nutritionist rant!!!

[4forme]

I have been struggling with many cravings and believe that I have Candida overgrowth. I have had Leaky Gut for years, and it goes hand in hand with Candida. So, I was really hoping raw could heal it, but I could never do without fruits and sweets, it was so difficult!
So, I decided to use a nutritionist. Before I had a consult I asked her if she was familiar with raw foods eating. She said yes, so I thought, COOL!
Well, to her defense, she did ask me what I thought she could help me with, I told her I knew I had Candida overgrowth and she quickly jumped on the bandwagon, this is a specialty area of hers.
But, the first thing she said was I had to eat some cooked food. And she eliminated some of the most helpful foods (in my opinion). It's an okay program, if you aren't an aspiring raw foodist. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is great for Candida (as well as many other things), lemon is great also, both of which I cannot have now. I can have carrot juice (:confused: ) but no avocados???!!!
I was having a difficult time with it and expressed many times that I was struggling because of the raw vs cooked food aspect. She just kept telling me I had to "change my thinking", and "be open minded". :eek:
I think raw foodists are very open minded! It's not like I am complaining cause I can't have cookies or McD's, ya know.
So, I even copied some recipes from here and asked her, even though they had avocados, if they would be okay, because I really wanted to stay raw. She said no, that I had my fundamentals wrong, I needed to understand that whole grains aren't bad and are essential for the body, and we need them, blah, blah, blah. Well, she also doesn't understand the body type differences. I don't think it's the only way to eat, but knowing my body type and my genetic make-up, I don't do well with grains! Hence the extreme intolerance to wheat and gluten amongst others!
Then the thing that kind of cemented it for me was when she said after the Candida diet (18 days), we can get my gut healed and then I can go back to raw foods. She doesn't understand that raw foods has healed my gut mostly already! I have no issues anymore, as long as I stay away from certain things. It will take mroe time to be healed completely, but not necassarily with cooked food vs. raw.
So, I am frustrated an not sure what to do. I paid alot of money for her consult and she wants to do more, ofcourse. I think she is good and has good intentions, but doesn't understand raw like I thought.:(
Sorry for the length of this, and thanks for listening!

[shashibala]

That does sound frustrating! In my opinion, everyone has their bias. Doctors use drugs and surgery, herbalists use herbs, Ayuvedic practitioners use Ayurveda etc.. It doesn't mean that one is wrong and another is right, it's just that no one knows everything. I try to take what resonates with me and then leave the rest. I once went to highly regarded natural doctor. He said I Must eat meat, and lots of it! That didn't fit for me, so I ignored it. I learned later, that he gave this same diet to anyone who was vegetarian. He didn't support vegetarian eating. I listened to myself and was better for it. Your nutritionist just used what was in her "toolkit", what she knew, but that isn't the answer for everyone! Maybe a few of her ideas will help you. As difficult as it is, I think we basically have to figure it out ourselves. I wish you all the best!!

[4forme]

Thanks! That is so true. I was thinking about it today quite a bit. She isn't meaning to be harsh or unsupportive, she just is doing what she "knows" works. I have decided to go high raw tomorrow and stay withing the guidlelines that make sesne to me, like avoiding fruits fresh and dried, but allowing certain things such as avocados and ACV and lemon ect. This may be difficult, but I feel it's right. I crave raw food like nothing before!
Tomorrow I plan on doing a juice fast and going from there.
I think it was good to experience overall. I am in a Bachelors program for Holistic Nutrition, and plan to practice eventually. This has helped me understand that whatever I think is "best" or "right", someone else might not agree. In order to help, I need to be more supportive of other's choices and give facts so they can make their choice accordingly. Forcing my ideas on someone won't necassarily lead them to accept it.

[theresaann]

please please go to bodyecology.com. She talks all about probiotics and eliminating candida-very relevant information. Shes not raw or even vegan-ignore that part. The rest of the info, esp. about fermented foods, IS raw and vegan.

