kaifen
New Member
Joined: 22 Dec 2006
Posts: 15
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 Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject: USEFUL RECOVERY TIPS FROM A SEASONED CANDIDA FIGHTER |
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Hi all! I've been reading this forum for quite some time
and it helped me hugely in my recovery.
I wanted to thank Shelley and everybody here for
help and support! I've been battling candida for
quite some time (bladder and prostate infections, skin/nail infections)
and now I'm steadily moving on towards complete recovery.
I'd like to share in this post my findings, observations and practical tips
that may be useful to people with candida and beyond.
This is based purely on my experience and I'm not affiliated with any of the stores, supplement manufacturers, etc. that I'll be mentioning here. To make it easier for me to compile and organize all of the info
I wrote it down in alphabetical order. I think that it also will be easier to navigate this post
if everything is listed this way. Here we go...
ACV ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Apple cider vinegar besides being a great internal treatment in cleansing drinks, etc.
it is an amazing external remedy. When I first started home made kefir
I got a severe skin irritation on inside of my thighs that I never had before.
I was expecting some sort of reaction to kefir but this strong!
I tried different ointments, etc. but it didn't help much.
Then I found a post here where it was suggested to use ACV.
It worked like a charm! Diluted ACV compresses took care of itching right away so I could sleep
and I had no skin irritation in a few days.
BLOATING :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This can be really bad, sharp pain and all. Salads were always difficult for me to digest
so when I switched to mostly vegetarian diet I started to look for a remedy.
I tried digestive teas which I love and which helped to some degree.
Same with bitters and digestive herbs. They do their work but sometimes you need
extra help like when you're having beans. My love for beans which I totally could not have
led me to Beano which is a mainstream enzyme supplement. Basically it's claimed that
Alpha Galactosidase (very sci-fi!) is the enzyme that takes care of all the difficult carbs.
I looked further and found Omega-Zyme Ultra by Garden of Life that has
Alpha Galactosidase plus 10 other enzymes. It is on a pricey side but it
works really well. I have no bloating/gas when I eat beans, lentils, etc.
CLEANING PRODUCTS ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Here are some great non-toxic alternatives that I use.
Dr. Bronner Soap
http://www.drbronner.com/index.html
I'm sure a lot of people know about this one. I think they just made a documentary about this guy which was
quite a success. Along with all the writings on the bottle which you can analyze for fun while in the shower
for example or washing dishes late at night, it is a great soap. It is made with organic ingredients,
it has no chemicals or preservatives of any kind. It is universal. I use it as a body and hand soap, shampoo,
dish washing liquid, detergent, etc. Highly recommend!
Borax .........................................................................
http://www.dialcorp.com/index.cfm?page_id=56
Another great laundry detergent alternative and a booster, plus it has other uses too.
I was using some wheat germ oil in summer after I got sunburnt, which worked really well by the way,
and afterwards I couldn't get the rancid oil smell out of my clothes even after several washes. I got rid of it by washing
them with borax together with Seventh Generation detergent that I use, and some Oxo Brite which is basically soda. You can get your borax at Whole Foods, they also have it at Home Depot
out of all places.
Everclear .....................................................................
http://www.bevmo.com/productinfo.asp?area=home&seref=froogle&pf_id=00000012007
It is nearly 100% pure grain alcohol and works great as a
disinfectant. It is a powerful solvent and cleaner as well and can remove any kind of nasty sticky residue left from labels for example.
DAILY FOODS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Here are some of them in alphabetical order.
Buckwheat
It has nothing to do with wheat. It is gluten free and very safe. Works great as a comfort food
with some ghee or quality butter. Easy to prepare, filling and very satisfying on it's own.
Look for roasted variety. It cooks better and has a nice flavor. I can suggest Pocono
organic buckwheat: http://www.poconofoods.com/
Beware that they have both cracked and whole granulation buckwheat and
the boxes look almost identical. Cracked is for making a porridge or hot cereal.
Ghee .............................................................................
An Ayurvedic superfood. Very good for digestion and intestinal health among other things.
It is lactose free and can be stored at room temperature, which is very convenient.
It is a great addition to any meal, very comforting and soothing, especially during winter months.
It goes especially well with grains like buckwheat or rice. It also tastes great in soups, like in
creamy potato leek by Imagine soups mixed together with a couple of spoons of lecithin. It is so
delicious and that soup has only 3 grams of sugar per serving. Look for quality organic ghee
for example by Purity Farms: http://www.purityfarms.com/
They have it at Whole Foods. Don't buy so-called vegetarian ghee which
is just some flavored margarine.
