What the heck is candida?

Candida is so common, but what the heck is it?

It was only when I went to England for six months in 2012-2013 to be taken care of by family, that I began to learn about candida and it's connection to CFS and general tiredness. I had a friend who had been on the other side of the world, suffering similar symptoms and had been diagnosed with candida by her naturopath. After reading the book that my friend had read about candida and the candida diet to eliminate it (written by a woman who had unknowingly had candida for most of her life, making her constantly ill and leading to her onset of CFS) I rolled my eyes, kicked the couch and sighed.

It looked like I not only had a classic case of the old chronic fatigue, but a candida infection to keep it company. It's likely that the candida infection came first and left untreated, lead to my CFS too. (Though I did have glandular fever at age 10, so it was probably a combination of contributing factors that weakened the immune system).
The diet was not fun, I'm not going to lie. But the difference it made to my health within a period of 3-4 weeks amazed me. Eating out (even in a cosmopolitan city of options like London) was not easy.
I remember one day we both caught the tube to Canary Wharf and sat by the water with a hot lemon and water and a tiny jar of seeds. It was grim, guys. My friend tried to encourage me by telling me that it's what all the celebrities were doing. Despite hearing this, I persisted with the diet and began to gain strength and spend up to five hours out of the house without fading away after just leaving. 

Enough suspense already. 

What IS Candida??

It's a huge topic with a lot of material on it, but the following are some of the things that I have read about it.

• Candida Albicans is a yeast, related to molds, mildew and fungus. 
• A small amount already lives in our mouth and gut, to help us digest our food and absorb the nutrients
• The population of Candida Albicans can get out of control in the gut after say, a course of antibiotics has killed off a lot of the good bacteria in the lining of your gut as well as the bad bacteria. (The good and bad bacteria make up our gut flora).
• The balance of gut flora are really important for our digestive health and the immune system
• We need the right balance of each kinds of bacteria to keep the Candida Albicans under control 
• When it overproduces it can create microscopic holes in the walls of out intestines, causing undigested food particles (toxic) to enter the blood stream- this is leaky gut syndrome, which can lead to many things that you do not want guys, but I'll post about that later (yay)
• Symptoms of candida can present anywhere inside (digestive system, energy levels, emotions etc) or on (athletes foot, eczema, itchy scalp etc) the body 
• Because a fungal infection is a living organism, it grows when you feed it - namely yeasts and sugars feed it
• Candida releases toxins in the body that weaken our immune systems and cause us to feel sick and tired 
• Untreated candida leads to the immune system being weakened, and consequently can then be linked to the onset of CFS. Dr Anne Macintyre, author of M.E : How To Live With It, predicted that around two thirds of those with CFS were being made sicker by an underlying Candida infection. She also writes that a bad Candida infection can even be fatal if you have Cancer or Aids.

What are the symptoms of a candida overgrowth?

The symptoms of a candida infection will, like those of CFS, vary greatly between people, but here is a limited list of some common symptoms:

• tiredness, persistent fatigue or drowsiness
• difficulty concentrating and remembering
• mood swings, anxiety, tearfulness
• dizziness
• headaches
• spots in front of the eyes 
• bloating, gas, constipation, acid reflux
• acne, athletes foot, eczema, hives, cysts, fungal rash
• white coating on tongue, unpleasant breath, bleeding gums
• sinus congestion, constant cough, sore throat, hayfever symptoms, flu symptoms
• itchy or sore eyes, ringing in ears, ear infections
• recurring urinary tract infections, PMS, menstrual irregularities
• frequent colds & flu, food intolerance, allergies
• muscle and joint pain/stiffness
• inability to lose weight, water retention

... my pre-Candida diet days.

What causes it?

We all have yeast in our bodies, but it's not a problem until our immune systems are no longer fighting fit. When it increases and toxins are released in the body, it weakens the immune system and prevents our antibodies and white blood cells from neutralizing or killing off the bad guys, the yeasts overgrowing in the intestine!
When we get sick and take a course of antibiotics, they kill of the bad bacteria we're trying to fight, but also the good bacteria that lives in the gut. We need this good gut flora to produce vitamins and assist in our digestion process, so it's really important. As I have been learning, anything to do with the health of the gut is really important to our overall health, as it is the root of much of our health.

Common causes of yeast overgrowth:

• antibiotics, particularly 'broad spectrum' antibiotics
• diets high in processed foods, refined carbohydrates and sugar (cakes, biscuits, bread, cereals, soft drinks etc) 
• history of/current frequent alcohol consumption 
• birth control pills
• high stress levels over a prolonged period 
• lack of exercise

How do I know if I have it?

