Tag Archives: Candida Treatment

Questions & Answers

Why You Need To Fix Your Gut To Lose Weight

In my years of practice, I noticed that overweight people often also had gut problems.

It was my job to talk to people about their diet, their bowel habits, and their lifestyle. Based on my observations, there is a 100% correlation between poor gut function and being significantly overweight.

Bigger people have gut bacteria that help trigger cravings for junk food. Of course, there are some larger people who eat very healthy foods, but they are in the minority.

I often suggested to my overweight clients that they start using smaller plates and gradually reduce their portion size.

Most larger people have large stomachs and large appetites that have been built up over time. Once that situation has arrived, the gut bacteria start behaving very badly. The harmful bacteria can contribute to mood problems, fatigue, and anxiety.

Further readings:

I always urge people, larger people, if they want to lose weight to assess their gut and clean it up as needed.

I don’t encourage cold turkey diets. I believe in slowly transitioning from a junk diet to a gut-healthy one. I you try and start a new diet overnight, it’s easy to fall off the wagon and return to eating junk food like crazy.

Take it slow – just as you would if you were returning to the gym for the first time in ages.
The older you are, the slower you need to go back into it, all right. I’ve never met a large person that can’t, if their mind is set to it, lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off.

If you’ve got bloating, burping, farting, constipation, and diarrhea, the gut needs to be fixed up. If you ignore the gut problem and just focus on making diet changes, it’s significantly harder to turn the ship around.

You can read more about losing weight in my free report.

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Questions & Answers

Gut Healthy Salad Dressings

Let’s talk about salad dressings.

I make a variety of salad dressing that smell great, look great, and taste amazing.
Some of my favorite ingredients for salad dressing are Bragg’s apple cider vinegar, various olive oils, balsamic oil, and spices. I don’t recommend using white vinegar in salad dressing. Save that type of vinegar for cleaning.

I have about ten different olive oils in my pantry. Some are stronger and have a real “bite.” Others are more floral or citrusy. I even have some that are quite bland. Olive oil is wonderful and anti-inflammatory for the gut.

When it comes to spices, I use raw turmeric grated or shaved. Turmeric and ginger are from the same family of plants, and both are anti-inflammatory. I particularly like ginger if I’m making an Asian-fusion salad dressing.

Garlic goes into every salad dressing I make. I chope up one or two cloves very finely and throw them into the mix.

Further readings:

A classic salad dressing I make is a combination of lemon juice, olive oil, Celtic sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and then a herb or two.

If you have a significant Candida problem, I strongly recommend that you grow oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, and rosemary. All of those are key, gut-healthy herbs.

I grow a very strong, spicy oregano as well as a normal one. The spicy one is very powerful because it contains several healthy compounds that have a strong cleansing effect on the gut.

If you go to your local plant nursery, you can usually find pungent oregano to grow. You can even steep a handful of this oregano in a small jar of olive oil. Leave it there for about six or eight weeks, squeeze it out. What you’ve done is leech the active oregano metabolites into the oil. It’s an extraction process, and it gives the oil a delicious flavor. You can do that with any herb, but oregano oil is particularly tasty.

Other great salad dressings are yogurt-based. You can also make an aioli with ample garlic. Sometimes I add sauerkraut juice to my salad dressing. Another one of my favorite recipes is some kind of sprout mixed up with a bit of lime juice, salt, and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, again, on top of that. Very simple. Keep it simple.

I usually never store salad dressings. I make them fresh on the spot, put them in the salad. Whatever’s leftover, I throw away. I never keep salad dressing for the next day. Everything has to be fresh.

It’s not hard to make a salad dressing, and it gives your salad a lot of zing and flavor. When something tastes great and looks great, you’re going to want to have it again and again and again.

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Questions & Answers

What’s Causing My Chronic Hunger?

I’ve had clients ask me, “Why am I always hungry?”

I think it’s important to be able to get through the day without being hungry 24/7.

There are a lot of factors that influence appetite. Hormones like leptin and ghrelin play a role as does the composition of your diet.

One of the key factors I see in my overweight clients is that they don’t eat enough protein. I’m not suggesting you have steak three times a day. I’m recommending getting good quality protein in your diet regularly. The protein can come from meat, legumes, eggs, nuts, seed, fish, amongst other options.

Because it breaks down slower than carbohydrates, eating protein throughout the day can make a big difference to your appetite and cravings.

Next, watch out for eating too many refined carbohydrates. These types of foods can play havoc with your blood sugar, leaving you with a ravenous appetite at times. In contrast, having a small piece of meat with a bit of fat on it will keep your blood sugars stable as it slowly digests.

Further readings:

I don’t eat any refined carbohydrates. I stick with vegetables, fruit, meats, Brazil nuts, almonds, and other gut healthy foods. My energy remains steady throughout the day.

By sticking with better foods, you’re at much less risk of getting overweight or developing diabetes and heart disease.

Keeping track of your sleep is important to appetite control.

People who don’t get enough restorative sleep will have hormonal dysregulation. Sleep deprivation increases the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. And cortisol is notorious for increasing appetite and cravings for high-sugar, high-fat, and high-salt food.