Quinoa ..........................................................................
Another grain which is full of nutrients and apparently contains more quality protein than any other grain.
It is gluten-free and very easy to prepare. Oh, and it tastes great even on it's own with just some salt and oil.
Be careful about which brand to buy. Avoid quinoa by Now Foods for example, it is dirty and full of stones.
Other brands may have cleaner quinoa but you'll still need to wash it which can be a hassle.
The only organic prewashed quinoa that I know of is by Ancient Harvest: http://www.quinoa.net/
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=grocery&field-brandtextbin=Ancient%20Harvest
Soups ...........................................................................
I guess, these are more for people who are past the required 3-5 no-sugar months and are on less restrictive diets.
It can be quite a challenge if you are looking for some good tasting, low-sugar organic canned soup that has no junk like natural flavors, hydrogenated oils, artificial additives, etc. Luckily, there's a brand called
Amy's Kitchen soups: http://www.amys.com/products/category_view.php?prod_category=14
They make some absolutely delicious soups and they have the lowest sugar out of all soups that I checked.
Try some of their Thai soup for a start. They also make some quality organic frozen foods that I'm so tempted to try sometime. Oh, and they have some great canned chili and refried beans again with very little sugar in them.
Another quality brand is Imagine Soups: http://www.imaginefoods.com/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=gourmet-index&field-keywords=imagine%20soup&results-process=default&dispatch=search/ref=pd_sl_aw_tops-1_gourmet-index_13711022_1&results-process=default
These come in Tetrapack cartons which is very convenient.
Their soups are great but some may not be safe if you're really watching the sugar.
Don't confuse them with Pacific Soups cartons as they look very similar.
Pacific is a different brand, that has additives, like flavors, etc. in their soups.
One more thing. It is called
Suzie's organic salted crackers....................................................
http://www.amazon.com/Suzies-Organic-Crackers-8-8-Ounce-Packages/dp/B000FDDJAA
This stuff is the best! You can enjoy these
crackers alone and with various spreads as a tasty snack or you can have some with the mentioned soups for some quick and delicious fix. I took me a while to find a perfect cracker for my salads and soups, and I'm happy to share my discovery with you 
Ingredients: organic wheat flour, organic extra virgin olive oil, water, salt. That's it!
No additives, no preservatives, with clearly printed expiration date, 0 sugar, and they taste so good,
very fresh and crispy.
ENEMA :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I found a great bucket for enema in The Container Store.
Let me give you a good description as they don't have it on their site.
It is a light green thick glass hexagon-shaped jar with a brass spigot for pouring liquids out of it,
it has a rather wide opening and a cork disk that serves as a lid, made in Italy. The label says:
6.3 qt. Hexagonal Spigot Jar, $49, SKU 10000060. The brand is Global Amici. I just saw 3 or 4 of them recently in the store.
Sorry, I could not find any of these jars at other stores online so I can't give you a link to the exact one that I'm talking about here. There are several of hexagon or other shapes glass spigot jars around but
I can't guarantee that they will work. Good news is that they do have brass spigots that look quite identical to the one that came with the jar that I'm using. I think those things a pretty standard, so there's
a good chance that this can be done using similar jars. I'd try getting one of the jars by Global Amici with a brass spigot like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CFI2Y?smid=AE5A465UEKTDA&tag=yahoo-kitchen-20&linkCode=asn
This is a pretty close match. It's a much better chance that they'll work since it is the same brand as the one that I have.
Glass is the best material, it is non-reactive, non-porous, clear and easy to wash, so this jar works really well.
You'd need to take the spigot out and remove the silicone ring from it. Then either get a new regular enema bag from a drugstore or use the one that you have. Cut the very bottom end of the enema bag off with the plastic part (the one that the tubing goes onto) still attached to the rubber.
It is important to have the rubber on that part, leave some extra to be safe, you can trim it later. You'll be amazed how perfectly this part fits through the opening in the jar with the silicone ring placed around it! Also, as an option, get some new clear tubing to make sure that it's clean and dry each time.
You can get one for a few bucks at a hardware store, I also saw some at Home Depot. It may sound a bit involved but it is super easily done and you'll end up getting a very convenient, safe to use and easy to clean extra large enema bucket.
One more thing, get some of these plastic utility clips:
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Hold-Clips-Set-Whitmor/dp/B000GFHI5E/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1198778529&sr=1-1
and thread the tubing through one of them. Now you can clip the tube to the rim of you new fancy bucket or to anywhere you like, so you don't have to worry about where to rest it each time.