There are questionnaires online (such as this one this one for starters) that can help see the chances of a Candida overgrowth. If you can answer yes to several of the common causes of Candida overgrowth, then your chances of being affected are higher. After reading the symptom lists and answering yes to most of the common causes, I started the diet and my response to it made it clear to me that it was very likely a large factor in my illness.

How do I treat it?

By following the candida diet- free of all sugar and full of meat, fish, non-starchy vegetables and brown rice. Coconut oil and unheated olive oil are particularly good to have when killing off the candida overgrowth, as is garlic, due to it's antibiotic properties that kill the 'bad' guys, but not the 'good'. 

Complete lists of all foods to avoid and to consume are available online, such as here. Cutting down on the foods before eliminating them can help the process to be easier, by avoiding the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms that are experienced when going cold turkey. 

Die off

As the yeast cells are starved and begin to die rapidly, a 'die-off' reaction or 'Herxheimer reaction' can be experienced. Pretty much there can be an increase/worsening of the symptoms of Candida (flu-like symptoms, nausea, muscle and joint pain etc). When they die, yeast cells release 79 different toxins. Drinking lots of water can help flush these toxins out, and taking milk thistle or drinking dandelion tea can aid the liver in processing them. Taking vitamin C twice a day will support the immune system. Rest and sleep will also help too.

Antifungals and probiotics 

These are the other two aspects of the treatment and both are important. 
Antifungals help to kill the yeast cells. You can buy antifungal capsules or pick an option like coconut oil which contains the antifungal, caprylic acid. I used garlic. Add it finely chopped in a salad (raw) or chop and swallow like a pill.  
Probiotics put good bacteria back in to the gut and strengthen the immune system. Probiotics can also be bought in capsule form, different ones containing different strains and ingredients. Probiotic foods such as kefir and homemade yoghurt are also an option, but make sure they're suitable for use when on the Candida diet.
Note that both, particularly antifungals, can cause die-off reactions, so it is wise to take both sparingly to begin with, gradually increasing dosage.

There is often a naturopath working on the shop floor at organic food stores (like Commonsense Organics in Wellington and Huckleberry Farms in Auckland) and they are good to talk to and often in the know about Candida! Otherwise, maybe ask around about a good one that is local? Or at least do some reading if you think there might be a chance that you are a hospitable host of the dreaded yeast!

Candida-friendly recipes are on the way! Trust me, when you decide to cut the coffee and chocolate for the health benefits, you need some recipe inspiration.

DISCLAIMER- I am not a qualified practitioner of any kind, the information on this blog has come from my own personal research for my own health. I'm by no means suggesting that you are sick or dying of anything that I write about, just sharing information that I have myself found useful.

Mondays, Auckland

The other cafe that I was very excited to visit was Mondays in Kingsland. 

I have been following both Eleanor Ozich of Petite Kitchen and Hannah Horton of Health Yeah online for some time now. Both of their sites were starting points for me when deciding to start clean eating (more on clean eating later) and cut refined sugar completely out of my diet. So when I read about their plans to join forces and create a blissful spot that produced beautiful wholefoods, free of sugar, preservatives and additives, I knew that it would bring new found positive association to the very word 'Mondays'. 

Swiss decaf flat white with cashew milk

Four of us managed to secure a spot outside in the sunshine on Sunday afternoon. We sliced and diced an assortment of raw vegan treats with our smoothies and decafs (I still can't resist a cheeky decaf sometimes, I told you how I feel about coffee) and the creamy mint slice with 'chocolate' icing was the biggest hit with our party of four. Even the boy that opposes sweet things liked his segment of said peppermint paradise in a mouthful, which he chased down with his spelt bread sandwich. The hazelnut torte and banoffee slice also made me question why we use bleached white sugar when things can taste so good without it. Dessert that doesn't suppress your immune system? WHY NOT!

Green smoothie fix

 The green kale smoothie was delicimo and the girls said that the strawberry smoothie tasted  "naughty" but obviously was anything but. The swiss decaf with cashew milk  was strong enough to satisfy coffee cravings and I LOVE the addition of nut  milk to coffee. Was a little excited to see that bottled coconut water was available, and a lot excited to see bottled kombucha (fermented tea drink full of probiotics) on hand too! These girls are so clued up as to what our bodies  actually need and thrive on, as opposed to what is convenient and full of  ingredients that by no means strengthen our systems, but on the contrary,  make us tired and sick.

Having been gluten and dairy free for sixteen years now, it is SO GREAT to finally have such options become more readily available.  And Mondays goes three steps further, also removing all the other junk that we fill ourselves with and implementing the wholefood options that we can all benefit from.

