Frustration With Finding More Foods I Can't Eat

I just started drinking Almond Milk, which I've been using in recipes. Over the last few days, I've drank probably 5 cartons. It is unsweetened, but I have come to love it. It gives me a creamy satisfying flavor as a substitute for my coffee with cream. It has a lot of good vitamins and minerals that my body needs. Since I've been drinking so much of it, I decided to research some of the extra ingredients that I've looked at and wondered if I should be having them. One is Locust Bean Gum which is from the carob tree and shouldn't be consumed on the candida diet according to Chemical Free Awareness. Locust Bean Gum is an additive used as a thickener in several products. The Almond Milk also contains "natural flavors" and it doesn't say what those are, so not sure what I'm getting there. The Chemical Free Awareness also says to stay away from products with added vitamins and minerals, which this has.

To my shock, most B Vitamins are made from yeast, so the Chemical Free Awareness site also says to stay away from B Vitamins and D3 vitamins that don't say "yeast free."  Well, I am short on both of those vitamins and take them both. I am unsure of what to do at this point. I need to find out if my particular vitamins are made from yeast.

Finding all this out has made me angry and frustrated, just was one of those nights last night.  I will have to do more research on what to do next. In the mean time, I'm not giving up my vitamins but I will try to find some other Almond Milk that doesn't have those ingredients if its out there. The stress I felt last night didn't help my irregular heart beat and I need those B Vitamins for the stress. I haven't figured out how to handle stress with Candida. It is one of those things your body doesn't deal with well under Candida overload. I'll be praying about it and daily giving it to God! I will revisit my thoughts on Manna From Heaven. I know God has a way out of this! He is my hope!

Update: Just found out that all Nature's Sunshine Vitamins are yeast free! So my vitamins are good! Check them out: Nutri-Calm, Vitamin D3 and Balanced B Complex.

I found a recipe for Home Made Almond Milk!

Charlie Horses and Potassium Deficiency

Last night I had a Charlie Horse. I've only had about 3 in my life. The other 2 were when I was pregnant with my son. Since Candida robs your body of nutrients, I'm sure its robbed me of Potassium. That is another supplement I'll be adding to my diet since I can't eat bananas. Here is a blog that talks about how to stop a charlie horse in its tracks: My Journey With Candida Blog.

Heart Skipping Again

My heart started skipping again while we were on vacation in Florida. Irregular heartbeat is a symptom of Candida.  I did have some decaff coffee while traveling. We drove 2 days in a row of 12 hours each day. It was very difficult to find enough to eat on my Candida diet while on the road and out of town. I tried preparing a head of time, but should've prepared a little better. Decaf coffee is a no no on the Candida diet. I'm sure its because of the chemicals used to strip the caffeine from the coffee. I read on Healing Naturally By Bee that water pressed decaff coffee is okay for the Candida diet, and I found some at a Whole Foods market in Florida. However, coffee produces more acid in your body and my body is already over acidic.

"Coffee is also highly acidic and can lead to an overproduction of stomach acid that can irritate the intestines. Unbelievably, decaffeinated coffee has been shown to trigger even more acid production than regular coffee. This over-production (when combined with coffee’s laxative effects) can cause too much stomach acid to move into the intestines. All this acid can potentially cause damage to the intestinal lining." This is directly from Global Healing Center.


So maybe that is one of the reasons. Since I have gotten home from vacation, I am no longer drinking the coffee.  I've also been eating a lot of 100% bakers cacao. It is full of antioxidants, magnesium and iron.

"In its natural state chocolate is bursting with antioxidants to fight radicals - even more than fruit, vegetables, tea or wine! Chocolate supplies micronutrients, such as potassium, zinc, magnesium and iron, and is one of the richest food source of antioxidants that neutralize free radicals--rogue oxygen molecules that can accelerate aging and cause numerous health problems."

This is directly from Green and Healthy Info.

However, it is also high in saturated fat and has caffeine, two things I"m supposed to stay away from. So I think I need to slow down on the baker's cacao. I've been eating it raw and had a bunch while on vacation to tide me over. Maybe I should try and stick to using it in recipes and on rare occasions.

