Dealing With Candida And Digestive Problems

Lincoln-Imp

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Mar 18, 2013
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Hey everyone, I'm new here but was wondering if there was anyone that was able to give me some advice or had some experience with these issues. On another message board I use someone, they are a Ray Peat fan, recommended a diet low in fat that included lots of fruit, tubers and fish to heal the gut. I keep trying to go at a diet like this but I'm not totally convinced it is going to help me.

I have been having bloating and constipation problems for 3 or 4 years now, I'm really not sure what foods are causing the problems. I know I have candida though so I know that is one of the things I have to clear up. I do believe a diet low in fat is good for me as when I have tried high fattening foods (avocados, coconut oil, olive oil etc) I always have acne break outs, that is something I would prefer to avoid!

As far as I'm aware I'm okay with fruits but as I'm always bloated I can feel much worse after eating fruit. This could be nothing to do with the fruit however and to do with something else I'm eating. Tubers such as sweet potatoes I'm not to sure on, they are a big part of my diet at the moment. I know other starches such as rice are very bad on my digestion so I guess sweet potatoes could be to.

In regards to fish I'm not sure I'm all that great with animal protein, maybe due to a lack of stomach acid?

Anyway I was wondering what do you guys think of this sort of diet to fix the problems I have? Or do you have any recommendations?

Thanks
 

kiran

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Fruits have a bunch of fiber which can feed gut bacteria which can result in bloating, OJ with no pulp is much preferable.
I'd prefer white potatoes. Sweet potatoes have carotenes (stressful on the liver) and cyanogenic glycosides which are anti-thyroid.

What kind of fish are you eating?
 
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Lincoln-Imp

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Are there any fruits that would be safe to eat? At the moment I eat a whole load of grapes each day, papaya, pineapple and sometimes kiwi's. I shall have to give the OJ a try and also white potatoes in place of sweet potatoes.

The fish I eat is either cod, salmon, shrimps or prawns. I would like oysters but haven't been able to find anywhere that sells them here.

Overall pretty much my whole diet is the foods listed above along with carrots. I feel the urge to cheat all the time due to lack of variety and I never really feel that full. Is there anything safe I could add to it or does it need a big overhaul?
 

kiran

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Papaya can be estrogenic. Pineapple has high serotonin. Grapes should be ok.

Cod and Salmon have lots of PUFA, you really want to stop eating those. Shellfish are fine.

Carrots should be eaten raw, perhaps eaten as a salad shredded lengthwise with vinegar.
 

Ingenol

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kiran said:
Papaya can be estrogenic. Pineapple has high serotonin. Grapes should be ok.

Cod and Salmon have lots of PUFA, you really want to stop eating those. Shellfish are fine.

Carrots should be eaten raw, perhaps eaten as a salad shredded lengthwise with vinegar.
The total fat content of Cod (provided it's skinless filets) is so low that I would think it should be fine, no? I was under the impression it has no more PUFA per ounce than any other white fish.

For example the frozen Cod filets sold around here claim to be fat-free per 4 oz. serving. Obviously they're playing off the margin of error the FDA allows in food labels, but it should remain that the meat contains very little fat overall, even if it's mostly O3, like all fish.
 

kiran

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Ingenol said:
The total fat content of Cod (provided it's skinless filets) is so low that I would think it should be fine, no? I was under the impression it has no more PUFA per ounce than any other white fish.

For example the frozen Cod filets sold around here claim to be fat-free per 4 oz. serving. Obviously they're playing off the margin of error the FDA allows in food labels, but it should remain that the meat contains very little fat overall, even if it's mostly O3, like all fish.

I don't know, I haven't done much research on fish in general.

I personally mostly stick to shellfish and beef for meat.
 

jaa

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According to PHD the protein% / fat% for cod is 92% / 8%. Nutrition data says 1 fillet contains 1.5g of total fat - 0.3g sat, 0.2g mono, and 0.5g PUFA. It's fat content seems pretty benign.
 

Mittir

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Ray Peat commented that people with bad digestion problem should not eat any kind of starch.
Fiber should be avoided except for raw carrot salad or cooked bamboo shoots.
RP is ok with very low fat fish but i have noticed problem with all kind of fish except for very fresh fish.
I mostly buy live fish and then cook it the same day. Histamine content starts going up, the moment fish dies.
If you have access to very fresh fish try those.
Beef/ Lamb meat stay fresh for longer time, 2-3 weeks. I do better with beef and lamb.
RP strongly suggest dairy. If you have problem with milk you can try cottage cheese or greek yogurt.
Hard cheese are also very high in histamine.
You can also get adjusted to milk if you start with very small intake. I started with 1/2 cup and slowly build up to 1 quart over a 3 month period.
Collagen Hydrolysate is easy to digest and very helpful. Many people have problem with regular gelatin.
I mostly drink strained Oj and grape juices. Raw sugar is ofter less allergenic than honey.
 

Jenn

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White potatoes are the best for healing the gut, very bowel forming. If you have constipation issues, stick with white potatoes as the basis of the diet. A white potato is NOT just starch. A good potato soup, cooked at least 30-40 minutes is probably the best form at this point in time. Maybe with a little gelatin. Aloe vera mixed with juice is good too.
 

Beebop

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Ray Peat recommended white fish to me in an email, as well as shellfish:
"Oysters, shrimp, squid, cod, and sole would help to restore normal thyroid function" Ray Peat

Good luck with the candida, I think there's a thread that deals with sulfur powder/flowers of sulfur which can be used to treat candida and digestion problems. I don't have any experience with that though!