Excited to see what Eleanor and Hannah's next inspired project is!

Stop by-

503B New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland.

Monday-Sunday 8am-3pm

Little Bird Unbakery, Auckland.

Teecino Herbal Coffee

Sneaked in a sneaky flying visit to Auckland on the weekend for my dear friend Susan's law graduation. We wandered up the road in the sun and dined at Little Bird in Kingsland. The last time I was in town Sus had taken me for lunch at Little Bird in Ponsonby, which proved to be a very novel experience.. because I could eat stuff! After eight months of not being able to eat out, it was SO good! So this time we went to their smaller base in Kingsland and had ourselves a merry little time.

Raw Mexican Platter

I'm always a sucker for Mexican, so I went for the Raw Mexican Platter. The sun dried tomato crackers and guacamole were worth my fare in flights alone, so the addition of coriander only made a good situation even better. Refreshing but filling, this meal made me WISH that Little Bird would nest in Wellington too! 

Acai Bowl

I am now (mostly) caffeine free, which is not the funnest achievement when coffee to you, is like a beloved sibling. But it is necessary for adrenal fatigue recovery, so I was happy to try Teecino herbal coffee for the first time. I got a side of nut milk with it (also a perk of Auckland, nut milk in cafes) and it was delicious. It's made of organic carob, barley, chicory, dates, almonds, figs and natural hazelnut flavour. I'm not really meant to have barley, chicory, dates and figs on the Gaps/Candida diet, but Susan only becomes a lawyer once guys!

The lawyer got the Acai bowl and said it was really good. Acai berries are rich in antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids. With oats and banana too, it was tasty and filling. She also got the cacao smoothie, which I tried and loved. Rich, chocolatey flavour, minus the refined sugar and blood sugar crashes!

Their cabinet was brimming with refined sugar- free brownies, cakes,  tarts and cheesecakes was very tempting too. I'm currently only using honey and stevia as sweeteners though and Little Bird didn't  have any sweets in house made with them, moreso agave. But I  would definitely recommend ducking in (bird joke) and trying their  healthy, delicious array on offer! It's a small premises, so worst case scenario is that you'll have to get hard- to- find healthy wholefoods take away!

Refined sugar free treats

Find Little Bird Unbakery at 385 New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland. 

Open 8am-2.30pm Monday to Friday, 8am-3pm Saturday and Sunday.

Recipe: Peach garlic kick smoothie

Hey team,

Tried again with the green smoothie (this one's more of a mustard colour) with garlic today. Cut down to 1 clove of garlic, will slowly increase the amount of this natural anti fungal healer as I get used to it. Today was a success! No disasters! There are enough disasters in life, so when I make a smoothie, I just want things to go well, you know?

I used a can of peaches in juice and drained and rinsed them, to get rid of the refined sugar. These were additive free ones too, so while they're not in season, this way will  keep you peachy keen year round. Threw an egg in for protein, I use free range, so they're salmonella safe because the birds were likelier to be healthy. 

Even with the garlic, this was a very pleasant drink! Try it. I dare you.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic

handful of parsley

1/4 cucumber

2 tbspn grated root ginger

1 egg 

can of peaches
half cup lite coconut milk
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Method

1. Finely dice garlic and throw in to the blender, with rinsed and chopped cucumber, parsley.

2. Grate and add fresh ginger

3. Throw in the egg and the can of rinsed peaches

4. Add the coconut milk and almond milk 

5. Blend and serve and, as always, 

enjoy!

Disaster smoothie with great results.

Still full from a big lunch out today, I decided to just make a smoothie for dinner. I make smoothies everyday, but decided to make my first vegetable smoothie for tea.

It tasted LIKE DEATH. But I felt so different afterward. 

I have had particularly bad brain fog (unable to concentrate, think of the words you want, mental confusion) for the past four days, so the sudden mental clarity and alertness was very noticeable! I wanted to pause the flat movie night and ask the girls if this is how normal people (healthier folk) feel all the time. I know that there is a whole realm of information about the health benefits of vegetable smoothies and juices, and now I am determined to try a combination of ingredients that are actually tolerable!

Tonight's smoothie contained three raw garlic cloves (have been reading of this amazing natural antibiotic) parsley, coriander, a carrot, fresh ginger, lemon and zest, grapefruit and zest, quarter of a cucumber and about half a cup of water. Needs some green apple, beet or more carrot to conceal the garlic better. Easily done.

So obviously super fueled with antioxidants, it was bitter and spicy. I'll be working on a sweeter (or at least more palatable) recipe to share- but just wanted to share of the effects felt! If you have CFS or feel like you're just always exhausted, you can imagine how exciting it was to have a sharper mind and noticeable increase in mental energy . Hopefully this will make kicking the coffee habit easier (more on this reluctant move soon).

