Candida and my wake up call

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Chris

It had been going on since November. This rash, that started at the outside corner of my left eye started to creep to my other eye and around my mouth and over the bridge of my nose by the time I found my way to a naturopath in February. Some days were worse than others. One spot would disappear and then another would appear in a different spot. What was consistent were the locations and the look of it. What was inconsistent, or so I thought, were the food triggers.

In fact, I couldn’t even relate it to a food group. The naturopath informed me it was related to digestion. The pattern of the rash indicated food was not being digested properly. So I tried acupuncture, tinctures, and salves. After a live blood analysis, it was evident that candida was the culprit. Candida is a form of yeast. What I later learned from Preet Marwaha, Owner of Organic Lives, International Speaker and Instructor at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition, is that candida is an organism that naturally occurs in human blood. It is suppose to be there. It’s job is to consume sugar that is in the blood.

The quantity of candida in one’s blood is related to its food supply. If you have a normal level of sugar in your blood then the size of the candida colony is also normal. And in a normally occurring situation, the sugar leaves the blood, is distributed and used by the cells in the body and excess yeast dies off. If your blood sugar rises so does the candida. If you have a fat-rich diet, sugar remains in the bloodstream and feeds the candida colonies instead of the cells in your body. Dr. Douglas Graham, author of The 80/10/10 Dietdescribes this best:

The only mechanism that remains for bringing the blood sugar back down is the candida. The candida microbe in our blood is actually a life-saving organism, one that we do not ever want to eradicate. It functions as another backup system – a safety valve that helps to bring the blood sugar level back down to normal in the event that the pancreas and the adrenals fail at doing so. Outbreaks of candida are your wakeup call – a warning that your system is rapidly approaching diabetes, and that you would do well to drastically curtail your fat consumption or face dire health consequences.

That was all pretty shocking for me to hear and also had me questioning my diet. How could someone who eats raw food find themselves in this situation? Seems in my effort to be raw, I just substituted my cheese-aholic behaviour for a nut-aholic one. Well 4 years of too many nuts, nut butters, rich gourmet transition foods finally caught up with me and left its calling card on my face. Hard to avoid. So I woke up. But on the internet, what they suggest as a candida free diet is one free of fruit. Not so says Dr. Graham:

Because all carbohydrate, fat, and protein that we eat is converted to simple sugar (glucose) if it is to be used by the cells for fuel, the way out of this cycle is not to eat less sugar, but to consume less fat. When fat levels drop, the sugar starts to get processed and distributed again, and the yeast levels drop because there is no longer excess sugar available for it to eat. The candida microbe is extremely short lived. If folks suffering from candida would simply follow a low-fat diet, most of them would find that their candida issues were completely gone in a matter of just a few days.

One week later, and I can barely see the remains of the rash. It has been transformative.

Tomato Freche Soup

Here’s a no-fat soup with inspiration from Dr. Graham. Blend in blender:

  • 5 medium tomatoes (reserve some chopped tomato for garnish)
  • 1 orange – peeled
  • 1 cup cauliflower
  • Handful of fresh dill or basil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • Cayenne to taste
  • Water to thin

Put all ingredients in a blender starting with the wettest and softest first. Blend and add water to desired thinness. Adjust seasonings to taste. Garnish soup with fresh dill and tomato chunks.

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What’s your purpose?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Chris

I was listening to the radio about a woman who lost her child and the year following her daughter’s passage, the mother became involved in everything, as a way to fill the void and to give meaning back to her life. Her daughter had a disability and this mother had spent 17 very full years advocating for her daughter, being her champion, and ensuring she was cared for. And then she realized she needed to find a purpose in her life.

I considered this story and how it applies to all of us in different ways at different times in our lives. Most of the time we manage on a daily basis. Our lives become routine. Our habits become ingrained. For some, there is a major life experience that jettisons us out of our complacency into a new reality. I consider those the lucky ones. Without that kickstart, we often never reach a new awareness.

Instead we fill the void with TV, food, alcohol, recreational drugs, prescriptions. You name it. We are clever at disguising the emptiness and calling it entertainment rather than confronting our essence.

Posing the question, “What is your purpose?” can be intimidating to answer. We somehow expect we have to strive for some unreachable bar. There is no standard, one HAS to achieve other than what one knows to be true. My bar, my purpose, my essence is mine. I’m not asking anyone else to reach it. It’s all about listening to your heart, finding what is speaking to you, and responding with an action that resonates.

Sometimes we make bold statements and pronouncements in our eagerness to lose weight, or find a partner, or get a new job. And when we tire of the climb (perhaps because we were stating the obvious rather than what was at the core of our yearning), we suddenly become mute, pack up the running shoes, and skulk to the back of the pack.

Well life doesn’t have to be a marathon. In fact, life is a heck of a lot more pleasant if we allow in what we need and want, when we need and want it, but being clear from the outset what that need and want really are. And is it a need or a want? Entirely different sides of the coin.

I want to travel. But I need to find the adventure in every day. Someone else may want a partner in their life, but they need to find comfort and love in their own company first. Another may want to lose weight, but they need to feel satiated with him or her self first. One other person may want to run a marathon, but first needs to appreciate the accomplishment of walking to work on a daily basis. And for someone who wants a new job, they need to find newness if what they do at work on a daily basis first.

I’ve learned to be careful what I ask for. Wanting has led to disappointment. And it hasn’t been until I have been clear on my need, have been able to articulate what my heart is saying/requesting/desiring, that I have been able to find the true path for me. But first, I have had to let go of wanting and instead, start to appreciate the moment.