You can read about Salmon (and fatty fish) here:
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/fishoil.shtml
 

Jenn

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The most important thing is to avoid cellulose. Undigested cellulose feeds bad gut flora. Fruit juice is going to be better than whole fruit at this point in time. Avoid most veggies. Peel your potatoes. Coconut oil is good for you, but only if your body can use it. Eat more carbs to compensate for lack of fat.

Check your pH. I have a friend with candida issues. She says it goes away when her pH is right.
 

Mittir

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Jenn said:
The most important thing is to avoid cellulose. Undigested cellulose feeds bad gut flora. Fruit juice is going to be better than whole fruit at this point in time. Avoid most veggies. Peel your potatoes. Coconut oil is good for you, but only if your body can use it. Eat more carbs to compensate for lack of fat.

Check your pH. I have a friend with candida issues. She says it goes away when her pH is right.


Ray Peat mentioned in interviews that cellulose is the only safe fiber besides bamboo shoot and carrot. He is against soluble fibers, like pectin and inulin.
 

Jenn

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Digested cellulose is beneficial, undigested cellulose is not. A cooked carrot is NOT beneficial. We do not make cellulase, unlike a cow. There can be cellulase in the food, but it has to be raw and chewed thoroughly in order to activate it. Most people do not chew as well as a cow does.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/eastwesthe ... -endotoxin
Around 74 minutes, give or take is the reference to cooked carrots feeding bad bacteria/endotoxin.

At about 83 minutes is a reference to yeast/candida.
 

Mittir

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Jenn said:
Digested cellulose is beneficial, undigested cellulose is not. A cooked carrot is NOT beneficial. We do not make cellulase, unlike a cow. There can be cellulase in the food, but it has to be raw and chewed thoroughly in order to activate it. Most people do not chew as well as a cow does.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/eastwesthe ... -endotoxin
Around 74 minutes, give or take is the reference to cooked carrots feeding bad bacteria/endotoxin.

At about 83 minutes is a reference to yeast/candida.

Ray Peat did not mention anything about digesting cellulose there.
Half of carrot fiber is pectin, which feeds bad and good bacteria.
But raw carrot is antiseptic/antibacterial, so is saturated fat and vinegar.
He suggested adding vinegar and oil to increase this antiseptic action.
Cooking would make pectin more available to bacteria and will destroy the antiseptic ability.
Insoluble fiber works like a broom to reduce estrogen and endotoxin.
Bamboo shoot is 92 percent insoluble fiber and 8 percent soluble and also has
antiseptic quality. The reason he suggested these two fiber source because of their
antiseptic quality and insoluble fiber content.
 
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Lincoln-Imp

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Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm still in a bit of a struggle as I have a feeling on what I want to give up but have no idea what to replace them with. First thing is the sweet potatoes, they are a huge part of my diet so to give them up will be tough. Starches like rice & rice cakes can put my gut to a stand still, I imagine sweet potatoes to digest easier than those but of course if they are bad for a gut not in the best way then I shall have to say fair well for now.

Fruit is another food that plays a major part of my diet, drop that and I have barely anything left to eat. I may have to keep these for now and see how I go along with keeping them as part of my diet. I shall keep the cod, prawns, shrimps etc but cut out the salmon. I would like to give oysters a try when I can find a store that sells them around here.

I have purchased some Collagen Hydrolysate by Great Lakes so I hope that can help out my digestion. In regards to milk I once tried some whole milk but my acne got significantly worse so I dropped that. As it has a fair amount of fat would an alternative like organic semi-skimmed be okay? I have some cheddar cheese in at the moment but I don't believe it is or organic so I don't believe that will be suitable. I think about including eggs in my diet but I always seem to struggle with these so I think that shall have to be a no no.
 
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Lincoln-Imp

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I forgot to ask how much Collagen Hydrolysate should I be taking? On the container it recommends 2 tablespoons a day but I didn't know if I should be having more considering my gut isn't in the best way. Also, I am ingesting around two teaspoons of raw manuka honey a day. Does anyone know if this could help with any of my troubles?
 

Mittir

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Lincoln-Imp said:
I forgot to ask how much Collagen Hydrolysate should I be taking? On the container it recommends 2 tablespoons a day but I didn't know if I should be having more considering my gut isn't in the best way. Also, I am ingesting around two teaspoons of raw manuka honey a day. Does anyone know if this could help with any of my troubles?

I have noticed good benefits just from 1 tbs. I have heard RP saying that up to 50% of your dietary protein can be in gelatine form, especially for adults. I have read some articles where 5 grams of glycine had lots of health benefits. So i try to get this amount of glycine from 20 grams of gelatine protein. Dry gelatine powder is about 85% protein. I am not sure about the protein content of hydrolysate gelatine. RP also suggested to avoid tryptophan rich food before bed, so best protein after sunset is gelatine. It would be a good idea to increase your gelatine dose slowly.
 
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Lincoln-Imp

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My stomach has been really struggling for some reason this week, I haven't been able to drop any foods yet but I really need to try now. Would it best be give up potatoes or fruit? I eat a lot of both so whatever I give up I'm going to lose a big part of my diet.
 

Mittir

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RP mentioned in an interview that our Liver loves tasty foods. So, i would choose the one i like more. You can try cooked potato juice, it is a super food and starch free. I would focus more on quality of fruits, a well ripened fruits is much easier to digest. If you choose to eat potato, boil it for at least 40 minutes and then add butter or coconut oil. RP also mentioned that people with sensitive digestive system should completely avoid starch.
 

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