JUICING ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This works extremely well. I wish I started juicing much sooner! Fresh squeezed juice is simply
the best supplement you can get. It took me a while to find the right juicer and it is important
but if you're not sure which one to get, or don't have enough money, get a cheapo centrifugal one for now.
You'll still benefit greatly. The one that I'm using is called Marathon juicer:
http://juicers.livingright.com/item208.Twin-Health-Marathon-Juicer.html
It is a twin gear juicer
which is supposed to be the best for juicing leafy greens, wheat grass, etc. and for extracting
all the nutrients. It costs over $400 but it is well worth it. There are a few minor issues like
the unit backs up from time to time when juicing beets for example because it's a slow rotation
juicer, so you need to cut hard roots and vegetables in rather small pieces, and of course
don't expect to throw a whole apple into it - you'd need to cut it at least in 4 pieces because
the feeding chute is very narrow. The unit is rather slow and overfeeding it is not recommended.
There is actually a silicone part that you'd need to replace if too much liquid gets into it.
Other than that, the juicer is very well built, made in Korea and all. The gears are heavy duty
made of some quality steel with no plastic parts in them like some other juicers. The juice
never gets warm and the pulp is very dry. Another great thing is that the gears are not magnetized.
I think this is the only juicer of this kind with non-magnetized gears. For some reason I don't
feel like magnetizing my juice, I just don't think that it's needed and the claims that the
magnetized juice will last longer sound strange to me, because you're really not supposed to
store the juice, you simply need to drink it right away if you want all the nutrients.
I'd highly recommend the Marathon juicer, but beware that it is a slow juicer
and you'd need to get used to this. It really doesn't require that much time after all.
It takes me 45-50 minutes to make 1,5 liters of juice and that includes washing the juicer which
is very easy by the way. Imagine how much time it'd take you to sit down and actually eat 5-6 servings
of greens and vegetables instead. Plus you'll be getting them in a far more superior form with all
the nutrients delivered straight into your system bypassing hours of digestion, so there's no bloating
or stomach problems that raw foods often cause. One thing that I really like about juicing
is that you can add certain "difficult" ingredients to your juice even at therapeutic amounts if needed
without stressing out your taste buds too much or causing a havoc in your stomach. For example,
I can't have a lot of garlic, it gives me bloating and I really don't like garlic breath - who does?!
I tried adding up to 7 extra large garlic cloves to my juice while on maintenance and it was still quite drinkable.
The best part - no bloating, hardly any garlic breath, and of course getting the fresh squeezed garlic juice
that no supplement can beat. A few tricks: juice a bunch of parsley with your garlic to further
reduce garlic breath; celery seems to help with masking the taste, as well as carrots and beets;
have a few slices of an apple ready so you can have some after drinking the juice - the stuff is strong!;
and of course don't start with large amounts of garlic or any juice, do some experimenting,
test your body's reactions first.
KEFIR ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The best probiotic you can find and much more. There's enough info about it's benefits.
Here's for example Dom's site that lots of people know about with tons of info on kefir
and other probiotics. His site was out when I was testing the links. It'll probably be back on soon.
http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html
Here's another link from the same site with just some basic instructions and FAQ:
http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefir-faq.html
Don't settle for the bottled kefir from the store. It's more convenient
but far less potent. I used to drink it for quite some time
till I finally switched to the homemade and the difference was very noticeable right away.
My stomach settled, I became more regular and had less cravings just in a few weeks!
I've been drinking it for about two years and it really works. It is also safe for moderate
lactose intolerants, just start with small doses, like half a glass a day and slowly increase.
It is very easy to make and will assist your recovery big time! All you need is to order some
grains on ebay, just look for grains grown in organic milk. Then get a strainer, preferably
non-metal. I use a collapsible silicone one from Bed Bath & Beyond, I saw it at other
houseware stores as well: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13912319
At the same store you can get an acrylic scissor-style salad server or,
I guess, other plastic or even wooden salad servers will do as long as they are quite sturdy and long enough.
I couldn't find it on Bad Bath and Beyond site, I guess you'll need to take a trip to the store
or you can get it at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MX63A6?smid=AHXN72Y9VINW&tag=dealtime-tools-20&linkCode=asn
It comes apart, you'll only need a spoon for stirring and straining.
You can use any kind of glass jar with a lid as a container.
I've been using 3 liter storage jars with glass lids for both making and storing kefir. They can be found again at Bed Bath & Beyond and I'm sure some other stores as well.