Do you make vege smoothies or juices? And do you notice the benefits? xx

Immune system strengthening smoothie recipe!

Inspired by the book reviewed in my last post, I just whizzed up this gem of a drink! Full of highly nutritious fruit and vegetables, this refreshing smoothie is sweet, without need of any additional sweeteners. I sometimes like to make mine so thick that I eat it out of a huge cup with a spoon, like a pudding. As is the case with this one. Just add more milk for milky smoothie consistency.

Ingredients

1/2 a fresh beetroot

1/4 of a lemon, skin left on

2 tbspn grated root ginger

1 green apple

1 handful fresh spinach or 1 cube defrosted frozen spinach

1 handful of parsley

1 kiwifruit

1 tbspn virgin coconut oil

30ml (or desired amount) coconut milk
1 cup (or thereabouts) unsweetened almond milk

Method

1. Rinse fruit and vegetables

2. Grate ginger, add to blender (store remainder in the freezer to keep it fresh for next time!)

3. Add chopped kiwifruit and green apple and peeled and chopped beetroot 

4. Throw in the parsley and spinach

5. Chop the lemon finely, leaving the skin on (MANY nutrients are found in the skin)

6. Add the coconut oil, coconut milk and unsweetened almond milk and blend until you reach the consistency of your dreams!

Enjoy!

Book review: Eat to Boost Your Immunity

Eat to Boost Your  Immunity by Kirsten Hartvig

I'm really interested in learning more about the immune system, what we can do to strengthen it, and the role that it plays in illness. There are so many things that we can do to strengthen our health, and I believe that what we choose to eat can make or break our health. I know that in my experience that proves to be true, anyway.

I've been flicking through this book and though it's specific focus on CFS is minimal, it does state the following:

"The best way to prevent or manage CFS is through detoxification, and following a diet rich in foods that enhance resistance to disease and support immunity." 

Author, Hartvig advises eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking plenty of pure water to boost immunity. She suggests eating foods with high levels of vitamin B5 and C, calcium, zinc, magnesium and essential fatty acids for CFS, while vitamin C and zinc (as well as vitamin A and selenium) are also good for combating stress.

Hartvig includes a list of superfoods for CFS: avocado, banana, beans, beetroot, blackcurrant, borage, chamomile, cleavers, echinacea, grapefruit, green leaves, liquorice root, muesli, nuts, okra, papaya, peas, red pepper, rice, tempeh, tofu and wheatgrass. 

Her list of superfoods for stress is the same as for CFS, with the additions of cabbage, carrot, lavender, lemon balm, lentils, mango, oats, oranges and strawberries. 

An easy, understandable tread, the book delves into the relationships between the immune system and health, and food and the immune system. It also contains profiles on multiple superfoods, recipes for immune boosting foods, and which foods can aid in certain ailments. 

The following recipes are recommended for those wanting to prevent and treat CFS, though they'd benefit anyone's immune system!

Grapefruit salad

1 grapefruit, peeled and cut into segments
1 avocado, peeled, stoned, sliced
1 endive, thinly sliced (leaf vegetable from chicory family, could replace with kale)
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
100g bean sprouts
1 bunch watercress
1 lime, to dress salad

Combine all the ingredients in a salad bowl. Add some lime dressing, garnish with watercress and serve immediately.

Immuni-tea

2 parts nettles

1 part borage

1 part cleavers

1 part echinacea

1 part liquorice

1 part thyme

Mix the herbs well. Use 1 teaspoon or herb mixture per cup of boiling water. Place the herbs in a warmed teapot, add the boiling water, cover, and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Book review: Love and Fatigue in America

Love and Fatigue in America by Roger King

I've just finished this biographical novel of British author, Roger King. It tells of King's arrival in small town America, where he has come to teach at university, and is then stricken with the painful affliction of a mystery illness. Sound familiar?

King's journey spans seven years, encountering many doctors and their various responses to his struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome. Some of them are compassionate, some of them are miseducated and some of them are scams. King's retelling of visits to hosts of doctors are entertaining and humorous, while also making me regret paying the same kinds of characters to do weird, fruitless alternative stuff too.We're walked through the decline of his career, conversations with those that don't shun him in sickness, contrasting cultures of America to his London hometown, the American healthcare system and the transformation of his expectations and contentedness in life.

