27 Aug toxic sugar – cravings and candida albicans
There is one more possibility! It is a yeast fungus and it is everywhere. It is called candida albicans. The problem is that if you don’t have enough ‘good’ or friendly bacteria in your tummy, it can proliferate to levels that causes things such as leaky gut syndrome. ie. it can bury into your digestive tract and get into your organs. It is no good!
They say that people who are infested with candida albicans have trouble losing weight, and it could be caused by a course of antibiotics, or your digestive FLORA being out of wack, but first lets look at the symptoms:
If you have these symptoms, you might be infested with candida:
- coated tongue (this can also be caused by a dairy intolerance), but I for one, still have a coated tongue, except at the top – and this is interesting, the tip of your tongue represents the top of your digestion system, and the back of your tongue represents the health of your lower digestive system.
- skin and nail infections: such as athletes foot or toenail fungus
- feeling tired or worn out like chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
- digestive issues such as bloating, constipation or diarrhoea
- difficulty concentrating, ADHD, brain fog, poor memory or lack of focus
- irritability, mood swings, anxiety or depression
- vaginal infections , urinary tract infections, rectal itching or vaginal itching
- severe seasonal allergies or itchy ear
- strong sugar and refined carbohydrate cravings
- you also might have sensitivity to food intolerances such as gluten or dairy (not that you should be eating them anyway!)
Do you have many of these symptoms? I don’t have so many, maybe one or two, but I am curious nonetheless!
What can you do to get your intestinal flora back into balance?
The most obvious answer, I would think, is to increase the amount of friendly bacteria in your stomach, which will naturally decrease the amount of candida in your stomach. This can be done by taking a probiotic, and also by consuming that fermented cabbage and miso salad that I was talking about yesterday.
You may also need to starve the fungus by completely abstaining from yeast (any kind of bread, and gluten), sugar (including fruit), alcohol and non fermented soy products. You should also stay away from fried foods.
No small task!
How long do I have to abstain from these foods?
It depends on how infested you are with candida, however, six weeks is a good bench mark. Six weeks without a drink?!? I know! I am planning to up a probiotic supplement (with a high dose of friendly bacteria), and see if that improves things somewhat. If not, it is going to be no alcohol and no sugar (omg), but anything is possible! It would be a good opportunity to give up cigarettes! Without alcohol.
Six weeks of your life, for better weight loss, better mood, and better digestion.
How can you be sure?
There are blood tests you can take to eliminate or indicate a candida albicans infestation. Also there is a test, where you spit into a glass of water on awakening, and if the water is cloudy or shows threads, then you might have candida, although this can easily show a false positive, or false negative.
What can I do about sugar cravings?
If you do have candida, sugar cravings might be the result, and abstaining from all yeast, sugar, alcohol and non fermented soy products for six or more weeks, should improve your condition.
Otherwise, have a piece of fruit, and enjoy the satisfaction that a whole food amount of fructose can have on your constitution.
If all else fails, eat some dark chocolate. It is not an every day food. But sometimes it is better just to have some sugar and get on with your life!
Good luck!! xxo
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