Experiences with quitting SUGAR - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

GettingWellAgain · 06-21-2004, 12:39 AM

Hi everyone,
I want to quit sugar and start a Candida diet. For those of you that have cut sugar out of your diets completely, how difficult was it? Did you withdrawal? How long did your "sugar withdrawal" symptoms last if you had them? Last time I tried to stop eating sugar, I was so nauseous I had to give in.
Thanks,
Katalina

zip2play · 06-21-2004, 06:02 AM

Solstice,
Sugar is easy to cut out without symptoms. If you go the full carb elimination (<20g), you'll get a couple weeks of daily headaches (Tylenol works) but if you continue eating starches, you won't feel any pain.

I'm not a cadida "believer" except in cases of proven cadidiasis, but cutting out sugars from your diet is an otherwise ALL-GOOD approach...NO DRAWBACKS at all.
The hard part comes from breaking old habits. THAT'S always tough!

modert · 06-21-2004, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solstice1221

Hi everyone,
I want to quit sugar and start a Candida diet. For those of you that have cut sugar out of your diets completely, how difficult was it? Did you withdrawal? How long did your "sugar withdrawal" symptoms last if you had them? Last time I tried to stop eating sugar, I was so nauseous I had to give in.
Thanks,
Katalina

Hi Katalina, Did you ever attempt the elimination diet? I remember that a few months back you suspected you either had hypoglycemia or food allergies. Are you still having bad symptoms? Regardless of what may be causing symptoms, cutting out sugar will ultimately help you. Are you trying to cut carbs altogether, or just sweets? A Candida diet can be helpful but is extremely difficult to follow.

The best thing you can do to avoid symptoms as you wean yourself off sugar is to make effort to maintain your blood glucose levels consistantly throughout the day. I think you have a glucometer, don't you? What typically causes sugar cravings and/or related symptoms is when your glucose level drops dramatically several hours after you have eaten. The trick to avoiding these symptoms is to prevent that from happening by eating more complex carbs, more often, accompanied by protein.

On a typical candida diet they will tell you no white flour, no yeast, no sugar (including honey), no vinegar, no milk, no processed meats etc etc, so you have to find the right foods that will keep your glucose levels from dropping. I believe that certain fruits are occassionally permitted (bananas, grapefruit, strawberries, etc) but perhaps not in the beginning. You can also find some yeast-free bread and crackers (I think sourdough is recommended, if you can find it). During the first 2 weeks you should be prepared to eat every 2 hours (always carry food with you) and eat your snacks even if you do not feel hungry. Again the goal is to avoid the glucose drops which is accomplished by eating carb/protein snacks often.

If you attempt a no-carb version of a candida diet you WILL have symptoms that will last for about 2 weeks, and there is nothing you can do about it. I don't think its necessary to do that.

Also note that if candida albicons are truly your problem, you will feel some symptoms as they die off, regardless, even following my suggestions above. Those symptoms are not really related to sugar withdrawal, but directly related to the dying off of the yeast overgrowth. If you are under a doctor's care, ask for a Nystatin prescription to help you through this initial period - it WILL help and I don't think it can really hurt you. Nystatin accellerates the die-off period. I recommend the powder version (there is a powder version that can be ingested, but there is also a powder version for feet!) The powder it is absorbed more slowly into your system so it has a better opportunity to actually work. (its usually prescribed as a liquid) You take the powder by spoon, followed by water... I warn you, it tastes TERRIBLE, but when you feel better you will not care.

BTW - do you feel really sick after you shower? That is one of the key symptoms of candida albicons - they thrive on the wet/warm environment and "act up" when you shower. People with severe cases will compain of headache, dizziness, and flu symptoms within minutes after getting out of the shower.

Good luck - let us know how you are doing!

joquiero · 06-21-2004, 09:41 AM

When I first gave up sugar I got headaches, felt nauseated, felt absolutely starving - it was horrible. All I could think about was food!! But a few days into it i really did feel better, my weird sugar-headaches had gone, I stopped feeling hot all the time, and I didn't feel hungry constantly.

Maybe phase them out slowly. Start of with meals with veggies and a carb and each day just cut the carbs until they constitute less than a 3rd of your meal.

GettingWellAgain · 06-22-2004, 12:57 AM

jdimassimo,

I DID try that elimination diet, actually. Food allergies were ABSOLUTELY my problem. My severe hypoglycemic episodes almost completely disappeared. It was amazing! Now, the only time they reappear is when I eat something I'm allergic or sensitive to. I did follow the elimination diet properly EXCEPT when introducing new foods back into my diet. I did not re-introduce foods that I highly suspected, because I felt so much better that I didn't want to deal with an allergic reaction! When I started the elimination diet, I felt better within the first week, but I had new symptoms. My blood sugar episodes went away along with the strange sensations I felt and all of my other symptoms, but I developed MAJOR allergic symptoms. The itchiness, stuffiness, asthma, EVERYTHING that felt allergic increased, but it was all welcomed because ANYTHING was better than the blood sugar episodes and weird feelings I had.

Since a few months back when I said I was going to start the elimination diet, I've been eliminating foods. At first, I did it all at once like I was supposed to (even sugar, but I was barely eating that then), but now, I'm finding TONS of foods still that I'm allergic to. I know immediately now because my asthma will act up, I'll bloat up, get really low blood pressure, and SOMETIMES I'll get low blood sugar, but thankfully not too often. Right now, it is absolutely impossible for me to eat any gluten-containing foods as I get a VERY strong reaction, milk or dairy, blueberries, tomatoes, avocadoes, red dye #40, SOY, strawberries, and possibly corn. I live on rice pasta, lots of veggies, and lots of meats, but I slowly worked my way back up to eating sugary stuff again, like fruit snacks, chocolate syrup, dairy-free chocolate chips, gluten-free chocolate cake, etc. I just started eating nuts (besides peanuts because that's another allergy) and I'm doing okay with that, but I really wish I could eat a wider variety of foods, as I love to eat and I need to gain a little weight. Also, I"m taking fiber supplements now which has helped me tremendously wth chronic constipaton.

Although my health has greatly improved from changing my diet, I am still sick and truly believe that it's very possible for me to have a Candida overgrowth as this all started last year after many rounds of antibiotics. Did you personally suffer from a Candida overgrowth? I'm really interested in asking my doctor about Nystatin, but I'm scared to take it. I have heard that it does accelerate die-off, but that is exactly what I'm afraid of. I would've tried a Candida diet months ago if it wasn't for the fear that die-off is going to practically kill me. I've read so many horror stories about how SICK people are trying to get rid of this horrible yeast. Also, my plan was to not completely cut out carbs and do the Candida diet, and take garlic along with it, and afterwards, supplement with milk-free acidophilus. How does that sound to you? I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES when you mentioned feeling sick after showering!! I've been trying to figure out for MONTHS now why the heck I would feel extremely ill after showering! I've switched soaps and shampoos and everything. I took hot showers and cold showers and I was stumped. I have to tell my mom that because she thinks I'm nuts because I complain so much about how crappy I feel after cleaning myself. Thanks for everything,
Katalina

(P.S.-sorry if that whole post sounded confusing and jumbled up, I'm falling asleep

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