Here's a link from The Container Store, I couldn't find them on
Bed Bath and Beyond site:
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=74177&PRODID=74412
I take the metal wire and the rubber ring off the lid and just let it
sit on a jar. There's no need to close it tightly. I've also been using glass canisters of different sizes that also come with a glass lid and are sold at The Container Store for example:
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=11985791&itemIndex=51&CATID=74062&PRODID=62633
These are easier to wash.
I use a square plastic container for catching the strained kefir and the silicone strainer I was talking about earlier fits perfectly over it. Also, it is so much easier to pour the strained kefir out of the square container!
They no longer have this type of container at The Container Store for some reason so I can't give you a link. Try looking around for something similar that will work well with a strainer, I guess, even a roomy bowl with a spout will do just fine.
The reason why I go in such detail about "the equipment"
is because you'll be dealing with it on a daily basis and it's nice to have
everything running smoothly with very little time invested. I tried different things and this set-up
works the best at least for me. It takes me just 15 min to do everything including washing dishes.
When you receive the grains, which should be shipped either overnight or priority,
rinse them in milk right away, toss the milk, put them in a jar and fill with fresh milk
at approx 1 part of grains to 7 parts of milk ratio (don't drink first few batches, while
the grains are recovering from the trip, day 3 should be ok). Organic milk is the best.
Some people warm up the milk before adding grains to it, some rinse their grains after
each time they strain them - there's no need to do all these extra things, and frequent rinsing
may actually harm the grains. Keep it simple. There's even no need to wash a container jar each time.
You can wash it every other day for example. Fermentation usually takes 24 hrs at 1 to 7 ratio.
More milk = longer fermentation. If you are very busy like myself, you can do 48 hour batches,
just use more milk. This way you only have to do it every other day.
When you are lactose intolerant or in the midst of candida battle and watching every gram of sugar,
try so-called secondary fermentation. I got this info from Dom's site,
look under STORING KEFIR + REDUCING LACTOSE CONTENT:
http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#what-is-kefir
Just strain your kefir as usual when it's ready after 24 hrs and let the strained kefir sit in a container
with a loose lid for several days at room temperature. Make sure to stir it at least once a day.
I used to leave mine for up to 5 days to additionally ferment this way, when I was extra careful about
any sugar intake during the treatment stage. Be prepared to drink a rather sour and sharp tasting kefir,
but I actually kind of liked it, especially knowing that it was helping me a lot.
Aside from all the benefits that are widely known and discussed, there's one thing that I
noticed about homemade kefir right away. It really reduced my cravings for sweets
and taboo foods. That was a very pleasant surprise because I was seriously struggling
at that time with my addiction to sugar and bread. It also helps to overcome hunger in
general and can be used as a meal replacement.
If you don't know where to start, try kefir, it is really the easiest
and the best thing that you can do to get things improving fast.
That and juicing (see JUICING).
LIVER FLUSH ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I am preparing for my maybe seventh or so flush and each time I'm amazed at how good I feel afterwards.
For beginners - don't be discouraged if you don't see any stones after your first or second flush.
I didn't pass any until after the 3rd one.
Here's an easy recipe that I use, which I put together from several different sources.
Do at least several weeks of liver teas including burdock root, dandelion root,
milk thistle seeds, etc. and supplements like malic acid, lecithin, Liver Tonic, etc.
Try to eat very light and little the day before and the day of liver flush.
Avoid fatty foods, oils, dairy, supplements of any kind on these two days.
Do a salt flush or an enema the day before.
It helps to get up earlier then usual on the day of the flush so you'd fall
asleep easier that night.
You'll need:
400 ml (milliliters, approx. 2 cups) of quality organic olive oil
6-7 large grapefruits
3 Tbs (table spoons) of Epsom salt
refrigerated pineapple juice
Don't eat after 12pm or so.
Put a jar of pineapple juice in the fridge.
6pm Take 1 Tbs of Epsom salt in a cup of cold H2o. You can have it in a cold juice instead to mask the taste.
(I got tons of Epsom salt in a liver cleanse kit from Hulda Clark store a while back, try to get it
from a good source, who knows if they add anything to the drug store variety)
8pm Repeat the 6PM drink
Drink no fluids after so the stomach is empty and the oil mix passes fast.
9.30pm Squeeze around 4 cups of grapefruit juice. Don't eat the grapefruit. The emptier the stomach,
the less discomfort you're going to have later.
Get the bed ready. Go to the bathroom. You may have diarrhea
after taking Epsom salt, but it shouldn't be severe or anything.
10pm Try to be on time with this. Place 200 ml of oil with 400 ml of the grapefruit juice
in a jar with a lid (approximately 1 cup of oil per 2 cups of juice).