Lavish with openness and honesty (which I value greatly!) King shares about his sudden, debilitating physical weakness and his need to constantly be lying down, in one early instance, collapsing in the gym, and often trying to conceal his complete brain fog, confusion and urgent need for rest by laboring to put one foot in front of the other and keep a straight face. He also tells of his attempt to energise the body with cold water therapy, having cold swims and showers prior to energy consuming events. We are let in to his world, his thoughts, his new lifestyle that he learns how to cope with and his string of unsuccessful relationships where his health changes dynamics greatly. Arriving not knowing anyone, then moving around over the years in quest for comfort and affection, King's only constant companion in the book is his canine friend, Arthur.

Reading this was somewhat therapeutic for me. Having someone intricately describe a personal struggle with some aspects seeming almost identical to your own, is comforting. You are reminded that you are not actually the only one to be facing such hardship, but that someone else knows it and feels it too. There is relief to be found, in reading about another's experience of an illness that is often ignored or disputed by the mainstream medical world.
I would recommend this read, if not only for insight in to someone else's experience with CFS and how they choose to view it. There is definitely some hard earned wisdom to be taken from these pages.

MY STORY

It was in the Autumn of 2012 that my health began to rapidly dwindle. My energy was long lost, no strength remained within arm's reach, and everything including my arms began to ache. I became bedridden and isolated in my own whirlwind of illness and consequent depression. 

Two Autumns have passed and I am progressively gaining strength, after gaining much experience and knowledge of illness, health, and various factors that keep the two notions separate. Join me on my journey as I endeavour to learn more about what makes for a healthy individual, as I put this chronic fatigue to rest.

History

At the age of nine I had glandular fever for about two months.

I had a persistent sore throat, cough and throat clearing thing going on throughout childhood. It drove my mother crazy. The GP diagnosed it as asthma and prescribed inhalers. At the age of ten I was told by a naturopath that this was due to a dairy, wheat, rye and barley intolerance. My diet changed dramatically. My ten year old self hated that naturopath! No longer was the table laden with raspberry buns, Madeira cake and chocolate milk aplenty. Instead I carried around almonds and raisins everywhere I went and reluctantly made the switch to soy milk and corn thins. But I did get down to a healthier weight and with the diet and truckload of supplements, my health strengthened somewhat.

Energy levels

I was often tired. I don't remember so much before the glandular fever, but definitely recall low energy levels after it. I would go through phases of excessive tiredness and then seem to recover for a time. I would try everything, from sleep inducing foods, herbal sleeping pills and lavender baths and earlier bedtimes, to protein shakes, spirulina and the coffee addiction that began at fourteen. I started to 'recover' less as the years went on, often missing a lot of university from age twenty to twenty three because of sheer exhaustion. I could not keep my eyes open. I had to study part time because I had such a seemingly weak constitution, I was always just hanging on. But doctors had always put tiredness down to lack of exercise (which would definitely have been a factor) or depression, or the ho-hum response, "well your blood tests have come back normal, so just see how you go, and maybe come back in a few months if it's still the same."

Stress 

I was going through a particularly stressful period and was then in a car accident. This lead to further stress with insurance companies and disputes tribunals and car purchasing. I began to enter one of those 'phases' of exhaustive fatigue again, but this time I couldn't kick it.

Symptoms

The fatigue became much worse, to the point where not only did I have to leave university and barely leave the the house, but I couldn't pour the jug without using two hands or go to get the phone without becoming breathless. I also experienced the following symptoms:

• sore glands
• dizziness
• nausea
• loss of appetite
• joint pain
• muscular pain
• headaches
• brain fog 
• chest pain 
• shaky hands
• red eyes
• thinning hair
• weight loss
• dependence on coffee and energy drinks to get anything done

Progress

After suffering with the symptoms and the consequent depression and significant life changes, I started learning. It took a while to get a diagnosis, I had to go to multiple doctors, and finally travel to see one who specialised in CFS. Though relieved and grateful to finally receive diagnosis, there was no treatment plan and no cure. I was clueless. Where do you start? After trying bed rest (I didn't have any choice) and weekly vitamin b injections, I saw no progress. I started to read whenever I felt strong enough, trying to gain any knowledge that may help. The next year I discovered the role that diet could play in CFS and autoimmune illness, as well as how possible underlying factors of the illness could be addressed. I started to regain strength slowly, only to lose it again, to gain it....and so on. 

My goal now is not just to recover, but to try and be of help and encouragement to anyone else who finds themselves weak, sick and clueless as to why, and what to do next. 

Now let us continue to learn about immune health, fighting illness and gaining strength!

Love,

Scarlett 

The Chronic Stuff

This is a piece I wrote recently for Christian Today Australia about my Christian faith and experience with CFS.
The chronic stuff - my personal walk