Normal weight people with normal cortisol levels don’t generally have any problem getting enough sleep.

If you regularly wake up through the night, your leptin and ghrelin levels can be impacted. Ghrelin is the appetite-stimulating hormone, and leptin is the satiety hormone. If you’re not sleeping enough, your leptin levels can drop, and your ghrelin levels can increase.

Another reason people feel chronically hungry is that they aren’t eating enough fat. The medium-chain triglycerides found in coconut products will provide a very nice, slow burn. Including a small amount of healthy fats in your diet, such as sesame oil or olive oil, with help keep your appetite in check.

Not drinking enough water can sometimes leave you feeling hungry. Keep well hydrated at all times. People who drink water instead of immediately reaching for a snack can reduce their calorie load by 600 calories or more per day.

Make sure you’re getting enough fiber in your diet.

Not enough fiber. Many people are scared of fiber because they think it increases candida or dysbiosis—bad move.

It is essential to have an ample supply of plant-based fibers in your diet. By cooking your vegetables very lightly, you’ll ensure the nutrients, fiber, and flavor stays intact.

The sensation of fullness is going to last much longer if you have protein and vegetables for supper than if you have a couple of pieces of bread.

Lastly, don’t forget about distractions. People spend far too much time on their screens, snacking away mindlessly.

You need to concentrate on your food. You need to relax while you are eating.

Lastly, make sure you manage the stress in your life. Stress plays havoc with the hormones that regulate your appetite. Try deep breathing or mindfulness if you have a lot of stress in your life. You want to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system – the “rest and digest” system.

If you act on all these points, your weight will start to move in the right direction. Small steps today can pay off big time in the future.

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Questions & Answers

Shrimp And The Candida Diet: Are They Compatible?

Shrimp is okay on the Candida diet, but make sure the quality of the shrimp is in keeping with gut-health.

When I was a child, shrimp was wild-caught in many regions of Australia, especially in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This area was a source of banana shrimp, a large version of this shelf-fish.

If the shrimp are wild-caught, they’re going to have a low contamination level and would be fine to eat if you’re following the Candida diet.

Unfortunately, about 90% of shrimp in the U.S. is imported from countries that don’t have the same standards when it comes to contamination. This opens the door to the shrimp containing antibiotics, pesticides, and other harmful compounds.

Further readings:

If you’re going to eat shrimp regularly, I would recommend putting in the effort to find a reliable supply of wild-caught shrimp. You’ll pay more for the product, but the shrimp will be cleaner.

My understanding is that there are wild-caught shrimp that are harvested on the east coast of the United States. I assume those shrimp would be of pretty good quality and should be appropriate for a gut-healthy diet.

Years ago, some people thought that both shrimp and lobster were unhealthy because of the cholesterol content. It turns out that shrimp and lobster can help boost HDL cholesterol, the “healthy” cholesterol in the body.

Of course, like anything, moderation is the way to go. So, yes, enjoy some wild-caught shrimp but don’t eat it every day.

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Questions & Answers

Cooking Methods for Weight Loss

What’s the best cooking method for weight loss?

It’s important to know the best way to cook food in order to maintain vital nutrients.

If you search online, you’ll probably find that microwave cooking is described as the “ultimate” way to cook. However, I’m not a fan of microwave cooking. I prefer to steam and stir-fry foods.

Boiling is not a really good food preparation technique. Boiling almost guarantees that nutrients will be lost during the cooking process. It’s estimated that 35 to 65% of nutrient loss occurs by boiling food.

I also think boiled vegetables, boiled potatoes, and a slab of meat is a bland and boring way to eat.

Steaming is a much better way to prepare food as the nutrient loss is only 10 to 15%. I prefer steaming my vegetables very lightly.

You should always be looking for ways to cook without destroying the valuable nutrients. For example, if we look at folic acid, it’s a vitamin that is exceptionally easy to degrade. Deep greens should be minimally processed to avoid this degradation. Folate is essential for cancer prevention, so protect it, if at all possible.

Further readings:

My general philosophy is to cook for less time, cook smaller portion sizes, and cook for flavor.

In terms of cooking for weight loss, the best method is the quickest with the lowest heat that can achieve a satisfactory product.

Personally, I don’t have to cook food overly well. I prefer to eat meat that is semi-cooked and still juicy.

Stir-frying is a fantastic technique for weight loss. I love stir-frying using my steel wok and a little bit of sesame oil and the secret ingredient, water.

I will only boil certain tubers, such as sweet potato.

Stewing and grilling are also good options.

In the winter, I recommend hot pot cooking and stewing.

Having flavorful meals is another great weight to encourage weight loss. When food is tasty, it’s more satisfying. Some of the flavors I like are ginger, garlic, lime juice, chili sauce, anchovy sauce, Worchester sauce, and salt and pepper.

Over time, your taste buds will come to appreciate tasty, crunchy food.

Ensure that you are cooking healthy, high fiber foods. This will help you feel full on less food.

And don’t forget to keep your body moving.

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