Close the jar tightly and shake hard until watery.
Supposedly, only fresh grapefruit juice does this.
Drink standing up. Repeat.
From Hulda Clark:
"Lie down immediately. You might fail to get stones out if you don't. The sooner you lie down
the more stones you will get out. Be ready for bed ahead of time. Don't clean up the kitchen.
As soon as the drink is down walk to your bed and lie down flat on your back with your head up high on the pillow.
Try to think about what is happening in the liver.
Try to keep perfectly still for at least 20 minutes.
You may feel a train of stones traveling along the bile ducts like marbles.
There is no pain because the bile duct valves are open (thank you Epsom salts!).
Go to sleep, you may fail to get stones out if you don't."
You may get very hot and sweaty at night. This is ok. If you wake up feeling nauseous,
have a glass or two of really cold pineapple juice. It really helps each time.
Upon awakening take your third dose of Epsom salts.
If you have indigestion or nausea wait until it is gone before drinking the Epsom salts.
Expect to have diarrhea in the morning
If you passed any stones you'll see them floating on the surface.
Do a salt flush or an enema next day.
PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTS ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I believe that there's no need for buying all these expensive supplements that are out there if you're
are regularly getting your friendlies from kefir or sauerkraut. There's simply no guarantee that the stuff
was stored properly and the bacteria is alive. I remember asking a salesman at a popular health food
store if they are getting their probiotic supplements delivered to them refrigerated and he confirmed.
Then I was about to buy one of them with a bright sticker "keep refrigerated" when I saw a stock guy filling up the shelves.
I asked him the same question and he said that probiotics arrive on a truck together with other supplements
and not refrigerated. So, it is very tricky. Another thing is that nobody knows if this dormant bacteria
which is taken out of it's environment and mixed together with other strands will be able to survive
and colonize when inside your body. And so on...
If you think that you need an extra kick, there's one supplement that may actually do the job. It may be known to many
but I still thought that it is worth mentioning. It's called Bio-K: http://www.biokplus.com/
I've been taking it on and off for about a year, especially each time after doing a couple of weeks of antifungals.
It is the only probiotic supplement out there that has the bacteria alive and active in it's natural
environment with no nasty additives, and at 50 billion! of L.acidophilus per serving. It is freshly made
so you don't see exp. 2012 on it and it sells very well so you know that you are getting it fresh. Also
since it is a fresh dairy supplement there's a guarantee that it will be refrigerated all the time.
I buy it at The Whole Foods, I'm sure that some other health food stores carry it as well.
SALT FLUSH ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
It is really one of the basic yogic cleansing techniques called Laghoo Shankhaprakshalana,
which is a shorter version of Shankha Prakshalana, the latter is done only a few times a year,
while Laghoo can be practiced more often.
They have 5 asanas that help a lot to reduce any discomfort and speed things up.
These exercises also work great when you have stomach or digestive problems and also could be
a great warm up routine before yoga. I've been doing them for quite some time and they work very well.
Here are a couple of links with some variations:
http://www.yogapoint.com/info/shankha_praksha.htm
http://jalanetipot.com/asanas1.html
http://jalanetipot.com/asanas2.html#bhujangasana
If anyone is new to salt flushes, the procedure is rather simple.
Eat light the day before. It helps a lot if you skip your evening meal entirely.
Get up at 5-6am, this is supposed to be done very early in the morning.
Warm up approx. 6-7 cups of good quality water, you can do more if you like, I do 8-9 cups for example.
The water should be around body temperature. Prepare the salt mix:
1 cup = 8 oz = 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Use good quality sea salt with no additives.
Do a set of the exercises I mentioned above. 1 set = 10-15 repetitions for each asana/exercise.
Then quickly drink 2 cups of the salt mixture. You can squat while drinking as recommended in several sources.
You can have some chilled unsalted water afterwards to get some relief from all that salty water.
Do a set of asanas. Drink another two cups. Do more asanas. Go to the bathroom when needed.
Continue with exercises and water till it's finished. By then you should be passing mostly water.
The whole procedure should take no longer then 2-3 hours. Have a simple meal of white rice
with a generous amount of ghee or butter a few hours later. Have simple, easy to digest foods for a few days.
SAUERKRAUT ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Here's a very simple set-up for making sauerkraut traditional way.
Get 2 canister jars, one 1 gal. and one 2 gal.:
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=12006635&itemIndex=1&CATID=74062&PRODID=62633
Both are sold at The Container Store but are probably available elsewhere.
