Survival Kit

Eating is something that everyone has to do to stay alive and is mostly an enjoyable experience which people take for granted. However, for those who have been told that they cannot eat certain foods, it can become a real challenge and quite socially awkward. If you have been diagnosed with Candida, your food choices are going to be extremely restricted, so you will want to know that whatever you are able to eat is going to be nutritionally beneficial, as well as flavoursome. You want to look forward to your next meal because it tastes good and not just because you have to eat something/anything just to keep your body going. I went through this stage, before I realised that the food did not have to be repetitive and I could do something to make it more varied and tasty. Luckily, these days there are more and more products on the market that are catering for those with food intolerances. My book will tell you what these are and where you can buy them.

The recipes in my book are not fancy and so will not have you slaving over a hot stove for hours on end (most of the time is taken up peeling all the vegetables!). They are manageable to cook, as close to a normal, everyday diet as possible (with exceptions, of course) and if there are any specific brand product ingredients involved, I have shown you where these can be sourced.

If you are suffering from a food intolerance, allergy (whether food or chemical) or have a compromised immune system, you need to identify which they are and avoid them in order to boost your immune system by eating the right foods and supplements. Foods contain natural chemicals, as well as artificial ones, which can also be troublesome even though they are natural. The good news is that food intolerances do not necessarily have to be permanent. You can start to increase the intake of the troublesome foods in your diet after a few weeks/months, depending on how severe the reaction is and see if you notice a difference. There may be foods you still have to avoid or eat in moderation and suffer for it afterwards, if you really want it. However, with the extreme allergies (such as peanuts/shellfish) which can result in anaphylactic shock, some things are always to be avoided at all cost. Remember, allergies can be mild to fatal.

Coeliac disease is when glutenous foods (e.g. wheat, oats, rye, barley, spelt, cornflour, cornstarch, etc) cause inflammation of the small bowel. This is an immune system disease. The symptoms are very similar to Candida and therefore the recipes in this book are suitable for coeliacs (obviously the exceptions being down to each individual's specific food intolerance). Coeliacs, however, are not as restricted with their food as Candida sufferers.

There is no reason why the recipes in this book cannot be beneficial to Diabetics, Coeliacs, ME Sufferers, for Auto-Immune Diseases, and individuals who experience a range of Digestive Disorders, Migraines, recurrent Thrush and Cystitis, again unless the recipe contains a specific food-type to which the individual is intolerant. I always recommend arranging an initial appointment with a Qualified Nutritionist so that they can examine your particular situation and needs.

Therefore I strongly urge you to examine the recipe ingredients with all due care and attention to ensure that you are not going to do yourself any harm by eating something you shouldn't. Everyone has unique problems and therefore, I cannot cater for every single one of you. What I have done is to eliminate the major food concerns … the rest is down to you.

For this diet to be a success, there is a programme that you have to follow. First you need to address your food intake and remove all disallowed items from the diet. This means all the foods that feed the Candida, including looking at your own personal food intolerances. Next you need to look at a good anti-fungal remedy to kill off the yeast infection. At this stage, I would recommend you setting up an appointment with a Qualified Nutritionist so that they can tailor a specific course of supplements just for you and recommend brands that do not include the unnecessary additives. BioCare have a great range to choose from. You will then need to put the good guys back, by taking a good quality probiotic, such as lactobacillus acidophilus. You may also find some vitamin or mineral supplements beneficial to build up your immune system, but this is something you should discuss with your Nutritionist, rather than 'self-medicating'. You need to stick to the above regime until you start to notice an improvement in your symptoms. A follow-up appointment with your Nutritionist is always advisable, so that they can look at when you can begin to reduce your supplements and plan the way forward.

Finally, you need to start putting yourself first and looking after yourself. You are not going to be out on the town every weekend now, drinking, smoking and eating kebabs. Save that money and pamper yourself. There is no reason why you cannot enjoy your new lifestyle, no matter how different it is from your previous one. Book yourself into a spa for a day and have a swim, sauna or jacuzzi (watch out for the chlorine though, if you're chemically sensitive). Calm the stress levels with a full body aromatherapy massage or Indian head massage. Get to the root of your problems with an acupuncture treatment or reiki. Just remember, it is all about you now. It is true that not everybody's lifestyle allows for this, especially us working full-time with a family and house to look after. However, your partner and children will need to understand what you are going through, after all, I am sure they will have been going through it with you anyway. At the end of the day, if you cannot look after yourself, how are you going to be able to look after them?

You need to act now, because if you do have Candida, it is not going to go away by itself. It will only get worse until you have it under control.

 

Brands and Suppliers

If you are not lucky enough to have any local health food shops or organic stores nearby, then you are still able to buy your food in bulk online. I would point out that people with severe food allergies, such as nuts, need to be as vigilant as ever when buying pre-prepared products. Please note that I cannot be held responsible if the brands and suppliers mentioned in my book do not continue to operate. You can always type the name of the foods you are attempting to source into a search engine on the internet and it should hopefully come up with alternative sites where you can find them. Do remember that you will be charged P&P on top of your shopping and this can be pricey when buying chilled or frozen produce. I like to make sure I buy in bulk, so as to keep costs down on P&P.

With regard to the vitamins and nutrition/health supplements recommended here, although every attempt is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, I cannot accept responsibility for any consequences that may arise through the consumption of any supplement or nutritional product mentioned on this site.  You should always consult a doctor, health practitioner or qualified nutritional therapist before consuming any nutritional supplement.  Always read the product label and be aware of any possible side-effects, or possible drug interactions before taking any nutritional product.