# tempeh okay on an anti-candida diet?



## mamabeard (Sep 27, 2002)

i've heard so many contradicting things about what you can and can't eat, and the debate over tempeh, in particular, hits close to the heart. i ADORE tempeh, and eat it almost everyday. i've heard it's okay, and also that it's not because it's fermented..

one thing is, i am vegetarian and will not consume meat, even tho it's recommended, and even tho i'm nursing a 7 week old. that's why it would be great if tempeh was allowed for protein. oh, and this is a long shot question, but i usually sautee my tempeh in lots of garlic, and since garlic is anti-fungal, could it possibly cancel out any problems in that area?

any ideas?
thanks


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## neveryoumindthere (Mar 21, 2003)

lol..totally OT..i thought the title read : "anti-CANADIAN diet"


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## bebe luna (Nov 20, 2001)

Everyone who suffers from candidiasis suffers to varying degrees. I would say in the first few weeks of an anti-candida diet, avoid all fermented foods. After the initial transitional/cleansing process, then test yourself by re-introducing various foods (one at a time and only one during a one week period). If you see no reactions then it is probably okay to continue w/ that food.
I had severe candidiasis and followed a strict diet for a year. Many of the foods that I used to react to are fine now. And after I ws on the diet for about a month or so, there were some typically contraindicated foods that I could eat. One of them was tempeh. I could also eat miso and small amounts of wheat. I couldn't tolerate fruit for almost the entire year.
Do you have any good books that outline the yeast-free diet and how to test yourself for reactions?? I found them very helpful. Good luck, it can be challenging but well worth the effort!!


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## mamabeard (Sep 27, 2002)

thanks! yeah, i have the yeast connection cookbook. have skimmed throo it. i'm going to slowly start phazing foods out and experiment with the recipes over the next month or so (to get rid of the food i have in the house, and to get used to eating this way). just a question, since you had it pretty severely, and i think i do too, will 3 weeks definately be enough time to be on the strict diet? just curious, because i hear some people don't get better right away, but they refer to the 3 week mark in the book as when you should be feeling better.. ?? should i just keep to the initially allowed foods until i feel substantially better?

i'm really going to miss the tempeh for that while.. but if it will help me feel better, it's worth the sacrifice.

saffiyya80, :LOL


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## bebe luna (Nov 20, 2001)

I would say that if after 3 weeks you aren't noticing some major improvements in how you feel, then stay on the strict diet for another 2-3 weeks before reintroducing some of the foods you have been avoiding.

I'm not sure if you are planning on taking supplements to aid the process, but if you are I would recommend the following:
*colloidal silver
*grapefruit seed extract
*oil of oregano
*high doses vitamin C as ascorbic acid
*pau d'arco
*very high doses of probiotics

shiatsu, acupuncture, and rolfing can all be extremly helpful in teh healing process. As well as aerobic exercise, saunas, and colonics.

Good luck!!


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

I hate to say this, but I had to stay on a strict diet for 3-4 months. I also read that at the two week point you'll start to feel great. That was not the case with me at all. On day 14, I had terrible breast pain, thought it was an infection, but it was ductal yeast. I've been on a candida diet for about 7 months now and I am able to eat a few of the restricted items (rice and fruit), but I try to keep those to a minimum since I know that I have not fully taken care of the problem. I have been through waves of detoxing over the course of the diet, so it definitely is not as cut-and-dried and it would appear in some books.

I used grapefruit seed extract in the beginning but had very bad reactions to that. Be careful with the antifungals you take. They can be hard on you and the diet will be tough as it is, both emotionally and physically. The yeast will go bananas for a while.

Best of luck.


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## mamabeard (Sep 27, 2002)

bebe luna~ thankyou thankyou thankyou!








man, this is an expensive disease!

gale force, thanks. i'm trying to not get my hopes up about any speedy recovery. but, hey, i've had pretty severe chronic pain (was diagnosed with fibromyalgia) for almost 4 years now, so if this last hump is exceptionally steep, i don't care, as long as i feel better in the end!

any thots on breastfeeding while on the diet? i have an 8 wk old to worry about too..


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## rrr (Aug 8, 2003)

fungus and yeast, including thrush, are something we have discussed at great length in our LLL meeting.

here is a summary of what we felt was helpful.

1. double, triple, quadruple the veggies, especially the fresh and raw veggies, in your diet.

2. see fruits as individual. choose high fiber fruits like berries, apples, etc. bananas, for example, are super sweet and starchy. some felt that the ascorbic acid in citrus killed their positive bacteria and worsened their condition.

3.eliminate flour. period. no meals or snacks based on flour. (like noodles, bagels, bread, etc)

4.make your carbohydrates as complex and fibrous as possible.
like beans, beans, beans. raw carrot. broccoli. whole unprocessed grains. (not whole wheat flour bread) brown rice, wheat germ. rye crackers that say, whole grain rye, salt. (no flour or yeast)

5.let grains be 1/5 or 1/6 of the whole or less. they turn quickly to sugar in the blood. sugar is what feeds the fungus and yeast.