Get this type of plate at this size:
http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Eclissi-Square-Dessert/dp/B000BPWX36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1198785036&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KG8BSC?smid=A11XC343F560ZF&tag=dealtime-kitchen-20&linkCode=asn
If anybody from Bed Bath and Beyond is reading this: you need to seriously update your site!
I cannot find anything there. I know that they have plenty of these plates at the store,
both clear and smoked. They are called Bormioli Rocco Eclissi Square Dessert Plates. You can check at your location or buy from Amazon.
The first link is for a set of 12 and it actually says out of stock, but at least you'd know
what they look like. The second link is for an individual plate, but I cannot
guarantee that this is the one, since there's no picture. The sizing should be roughly 7" by 7".
You'll also need a rubber band and a plain plastic produce bag from a grocery store.
Prepare the kraut as described here for example, make sure to save large outer leaves
as they will hold the kraut in place: http://askshelley.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=115&highlight=kraut
If you have some extra kefir grains you can make kefir kraut.
Again Dom's site was out when I was testing the links. It'll probably be back on soon.
http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirkraut.html
Fill up the large jar tightly, you don't have to fill it up all the way -
that's a lot of kraut!
Put the saved cabbage leaves over the kraut and top with the mentioned plate.
It took me forever to find this plate! This is the only plate out of many that will cover enough
surface and will fit in this jar. If you cannot find this particular plate, try
putting some extra leaves on top of kraut, this should work ok.
Now you can fill the smaller candy jar with water and place it inside the kraut jar
on the plate that covers the kraut.
This works very well as a weight.
Take a rubber band and stretch it around the kraut jar's lip.
Take a plastic bag and tuck it under the rubber band, this way you are creating
even better environment for bacteria, plus now you can be sure that no insects or dust
will get in the kraut.
One last thing, if you do fill up the whole jar, you'd need to place it on a tray
or let's say in a plastic box container, so when it starts to overflow,
you can catch all the liquid and avoid the mess.
SNACKS AND CHEATS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Some of these snacks may not be safe if you're on a strict anti-candida diet. In this
case they'll be more like your emergency kits for severe cravings, especially if
you're just starting. It is much better to have a little of glazed nuts or some ricotta cheese
when some serious withdrawals happen, than going crazy and binging on a cake.
These few snacks helped me a lot to get by and not to loose it so now I can
have them more often. Here they are.
Tierra Farm Organic Glazed Nuts .................................................
http://www.tierrafarm.com/dry-roasted-products/mixed-nuts/maple-glazed-whole/
These are great but can be very addictive. They have 1-3 grams of sugar per 23 grams of nuts,
which is very low for something that tastes rather sweet. Ingredients are great - no junk, just
things like organic maple syrup, organic tamari sauce. They also show the date when these nuts
were actually packaged so you know that they are fresh. Try some with a glass of chilled
home-made kefir as a quick and nutritious snack.
Calbee Snapea Crisps .............................................................
http://www.amazon.com/Calbee-Snapea-Crisps-Original-3-3-Ounce/dp/B000FMZO8G/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1198782462&sr=8-1
Another quality and great tasting, low-sugar snack. I think these were invented in Japanese labs.
Just go for the regular variety, other kinds have flavors added to them.
Snapeas helped me very well to deal with some bad carb withdrawals when I was just starting.
They work great as a snack coupled with a glass of fresh kefir.
Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Whole Leaf Dulse.......................................
http://seaveg.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=1
Dulse is perfectly safe, has zero sugar, and tastes great as for me, just right out of the bag.
A lot of people will probably disagree because it is rather salty and have a rather strong and sharp taste.
I love it. I highly suggest whole leaf version. It has a nice chewy texture to it. It reminds me of salty dried fish that some like to have with their beer. I noticed that it can reduce cravings.
Plus, you'll be supplementing yourself with a bunch of elements and vitamins like iodine, potassium, B6, B12, trace minerals.
I still have to try it in salads and sandwiches.
Ricotta Cheese ........................................................................
I remember when I finished my 6 or so months of no sugar or dairy (except kefir, of course),
I prepared myself a treat. I love cheese cake and that's what I really wanted but
it was too soon for that so I settled for some ricotta cheese mixed with some KAL stevia extract
(which I wrote about separately in this topic) and organic vanilla. It came out really good.
I later tried adding some glazed pecans to it as well as some lecithin which boosted the flavor
and the nutritional value
I highly recommend Calabro ricotta: http://www.calabrocheese.com/cheese2.html
They have it at Whole Foods for example. It's the kind that you'd find in plastic containers on a shelf
together with cottage cheese and yogurt.
