Disclosure: I am not a medical expert. All ideas and opinions expressed here are my own and personal. I would recommend you check with your medical advisor before making any changes.
Earlier this year I shared with you a diet plan that I was following and I really consider myself accountable for updating you on the progress of it and also updating you on my entire diet-journey. Well, before that circa end of last year I did another cleanse diet which I followed diligently for a good four months- it was my CANDIDA CLEANSE diet.
WHY I DID THE CANDIDA CLEANSE?
Mid last year I was contracting frequent yeast infections, post-periods, post-intercourse, any little messing around with my VJJ was giving me these terrible infections. I was getting tested right and left for all potential underlying problems but every test kept coming back negative. I changed my laundry detergent, swapped my fancy undies for light cotton ones, I even changed my tampons/contraceptives, switched to BPA-free, non-latex, organic ones but nothing helped. Since it was confirmed that there was no medical problem, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went down the rabbit hole trying to find out a cure to this and there it was- Candida was the problem.
WHAT IS CANDIDA ALBICANS?
Candida albicans is the most common cause of genital yeast infections. Normally, a type of bacteria called Lactobacillus keeps the amount of Candida in the genital area under control. However, when Lactobacillus levels are disrupted in some way, Candida can overgrow and cause an infection. A round of Antibiotics targeted towards this bacteria helps, but if it is not administered the right way, the infection is likely to recur. That's exactly what went wrong in my case. The antibiotics were killing the good bacteria in my system, which I should have replenished with probiotics and lactobacillus supplements, and hence the infection wouldn't clear- it kept recurring.
WHAT IS CANDIDA CLEANSE DIET
Rule of thumb for this diet- any kind of sugary food/drink needs to be eliminated cuz the candida breeds on sugar. So fruits, starchy vegetables, white rice, starchy foods, desserts, gluten, lactose, fats, alcohol, sugary-drinks, you name it and it was out of the charts. Eggs, grilled meats, fish, yogurt, water, brown rice, quinoa, gluten-free snacks- these were my foodie friends for the first month. Initially it sounded really intimidating but once I set my mind to it- it was a breeze. I even went on a cruise and I had no problem feeding myself whatsoever. I learned to navigate around the restrictions. The normal course of this diet is one month but the way my body felt, I decided to stick to it.
FOUR MONTHS LATER
I did the cleanse diet for November-December 2019 and January and February-2020. I had never felt so good and my infection had cleared too. Everything felt normal. Mid February I was due for my annual physical checkup and to my surprise my LDL levels were high- I had high cholesterol. Not significantly high but still high, at least to me it was a red flag. Never had I ever suffered from cholesterol imbalance but there it was- right in my face. I hadn't been drinking or smoking, I was eating healthy and right, I was working out 3-4 times a week, my work and stress life was balanced, and yet I had cholesterol.
THE EAT AFTER 7 PM DIET
This diet worked for me in the sense that I could eat and still stay in control of my weight. I followed this for a good two months until this pandemic threw me off the wagon. Read my entire experience of this diet .
MY HUSBAND'S DIET JOURNEY
Changing gears here: since hubs hasn't been exercising much, thanks to the pandemic and work overload- he decided to cut back on eating fatty foods, carbs and go on something I would call a mini version of intermittent fasting. He was able to keep the weight off, but a couple months into this lifestyle he started feeling tired, he was tired all the time. His body would hurt, muscles would twitch, and he would just want to stay in bed. I pushed him to see a doctor and the diagnosis was vitamin D and B12 deficiency, everything else was normal. He now takes prescription level weekly vitamin D and B12 supplements. He also had to start eating some fat for better absorption of vitamin D.
NOW WHY I WROTE THIS POST
One, I feel accountable for updating you on my diet journey that you all were. a part of .
Second, I wanted to throw light on the fact that both my husband and I had health issues after we went on these diets. I had cholesterol when I wasn't eating unhealthy and my husband had vitamin D and B12 deficiency when he wasn't eating unhealthy.
The truth is that these diets are just a fad. It's such a sale gimmick. Unless you have a life-threatening medical condition, I wouldn't recommend putting yourself through such upheavals. Don't follow the herd, listen to your body. Everyone's needs are different and personal. What might suit me, might not be a good fit for you. Our body is an institution and an institution succeeds only when the members of the institution are happy. Each part of our body needs a specific nutrient to run smoothly and that can only be done through a variety of food intake. Moderation is the key.
A recent study proved that people who are vegan are more likely to end up with bone related issues in their older age. I generally don't take any supplements, but when I went gluten-free a few years ago, I had to take magnesium supplements, otherwise I would get muscles spasms. I would get all tingly and shaky. I went gluten free by choice but then unknowingly I was hurting myself cuz longer use of magnesium has been associated with causing heart attacks- BAM!!! I meant to do good but them depriving my body of one thing led to another deprivation and this chain goes on.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LIFESTYLE
After all the life changes and medical bills, both hubs and I decided to bring back the foods that we grew up eating. We now eat everything, but in moderation. I've reduced my portion size, but increased my frequency of eating. I eat three smaller, balanced meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner and squeeze in two snacks to avoid the slump. I eat all vegetables and fruits, I eat starch, carbs but no bread, healthy fats like ghee, olive oil, I eat less sugar, refrain from drinking sugary drinks and juices, and exercise 3-4 times a week. I would have rather had higher cholesterol eating all the garbage versus eating a healthy yogi diet.
