I get a lot of questions on my instagram @adios_candida about the cleanse/detox phase of a candida diet, AKA the hardest part!
Some common things I hear:
Why does my head hurt so bad? ** I feel like I have the flu! ** I have NO energy. ** I keep crying. ** I had no idea I would feel this lousy! ** Aren’t I supposed to feel amazing? ** All I want is to eat sugar & carbs! ** Will this really work?
Let me assure you… this is all completely normal. That said, these feelings should all only last for a few days (minus the crying perhaps, but more on that later).
When I did my candida cleanse, I followed a VERY strict diet for 7 days:
No meat
No gluten
No dairy
No legumes
No alcohol
No sugar (including fruit)
No caffeine
So what the heck did I eat?! It was not easy, but I survived on:
Homemade vegetable broth
Eggs. LOTS of eggs.
Fiber-rich vegetables, mostly steamed or lightly roasted
lemon water, water, herbal teas
detox drink (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, water, cayenne pepper)
Beware of Candida Die-Off:
One of the most common things I read about as I prepared for my own candida cleanse (something I suggest you definitely do before you dive in head first!), was candida die-off, or Herxheimer reaction. Essentially, when large numbers of yeast and fungal cells are killed quickly in a detox, they release noxious substances, including what some credit as at least 79 toxins (WHAT?!) including ethanol, uric acid, and acetaldehyde (thecandidadiet.com). If you’re experiencing die-off symptoms, don’t fret! These symptoms are a sign that your liver is working on overdrive. Adding in liver-supporting supplements like milk thistle can go a long way in helping to eliminate toxins and calm your symptoms (you can see below when I finally discovered milk thistle’s magic).
It’s important to know about die-off symptoms, as these are one of the biggest reasons why people abandon their Candida diet too soon. Being prepared will help you to avoid this ‘bump’ in the road (It won’t seem like a bump…more like a mountain? But I assure you it is just a bump).
My Candida Cleanse:
(you can see some of this noted in my instagram from July 10-16, 2017)
Day 1/Monday: I felt good. I was motivated. I cooked/prepped my meals! I’m gonna do this thing! Detox drink tastes pretty gross at first. Slept well at night.
What I ate: eggs scrambled w/ asparagus & peppers, cauliflower fried rice (made w/ eggs and veggies), detox drink, herbal teas, tons of filtered water, homemade vegetable broth
Day 2/Tuesday: Detox drink is still pretty gross, but growing on me. Still motivated, but I had a horrible headache starting (what happens when you cut out sugar & caffeine cold turkey!). Trying to not take any advil for pain. Feeling a bit drained. Slept like a rock.
What I ate: eggs scrambled w/ asparagus, zucchini & peppers, cauliflower fried rice (made w/ eggs and veggies), detox drink, herbal teas, tons of filtered water, homemade vegetable broth
Day 3/Wednesday: Another day of this damn detox. Feeling icky, but still motivated. Been feeling a little constipated, so tried to up the green fiber-rich veggies today. Craving sugar big time. Feeling weak & tired. Already lost a couple of pounds – water weight. Went grocery shopping and cried in the store. yep… I cried IN the grocery store and basically had a panic attack as I stood there and realized I couldn’t eat ANYTHING (NOT true, but sure felt that way).
What I ate: eggs scrambled w/ asparagus, zucchini & peppers (another failed attempt at an omelette), green veggies – steamed broccoli + roasted brussels sprouts & kale, detox drink, herbal teas, tons of filtered water, homemade vegetable broth (I wish I had discovered bone broth by now…)
Day 4/Thursday: Unfortunately feeling some pretty intense detox/candida die-off symptoms now. VERY emotional and weepy, super brain-foggy, achy and still can’t go #2. I am peeing like crazy, but I’m so bloated from constipation and uncomfortable. I cry a lot from frustration and the pain I’m in. Skipped detox drink today and went for dandelion tea as it has detoxify qualities in it. I also discovered SUPPLEMENTS today (thank god!) to try to help move things along (the point of a detox is to eliminate stuff from the body after all).
Added milk thistle and molybdenum glycinate supplements to my routine. Also took a good sweaty yoga class (despite feeling weak) to try to help with the detoxing and die-off symptoms.
What I ate: eggs & asparagus, green veggies – steamed broccoli + roasted brussels sprouts & kale, dandelion tea, tons of filtered water, homemade vegetable broth + SUPPLEMENTS!
Day 5/Friday: Feeling better than yesterday. Much clearer. Finally went #2! Also Down 5 lbs. Head feels clearer. I feel less flush and weak. Took a hot epsom salt bath to further detox my body at night and fell into a deep sleep afterward.
What I ate: eggs, green veggies, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, kale, brussels sprouts w/ a fried egg for dinner, detox drink, dandelion tea, tons of filtered water, homemade vegetable broth + SUPPLEMENTS!
Day 6/Saturday: Feeling good. Feeling lighter and non-bloated, I am reeeeeally ready to add some foods back in now. Like meat. mmmm.. Took a stretchy chill yoga class. Sleeping really well.
What I ate: eggs, green veggies, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, kale, brussels sprouts w/ a fried egg for dinner, detox drink, dandelion tea, tons of filtered water, homemade vegetable broth + SUPPLEMENTS!
Day 7/Sunday: Down about 7 lbs now. Crazy! (Not the reason I’m doing this, but a nice side effect for sure.) Feeling good. No real cravings anymore. No headache. Feeling awake and motivated. Sleeping like a ROCK. I spent the day buying groceries, meal planning and prepping for the week ahead. Bought a cute meal planner template that I’m using (whatever works, right?), and bought a journal to chronicle how I’m feeling each day more thoroughly I’ve been doing just on IG.
What I ate: eggs, green veggies, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, kale, brussels sprouts, detox drink, dandelion tea, tons of filtered water, homemade vegetable broth + SUPPLEMENTS!
PS… I know this menu is pretty repetitive by now, but I made big batches that I ate throughout the week. I wasn’t so inspired by the end, and spent a lot of time looking up recipes I could make once I reached the next phase of my candida diet.
So moral of the story is this: YES, a cleanse sucks. You are depriving your body of things it has grown accustomed to — caffeine, sugar, meat, and more… of course you will feel like crap. You’re literally having withdrawals from these things. But, I can assure you that once you get past that 4/5 day mark, it’s like you’re a whole new person. I felt AMAZING. I slept like a rock. I still had weepy moments in grocery stores (in cars, at work, at home…) for the next few months, but I now saw first-hand that the changes I was making and the positive effects I was feeling were WORTH those moments of sadness.
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