KAL Pure Stevia Extract, Alcohol Free ..................................................
http://www.nutraceutical.com/search/view_product.cfm?product_index=3621301
Not exactly a snack, more like a key ingredient in some cheats and emergency fixes.
This is the best tasting stevia out of about 10 or so brands that I tried.
I can't stand licorice taste so it was really tough to find something more or less palatable. Stevia supplements can be either all natural but horrible tasting or they can taste pretty good but have a bunch of additives and not much stevia in them. These guys at KAL got it almost right. Don't get me wrong, their stuff has some aftertaste as well but it is nothing compared to other brands. I think what works is the ratio of stevia to
glycerin that they have in their formula. It is not quite clear what this ratio is and it could be
that there's more glycerin in it then stevia, which is still not that bad as glycerin is
considered to be rather safe. They also make probably the only organic stevia powder available
which tastes pretty good too: http://www.nutraceutical.com/search/view_product.cfm?product_index=5706376
It could be that they use some quality stevia or figured out a special extraction.
I actually tried the powder first, being a purist and all. I just really dig sentences like
"Other ingredients: none." The powder has a little more aftertaste than the extract but is is also
sweeter. Try both if you like. In some recipes the powder will actually work better.
Chocolate .............................................................................
Oh, yes, it can be had. Get some organic raw chocolate nibs for example at http://www.mountainroseherbs.com.
Mix them with some organic vanilla extract and a bit of organic KAL stevia powder. You'd need to experiment
a little to figure out the right amount for you. The result tastes not that much different than some
crumbled fancy dark chocolate. Just use your imagination! I like that the bitterness of chocolate
leaves no trace of stevia aftertaste. This combo works very well.
Xylitol ................................................................................
Again, like stevia, this is more like a key ingredient in a cheat or your emergency kit.
It is a sugar alcohol but is considered to be pretty safe even for people on an anti-candida diet.
I didn't dare to try it for quite some time being all paranoid. I finally got some last summer and was hooked on it for
a little while. One thing about it: NO aftertaste! It actually tastes better then sugar to me and I like
this cooling feeling that it leaves in the mouth. I used to have some in hot drinks, I also tried
sprinkling some on pancakes, etc. Now I only use it as a mouth wash - it is supposed to be great for your teeth.
I totally got over xylitol, stevia, or any other sweetener. I'm perfectly satisfied with a little sugar
that I get from juices that I make, or from fruits like apples and oranges, and from a very few occasional treats,
like maple glazed hazelnuts. I'm still amazed at this. This is the guy who used to put 5 spoons of sugar
in a cup of coffee. I'm also completely over caffeine for nearly 3 months including green tea
and it feels great! But, back to xylitol. A lot of it is made from genetically modified
corn. I found one brand that claims that their xylitol is non-GMO: http://www.luckyvitamin.com/790011800026.html
VARIOUS SUPPLEMENTS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Here are several supplements that I tried and would like to recommend.
Some of the links here and elsewhere in my post are from http://www.luckyvitamin.com. This is where I shop for supplements from time to time.
Their prices are usually quite low.
Ayurveda Organics Triphala ................................................................
http://www.lifesvigor.com/31715.html
I don't think there's any other organic triphala supplement out there. Good stuff, only active ingredients, no fillers or other junk. other ingredients: vegetable cellulose (capsule). That's very rare!
I usually open a couple and put them in my shakes so there's no constipation.
This company also has other organic Auyrvedic formulas:
http://www.organicindiausa.com/product_index.php?cPath=10
Herbs Etc. Chloroxygen ....................................................................
http://www.luckyvitamin.com/765704319024.html
A great and very concentrated chlorophyll supplement. Again has no additives or preservatives, which is hard to find.
Just make sure to get the unflavored version.
There are some other good things under this brand, that I've been taking, like Yeast Releaf, Liver Tonic, Kidney Tonic: http://www.herbsetc.com/
Natural Factors Peppermint + Oregano Oil Complex ................................
http://www.luckyvitamin.com/068958035161.html
A combo of peppermint, oregano and caraway oils for digestion among other things. Caraway is also considered a rather strong antifungal,
and this is probably the only supplement that has it. Plus oregano, which doesn't need any intro. I would poke those softgels
with a pin and add them to my shakes together with other antifungals. Also, cooling peppermint helps to numb the
taste buds a little, which helps with those tasty shakes.
Gaia Herbs Supplements .......................................................................
http://www.gaiaherbs.com/
High quality, all-natural stuff. I've been getting oil of oregano from them among other things and, again, poking
those capsules with a pin and squeezing them into my shakes. Some of those other oregano supplements can be quite expensive!