My heart seems to skip when I'm having a little bit of anxiety or overwhelmed with too much to do, which also makes me anxious. Also symptoms of Candida, so its a cycle. The other causes could be that I have run out of some of my herbs: High Potency Protease, Calcium-Magnesium, and I went off the Yeast Fungal Detox while on vacation. I will be ordering more High Potency Protease and Calcium Plus Vitamin D at the beginning of this coming month. I hope to be able to share that the irregular heart beat has returned to normal very soon! Say some prayers for me!

Blessings until next time!

Some Physical Symptoms of Candida

Some physical symptoms may include:

• chills and night sweats
• shortness of breath
• dizziness and balance problems
• sensitivity to heat and/or cold
• alcohol intolerance
• gluten and/or casein intolerance
• irregular heartbeat
• irritable bowel
• constipation and/or diarrhea
• painful gas and abdominal bloating
• low-grade fever or low body temperature
• numbness, tingling and/or burning sensations in the face or extremities
• dryness of the mouth and eyes
• difficulty swallowing
• projectile vomiting

This list is from Candida Free. Click on the link to find even more symptoms of Candida including psychological symptoms.

Candida Albicans

"Candida is nearly an epidemic in our society and is responsible for many of the chronic illness categories we see so frequently.  Candida symptoms are vast and all encompassing and can even incapacitate the individual. 

Most people are unaware that it even exists, because most main stream doctors are uneducated about its impact on our health.  People suffering from this condition often go from doctor to doctor for years and are usually told they are a hypochondriac or that it is stress or a psychiatric problem, before ever discovering the real culprit.

Candida Albicans is a yeast that occurs naturally in the human body. Normally it lives in harmony with a variety of other microorganisms and actually performs a couple important functions.  The problem occurs when something upsets the balance of bacteria in the body and this allows the yeast organism to proliferate and take over all the healthy microorganisms.

It normally resides in the intestinal tract, mouth, throat and genitals, however it can burrow holes in the intestinal tract, enter the blood stream and then make it's way into any organ of the body. To make matters worse it emits over 70 different toxins into the body. Some people may even become allergic to the yeast itself.

Once this hardy organism proliferates in the body, it wrecks havoc in many ways and is the initiator of many common maladies, conditions, syndromes and illnesses in our population." Written by Cynthia Perkins, M. Ed

This excerpt is straight from http://www.holistichelp.net/candida.html. Click on the link to read more on Candida, its symptoms and a wealth of information.

My Ph Balance is Acidic

I have been taking ph balance tests. I am extremely acidic. I have also taken an iodine test and am very low on iodine. I listened to an online seminar once about ph balance. The woman who led it talked about how the first thing she does with any of her clients was test their ph balance. With many health problems, the root starts with the ph balance being off. I found it very interesting and will find my papers on that at some point and share the information. The iodine is linked to that as well. So I am going to share a list of products I take to get back on the healthy track. I am also extremely low on calcium, zinc, oleic acid, magnesium and B vitamins.

Calcium-Magnesium
Nutri-Calm (B vitamins with other calming herbs)
Dulse Liquid (iodine)
Nature's Prenatal
Bowel Detox
Yeast Fungal Detox
Garlic (anti-fungal)
Lysine (strengthens immune system and helps absorb calcium)
Zinc
Vitamin E
Bifidophilus (Probiotics-healthy bacteria)
Vitamin D3

And I try to drink plenty of water! The absence of these nutrients and the excess of Candida have caused heart arrhythmias, anxiety and panic attacks in me. These are some symptoms of excess Candida, which I believe I got from too much sugar in my diet and swimming in a chlorinated pool.

All of the products listed above I got from Sunshine Herb Shop, my Nature's Sunshine website. 

Some symptoms of Candida

fatigue, dark circles under eyes, poor concentration, poor short term memory, pain in the joints and muscles, tightness in shoulders and neck, acid reflux, blisters in mouth tongue and throat, sore throat, white coated tongue, jumpy, chronic sinus problems, headaches, migraines, chronic dental problems, brown colored mucus in back of throat, depression, paranoia, anxiety, mood swings and paranoia. This is only a short list. You can find more symptoms by doing a search.

If you think you might have Candida take the spit test that was posted before this.