6.make a mini-meal that included veggies and protein every time you eat or snack. fiber and protein reduce the glycemic reaction.

7.broaden your choice of proteins: tofu and tempeh, some nuts, meat, some cheese, egg, all kinds of beans and all the wonderful things made from garbonzo beans, like hummous.

8.make a very good local yogurt your source of dairy and reduce milk.

9. totally cut out juice---it's way sweet. eat fruit and drink water instead.

10. cut out sweetened soy and rice drinks, too--it's a lot of sugar.
you're better off with the tempeh.

11. do things that restore normal salty PH in your body. hot salty soups and miso soup and beans cooked with kombu and garlic. enough sleep, enough exercise. eat bitter things like leafy greens.

12. garlic, garlic, garlic.

13. probiotics: acidopholus, etc.

14. fermented foods like saurkraut promote positive bacteria.

15. plenty of water.

this WHOLE FOODS approach will be an excellent breastfeeding diet. you don't have to deprive youself, just make it really complex.

try to get to an LLL meeting soon. it'll be great.

you'll be feeling better soon as your baby starts to sleep a little more--you sleep when baby sleeps--that will make you healthy.

rrr


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

mamabeard,

You will be healthier because of this diet and so you should be in better shape to care for your baby. You don't need sugar to live and, in fact, it's a bad thing. Cutting it out should only help your baby. You may have some difficulty in the beginning making the change and caring for such a young one, so just go at the pace that is possible for you -- don't load up on strong antifungals that will throw you into a tailspin. Be cautious, but definitely watch what you are eating.

I have read that people treat fibromyalgia with the same diet though I really don't know anything about it myself. But I am hopeful that this diet will change your life and give you the energy you need for your family.

Amanda


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## rrr (Aug 8, 2003)

i forgot to say that the reason for no flour---no meals based on flour--is because refined starches turn so quickly to sugar.

you need food your body has work on a long time to break down. these are in all colors---the only good whites are radishes and parsnips, etc. a little potato is ok, too. only a little.

but boy, oh, boy--you can fill up on all the other colors.

i use wheat germ ad flax seed as a salad topping.

eat hearty! beans and salad! woo-hoo!

rrr


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## mamabeard (Sep 27, 2002)

i don't have time to reply tonight, but i wanted to say thanks for the replies!


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## mamabeard (Sep 27, 2002)

sorry for taking so long to reply. i've been trying to sort out the contracdictions i keep bumping into all over the place.

in the yeast connection cookbook, it says i'm not allowed to have any legumes, fruit or soy for the first stage of the diet (supposedly 3 weeks).. i'm going to go all the way with this, cuz if those things are going to set me back, it'll be pointless.

also.. what about brown rice? i've read in most places that it's okay in the first stage.. and i'm loving rice cakes with nut butter. helps a bit with the bread craving. and what about rice noodles? i haven't seen those mentioned.

man, i spent 50 dollars at the health food store last night on just a few packs of nuts and seeds, rice cakes, quinoa and veggies. and it looks like it'll only last me a few days..

oh, and anyone know about org. veggie bouillon cubes? are they okay? what about lemon? and i'm assuming spices are out, too, if they're not fresh?

thanks


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

I know everyone has a different idea of what is OK and it's very frustrating. I'm not sure what God or Mother nature would have to say about it, but what I did was cut out all grains at first (which would include all of the rice products you mentioned) and I cut out lemon except for small amounts in cooking. I added a small amount of beans after the first 10 days because I was concerned about my milk supply and my rapid weight loss.


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## Yin Yang (Jul 9, 2003)

I was wondering the same thing about Miso! I love Miso soup and my mom told me that it is great at treating yeast........what do yoy think? Itis fermented after all.........


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## mamabeard (Sep 27, 2002)

i heard that miso isn't allowed myself. i love it too..

okay, so i was on a pretty strict diet for three days and felt SO sick







and starving and spacey and just generally weird. i guess those are withdrawal symptoms? ugh.. anyway, i caved and bought pizza. felt better, but now i get to start over.. if any of you had those sick, crappy feelings, how long did they last?

i think my plan will be to eat rice and tempeh as well as veggies and nuts for a week or two and then wean off of them slowly so that my body doesn't have to make such a huge adjustment all at once..


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## rrr (Aug 8, 2003)

i have a couple suggestions, of course.

1. scroll back and read my long post from 10/16.

this is an anti yeast diet that won't leave you spaced out.

you gotta' have veggies, you gotta' have protein, each and every time.

2.read what hilary has been writing about kefir over in the vaccine thread called, it' official....

the point is that cultured and fermented foods make a healthy digestive tract. go to www.kefir.net

there are also sites that talk about fermented vegetables like kim chee and saurkraut (not processed with heat). these are for intestinal health.

to me, spaced out sounds like unstable blood sugar. go back and read my 10/16 post. sorry you're feeling bad.

rrr


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## Yin Yang (Jul 9, 2003)

rrr ~ I think that mamabeard it very aware of candida diet in ALL ways, what she should and should not eat. She asked about the tempeh b/c it is not mentioned in that book she is reading. Correct me if I am wrong.


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