Also there is a product called "5 lac" that is a combination of very powerful probiotics. One of the problems in our modern culture is that people have deficient probiotic colonies in our gut, which is the primary source of health-all the way from being able to digest-raw and otherwise-as well as immune function and even neurological function. THis is a fascinating aspect of health people are only just starting to acknowledge.

You should google the "5 lac." It's hard to find, at least in my area. there is one healthfood store that carries it, but you can order it online. I"ve had amazing results with this product!

Blessings!

[belleadonna]

As I understand it, it is the fats that you need to watch out for. Fat slows sugars down in the bloodstream. Candida then comes along to gobble up the sugar so that it is not in the system too long. Fruit sugar (fructose) if not held up by fats will quickly go through your system and the candida will not be called upon. Candida is actually needed in our body to keep us from being overrun with sugar. Candida is natural in us. We would die without it. It is just when it gets out of control that we have trouble with it.

That's how I had it explained to me at least. Makes sense.

[Clare]

Okay, this totally goes against the above, but Dr. Bruce Fife who writes about virgin (raw) coconut oil recommends a coconut detox for candida that consists of up to ten tablespoons coconut oil daily in addition to as much stevia-sweetened lemonade with some Celtic sea salt and water you can drink for seven days. (Sort of like the Master Cleanse but no carbs). He makes a lot of sense explaining how the oil nourishes your digestive tract and YOU yet starves yeasts. Then, you add probiotics afterwards. He thinks that juice fasts are not the way to go for candida, but that this "fast" will get the job done in just one or two tries, whereas many candida diets go on forever...For probiotics, making homemade raw saurkraut is easy and delicious, as is Kombucha. These are two of the cheapest and healthiest things you can consume!

[Betsy]

My Natropath said no sugars, no carbs. But she also said to eat meat because it's good for candida?:confused:

[4forme]

please please go to bodyecology.com. She talks all about probiotics and eliminating candida-very relevant information. Shes not raw or even vegan-ignore that part. The rest of the info, esp. about fermented foods, IS raw and vegan.

Also there is a product called "5 lac" that is a combination of very powerful probiotics.
Blessings!

I have heard of bodyecology, and will surely check it out! I also have a pretty powerful probiotic I am on now, but when it's out I will check out the
5-Lac. I am in Asia, and things aren't as readily available here as in US.


belleadonna- That's interesting about the fats! I haven't heard of that theory, it actually sounds kinda valid. I guess, if you eat fats by themselves, or fruits completely alone, that should be fine right? The proper food combining should apply because that won't cause fermentation in the gut and therefore things she be metabolized in the right timing. Is this a rather new concept, or just new to me? :o

Thanks for your thoughts guys! I gues I was just super bummed about meeting with this woman who was going to "help" me and them being dissapointed that she really isn't supportive of my choices/convictions.
I have decided to not meet with her again, but haven't notified her yet. I am not fond of confrontation or telling someone I don't like or agree with what they said. I technically have 9 days left on this silly diet, although I stopped it today. Raw is way better and I feel great for it!

[belleadonna]

Just keep the fats low, at about 10%. You could try the coconut thing. I don't know if it works or not but I have heard that caprylic acid is good for candida and they get that from coconuts. It does come as a supplement too.

Just remember too that as you eat raw your symptoms may flare up. Not because the candida is getting worse but because it is clearing out of your system (the overgrowth,that is).

Just stay raw, keep your fats low and see how you do.
It worked for me but then I am not you. You have to find what works for you.

[Bobbie]

The specific carbohydrate diet cured my leaky gut and candida in 5 months after 12 years of suffering from them. It was like a miracle, and it wasn't even raw. I was eating things like cooked squash/tomatoes/courgettes/peppers. If you google it there is lots of info explaining the science behind it.

With a raw diet that just means no buckwheat, grains, rejuvelac, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, chickpeas, beansprouts (but lentils are ok) or unripe bananas. For some people maybe that would be a big sacrifice but for me, that's no big deal. I'm not sure about agave but honey and dates are fine.

[Dimond]

Honey is almost like sugar for candida. Agave is perfect. Dates should be limited.