They also have Candida Supreme (whata name!) Kit, which is a good formula, and which I took several times:
http://www.gaiaherbs.com/product.php?id=145
I think I, actually, learned from this formula to add triphala to my shakes.
I don't know if they are still making it. Check with them. I remember seeing it flagged as a discontinued item.
Sleeping Aids ...............................................................................
These worked well for me when I was in the midst of die-off restlessness:
Nature's Answer Passionflower Alcohol-Free:
http://www.google.com/products?q=Nature%27s+Answer+Passionflower+Alcohol-Free&btnG=Search+Products&hl=en&show=dd&scoring=p
Herbs Etc. Deep Sleep:
http://www.google.com/products?q=Herbs+Etc.+Deep+Sleep&btnG=Search+Products&hl=en&show=dd&scoring=p
L-Ornitine, amino acid suggested as a sleeping aid by Hulda Clark and which helped me several times.
Here's a link to her store: http://drclarkstore.com/ornithine.html
Here's Solgar variety:http://www.luckyvitamin.com/033984020603.html
Uppers .......................................................................................
I'd been looking for quite some time for a fast acting alternative to coffee.
Aside from crystal meth (kidding!), these tea tree extracts could be the answer.
New Chapter Green & White Tea:
http://www.google.com/products?q=New+chapter+Green+%26+White+Tea&btnG=Search+Products&hl=en&show=dd
Garden Of Life Tea Trio:
http://www.google.com/products?q=Garden+Of+Life+Tea+Trio&btnG=Search+Products&hl=en&show=dd
I remember some many days when I just couldn't get out of bed or stay awake and focused at work.
These extracts really helped me. There are several good things about them:
they are not some syrupy decaffeinated liquid extracts full of sugar and bulk,
the caffeine is present at full strength, made from organic tea in capsule form, fast acting, powerful antioxidants!,
don't make you all jittery, stomach-achey and nervous like coffee.
It's been a while since I took any. I find it so much better now without any supplemented stimulation.
These extracts did a great job when I needed them. Highly recommend!
Organic Psyllium ...............................................................................
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/bulkherb/p.html
This is a great store by the way. They have all kinds of organic herbs and spices.
I've been buying tons of stuff from them like burdock root, cardamom pods, dandelion root, marjoram, tulsi, peppermint, ginger, etc. for my teas, caraway and coriander seeds for sauerkraut, they can also be used in herbal teas for some interesting flavor,
ceremonial sage for purification, organic garam masala and curry for kichadi...
They have everything marked when it was actually packaged. Most of the stuff is organic, and they claim to test everything.
They also have some delicious and affordable organic green teas. I used to love the roasted kukicha tea!
Garden Of Life Organic Daily Fiber ...................................................
http://www.google.com/products?q=Garden+Of+Life+Organic+Daily+Fiber&btnG=Search+Products&hl=en&show=dd
Psyllium alone can be constipating so I mix it with this fiber formula.
Garden Of Life Perfect Food ............................................................
http://www.google.com/products?q=Garden+Of+Life+Perfect+Food&btnG=Search+Products&hl=en&show=dd
Supposed to be very good, mostly organic. I used to take it before I started juicing.
YOGA AND MEDITATION :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I believe that one needs to work on different levels to achieve a complete recovery. I get a lot of help from yoga and meditation when
it comes to my mental and spiritual well-being as well as my physical health of course. I was quite hesitant about yoga at first:
which class should to take?, is this a good time to start?, etc.
Now it has become my daily activity along with meditation and that brought a lot of improvements in a rather short period of time.
My mind is much calmer than before which allows me to concentrate and study way better.
I'm learning to be disciplined mentally and emotionally. I feel more at peace with myself and my surroundings.
This and more can be achieved with just 45-60 minutes of practice a day. You can join a class at first and then continue at home like I did.
This will give you a lot of freedom as you won't be bound by your class schedules or routines. I usually do 30 min of free style yoga
which includes some simple asanas like the ones that I mentioned in a salt flush part, as well as sun salutations, balancing poses, sometimes a shoulder stand.
That's a great thing about doing this at home - you can do any exercises you like at any pace, sometimes you just want to lay on the
floor and completely relax and that should be the best yoga practice for that day. I usually follow with 30 min of breathing exercises, meditation,
and concentrated gazing or trataka which I highly recommend especially to those new to meditation.
You can use anything as a concentration point: a candle, a small LED light, a star!, etc.
http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/news/Meditation/trataka.asp |
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