Been there several times, tried all the shortcuts its a waste of time. If you want this to work, the first thing you need to do is to adjust your mind and from now on regard sugar in all shapes, forms and disguises as your enemy No.1. Sugar is a poison and it is everywhere! You won’t be able to avoid it totally, but you need to avoid any obvious and added sugars. Carbohydrates are a bit of a minefield (a big part of carbs turns into sugar in your body). but carbs in your diet are necessary. So you need to be sensible. I am no nutritionist, and apart from the obvious ones like grains etc, I don’t always know what is what. But generally speaking if it tastes sweet, avoid it.

Bread is made from grains so you need to cut out as much as you can. Forget about white bread altogether switch to Rye bread and/or Ryvita. If you need a slice of bread every now and again, at least opt for wholemeal and limit yourself to maybe one slice every 3 days. – General rule the less refined the grain, the harder it will be for your system to process the food and to access the sugar in it which is what you want to achieve.

Rice – switch to brown rice. White rice is pure starch and starch turns to sugar. Brown rice in small quantities is ok. It’s the same principle as above. Brown rice is less processed, and therefore the body will have to do the work and it is harder to access the sugar in it.

Pasta again switch to wholemeal pasta and only eat it in small quantities.
In my view because this has to become a way of life and not just a short lived diet, it would be unrealistic to forbid absolutely everything. It will only lead to failure. But it is equally dangerous to take this as an excuse for eating forbidden fruits. I feel it is best to apply common sense, and re-educate our taste buds. You don’t need to starve yourself, because everything you ‘want’ is full of sugar, but instead substitute what you can’t have with something equally pleasurable. Also, you’d become a social bore if every time you go out or are invited for a meal you keep saying; I can’t eat this, that and the rest

Alcohol – really sorry. but that’s a big No-No. Having said that on very special occasions I allow myself ONE (moderate) glass of wine or Champagne. But on the rare occasion when I do, it has to be the very best of the best. I would not break my rule for just any old bottle. I make it a special time and savour the moment.

Beer – forget it. I say this with a tear in my eye, as I love my lager or cider but beer is particularly bad for Candida sufferers, so just forget it exists 😮 (

Soft drinks forget them too they are full of sugar. Opting for the sugar free version is no good either. They are full of aspartame (which is part of rat poison btw) and that is carcogenic.

Water – learn to love it :o))) You need lots of it about 1 1/2 2 litres per day.

Fruit – thats a difficult one. It would be best to avoid all fruit for the first couple of months, and thereafter to add it into the diet in moderation, avoiding tropical fruit (too sweet) and sticking to apples, pears and the less sweet berries. For me this is my weakness and a luxury I allow myself. I can’t live without fruit. So I am eating it. But I am sensible about it and have reduced my fruit intake. When I need something sweet, I usually butter a slice of Ryvita or two and thinly slice a small banana on top not good, I know, but this is part of being realistic to my mind. Caution avoid dried fruits at all cost they are pure sugar.

Everything you eat should be as fresh as possible. Avoid take-aways and all ready-made meals both are full of sugar. Use fresh ingredients wherever you can. Make soups yourself, so you’ll know what’s in them. Have fresh salads for lunch just because you can’t have sugar does not mean that you have to starve yourself. It’s difficult to list every little thing you have to avoid, just use common sense cheeses, milk products (except for plain yoghurt), pizza’s, chocolates and alcohol are out, but there are good tasting substitutes. Instead of milk you can use unsweetened rice milk or unsweetened soya milk (although soya is not good for the thyroid).

For me a typical daily menu looks like :

Breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 2 slices of ryvita with butter and a cup of herbal tea or a bowl of (oats) porridge cooked with rice milk or soya milk and added fruit for sweetness.

Snack: An apple or a pear, a handful of fresh (unsalted) organic nuts (unshelled is bestbecause of mould!).

Lunch: A bowl of porridge or a fresh mixed salad or a homemade soup.

Afternoon tea: A slice of buttered Ryvita with sliced banana and a cuppa.

Supper: A normal cooked meal, as usual. – sometimes I have “pudding” ;o) a bowl of plain yoghurt with fresh lemon juice and Stevia, adding a few fresh or frozen berries.

As you see I do not starve myself. I try to eat a bowl of porridge at some stage every day. It fills me up, gives me energy, and because it is a cooked cereal, it somehow is ok. My tongue does not fur up after eating that nor do my teeth and for me this is a good measure of how my system copes. The good news is that on this kind of “diet” I have lost quite a bit of weight without even trying. Instead of having the gratification of instant pleasure from eating chocolates, nowadays I have the lasting pleasure of rewarding myself with a new piece of clothing very now and again when I have lost yet another bit of excess weight. I have slowly regained (and am keeping) the weight I had as a young woman and I am not even trying ;o))

As Sheila says also read the excellent info in the files about Candida. Other than the “diet” you will need to take fluconazole as outlined by Dr. P. (150 mg per week for 3 consecutive weeks) and this may need to be repeated a few times. *I* do 3 weeks “on” 4-5 weeks “off” fluconazole. You also need to take Bio-Acidophilus every day and use as many natural ‘antifungals’ in your diet as possible.

I hope this helps and chin up I promise you, there is life after sugar :o))

Love, Christina