So what has all this to do with eating a live plant-based diet? It has to do with acceptance and starting from the place you are at first. It has to do with balance and not trying to replace what is with what could be, but rather, noticing what is and sitting with it first. It has to do with understanding what you believe in, what you are passionate about, and what values drive you. And then, you can be open to possibilities, opportunities, and alternative considerations. It has to do with knowing who you are and what is important for you.

Coconut Oil

No recipe this week. Here is some information about coconut oil.

David Wolfe suggests there are 3 rooms in your home where you should use coconut oil – the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedroom. I use coconut oil on my body and face daily. And if my hair is a tad on the dry side, I rub the oil on my hands through my hair while it’s wet, before I dry it. I mostly use coconut oil when I make some desserts or in my green curry recipe. I’ll leave the suggestion of in the bedroom to your imagination.

 

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Baby steps

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Chris

There is something to be said for taking it slow. My foray into eating live plant based food was an all or nothing proposition where I was given no choice but to adhere to the program. After 24 hours of my first introduction into totally raw food, I was submerged into a 3-day green juice fast. It was overwhelming, painful, extreme cleansing, and completely transformative.

I’m not sure why I stuck with it, other than I felt so amazing after 10 days, I just couldn’t imagine polluting my body again with dead food. After going through the healing crisis I experienced, there was no way, I was prepared to do that again to myself. So I was pretty committed to this new lifestyle.

I don’t necessarily recommend that for everyone. I had the luxury of taking off 2 weeks to attend a retreat in order to submerse myself into a whole new mindset and lifestyle. Not everyone can and wants to do that. However, most people I meet want to feel more alive, have more energy, lose weight, and feel less aches and pains. Is there a gentler path one can take?

Yes, there are a few ways you can begin to make a shift.

  1. Meatless Mondays – If you are eating animal-based foods, make one day a week your day to go without meat and any other animal-based food source. Today’s recipe is a great introduction to a tasty variation on a taco that is made with vegetables and nuts, and tastes amazingly like a meat version.
  2. Raw Before Six – A friend was the first to coin that phrase for me, and it has stuck ever since as a plausible option for many people desiring to eat less cooked foods, but who are struggling with how to make the full transformation. Our friend eats live plant-based foods for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is a cooked plant-based meal. She made that decision after reading The China Study by Dr. Collin Campbell. For those who may be inclined to watch a movie instead, Forks Over Knives is a gripping documentary outlining the devastation caused to our personal health and the health of the nation as a result of eating animal-based foods. (There are many sites where you can now watch it for free on line.) Watching this movie or reading the book may cause you to reflect and make a plant-based only decision in your life.
  3. Freshen Up – Introducing more fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet, at every meal, will help you make a conscientious shift in your life. Rather than always grabbing packaged foods (like chocolate bars or chips), reach for a banana or apple, a carrot or an avocado. Make your snacks be fresh. Make sure every meal has some portion of it that is raw, uncooked, and alive. Gradually increase the portion of raw fresh foods on your plate. Eat your salad first. It is amazing how filled up fresh vegetables can make us feel, thus reducing the portion size of your cooked foods.

The key to making these changes stick is to make a commitment to you. Here are three tips to help you take that first baby step.

  1. Write positive affirmations to yourself as a daily reminder. Affirmations are written in the present tense and they are succinct – I am alive and vital. I am glowing. I am a picture of health. I am excited by each moment of each day. I make wise choices. Post these wherever you spend a lot of time – taped to the mirror in the bathroom, on your night table lamp, on the fridge door, on your computer screen.
  2. Clean house. Get rid of reminders of the you, you  no longer want to be. There are plenty of places that will take used clothing and other items that may simply be triggers to negative behaviours and mindsets. Empty kitchen cupboards and your fridge of foods that are processed and packaged. Out of sight, out of mind.
  3. Find a buddy, someone who has a similar goal. It’s great to be able to share your successes with someone else who is going through the same experiences. And it helps to know you can debrief when you find yourself slipping. Moral support is a necessary component to success.

Let me know what baby steps you’ve taken on your road to improved health and wellbeing. Remember no step is too small to be celebrated.

If you want to go on a cleanse, Cleanse America started on Monday, April 9th. For only $25 you get 2 downloadable books of recipes, chat groups, daily supportive posts, videos and more. It’s not too late to start your cleanse today!

Meatless Monday Taco 

 

  • 2 cups sunflower seeds or walnuts or a combination of both – soaked for up to 8 hours
  • 2 large carrots
  • 4 crimini mushrooms (optional)
  • ½ cup sun dried tomatoes (not in oil)
  • 1-2 Tbsp Tamari (wheat free)
  • 2 tsp chili powder (more if you want it hotter)
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp onion powder

Drain, rinse, and drain nuts.

Use a food processor with the S blade and put carrots in first and chop until fine chunks. Add nuts and process. Then add sun dried tomatoes and spices. Pulse chopping will make this more like meat chunks rather than a pureed texture. If you do puree it so it is smooth, it can be used as a pate. Place in a lettuce leaf and top with sprouts and raw-camole.

Raw-camole

  • 2 avocados
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon – garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder
  • Salt to taste
  • A few dashes of cayenne

Mash the avocados in a large bowl with a potato masher or fork. Stir in lemon juice and spices. Chop tomato and add to avocado mixture.

 

 

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