot
Nuts, seeds and unprocessed oils: almonds = first choice! brazil nuts, cashews, filberts, pecans, pumpkin seeds
Oils (cold pressed) almond, apricot, avocado, coconut, olive, butter, safflower, sesame, grapeseed
Sweeteners (try to avoid totally if you can) Stevia or Xylitol only otherwise.
FOODS TO AVOID:
Fruit Juices: either canned bottled or frozen
Coffee and Tea: regular coffee or instant coffee, decaf coffee and black teas
Processed foods: packaged and processed goods containing yeast and refined sugar. Also avoid enriched flour products
Processed and smoked meats: pickled and smoked meats or fish, including sausages, hot dogs, corned beef, pastrami, ham lunch meats
Melons: watermelon, honeydew melon, and especially cantaloupe
Edible fungi: all types of mushrooms, morels, and truffles.
Cheeses/Dairy: milk (cow or goat), cheese (ALL types including cottage cheese, cream cheese, powdered cheese etc), No buttermilk, sour cream or any other sour milk products.
Yeast: brewer's yeast, baker's yeast, vitamins, minerals, unless labeled "yeast free" and "sugar free"
Antibiotics: avoid ALL antibiotics when possible
Nuts: peanuts and pistachios usually contain mold which feeds yeast
Sugar: avoid all sugar containing foods and sweeteners including honey
Alcohol, avoid fermented liquors and liqueurs, brand beverages such as cider and root beer also. Alcohol is pure sugar which feeds yeast.
Malt products: milk drinks, cereals, and candy
Condiments, sauces, and vinegar containing foods: mustard, ketchup, worcestershire, MSG, steak sauce, BBQ sauce, chili, cocktail sauce, soy sauce, pickles, pickled veggies, relishes, green olives, sauerkraut, horseradish, mince meat, tamari. Freshly squeezed lemon juice may be used as a substitute for vinegar or soy sauce.
Dried and candied fruits: ALL dried fruits including apricots, dates, prunes, figs, and pineapple
Leftovers: minute amounts of mold grow quickly in left over food unless properly refrigerated, consume leftovers quickly and freezing leftovers is better when possible.
Pasta: Avoid all pasta and macaroni products including those made from wheat and spelt.
A good example of a typical meal would be a palm sized portion of lean meat with a generous portion of raw and cooked veggies, a small portion of whole grains, and a handful of nuts (not peanuts or pistachios) and an herbal tea.
As I mentioned Paleo.. I've realized that my approach also fits with what you might call “Paleoesque on a budget” so I'll also give you the differences between my approach and the rules you see for Paleo or Primal type dietary approaches.
The Paleo type rules I follow strictest are
#1 The "no sugar" Rule, including esoteric weird sources of sugars that we don't think about like condiments, high glycemic fruits, vinegar, and alcohol. I save any sugar intake for special occasions and tiny portions with the exception of a once a day at most meal of low glycemic fruit. If I'm trying to lose weight though I will avoid the fruit altogether for as long as 2 weeks at a time.
#2 The lots and lots of veggies rule. I'm constantly roasting or flash boiling veggies and enjoy making all sorts of salads. And raw almonds, pecans, and roasted pumpkin seeds have become "go to" snacks.
#3 Like many who follow Paleo I have become pretty strictly no dairy with the exception of butter. However I can't be bothered to buy expensive grass fed butter so I just get regular unsalted butter and keep some frozen on hand all the time. I love Blue Diamond unsweetened almond milk and I use it everywhere I would use milk. I avoid cheese whenever possible although I love it. Once in a blue moon I'll have something cheesy usually at an Italian restaurant special occasion with friends, but otherwise cheese has become off the menu for me because I see such a benefit to my health without it. One exception I make to all this is sometimes if I'm cooking at home something that would call for a small dollup of sour cream I'll let myself use a dollup of greek yoghurt instead as a small splurge. As far as eggs, I love em cooked almost any way.. but again I'm on a budget so I just get regular fresh large eggs from the grocery and try not to consume more than 3 to 4 per week.
I find cooking my own home cooked meals at home on this plan really satisfying and pretty easy/affordable..
Where I diverge from strict Paleo a bit..
#4 with meat I worry less about whether the meat was grass fed, I can't afford the fancier meats so I opt for what's really fresh and as good a price as I can get for the meat portion of the diet. My local grocers are good though because there's a large local Amish community here that they get a lot of their meats from. I cook a lot of split breasts of chicken then use the bones and skin to make broth for soups. I also bake wild salmon, boil large raw shrimp, and occasionally have pork chops or steak but I try to stick to the poultry and fish a bit more than the red meat.
Also on #5 grains. I allow whole grains and even occasionally might have something that's not whole grain when I'm dining out, like a croissant sandwich at a cafe' with a friend for example.. but I especially limit refined grains wherever possible and eat only small portions of whole grains occasionally when paired with something they make a whole protein with. Like home made long grain brown rice pilaf with black bean soup as an example. I do watch and limit my portions of even whole grains a bit more than I used to.
Which brings me to #6 beans. Personally I love to make my own bean soups that I feel are pretty nutritious especially when paired with something like brown rice (or a slice of sprouted "Ezekial" bread which is one thing I will spend the extra money on.) It seems to me beans digest much better when paired with corn/rice/grain to make a "perfect protein". So yes I do eat some beans, but I alternate my bean and rice soups with veggie/chicken and veggie/beef soups as a rotation so that I'm not getting too many beans which I do notice will give a bit of bloat. I love peanuts and do occasionally but rarely now have them boiled or in my own home made peanut sauce.. but I don't go out of my way to eat peanuts now as I did before starting a paleoesque regimen.
If I'm trying to lose weight; I will avoid fruit, grains and beans altogether for as long as 2 weeks at a time.
This is what has become my ideal diet and what I go back to when I get off track and it's amazing how much better I feel. If I didn't feel so good eating this way I don't think I'd have stuck with my own version of the rules as much as I manage to do. I hope this is helpful and gives you guys some ideas.
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Also wanted to add how important it is to stay hydrated.. 8+ measuring cups of water per day.. note that's measuring cups. You can fit 2 measuring cups of water in a 16 oz tumbler. Then you only need to drink 4 or 5 of those 16 oz tumblers over the course of a day, and that's plenty for most people.
Teas and other beverages generally don't count toward that 8 measuring cups, although herbal teas and moisture rich foods like soups do help some for you stay hydrated and full.0