So I know this will be tmi for... well, actually, since I have 7 followers, maybe y'all can handle this... lol Lurkers, well, I take no responsibility if you faint from embarassment on my account.
Confession: Since September, when I did a 30-day juicefeast (and stopped exercising daily) I developed a candida overgrowth (aka yeast infection) which has on-and-off plagued my body since. It's been 7 months of what seems like the world's longest lasting infection. HORRIBLE. Actually, it hasn't been anywhere near continuous, it just seems that way. I have roseacea on my face, which, as I understand it, is a result of a candida/yeast/fungal overgrowth. I have a yeast infection, well, you know where, and I *know* what's causing it. I just haven't cut out the necessary culprits... being yeast and fruit. Although I eat a very high-raw diet, there are times (more frequently than I care to admit) that I reach for yeast-laden carbs: bread, anything carb-with-sugar... sighhhhhhh. I'd really like to pretend I don't, but it's the truth - if ever I eat something cooked, it's something bready (usually bready-with-sugar). Sometimes, when I'm just, well, weak... I eat carbs. And since September, it's like I'm going through a healing crisis. My body says: cut out the gosh-darned carbs already! And to make sure I understand, it then puts forth physical symptoms that I am more than aware of. And fruit, well, I'm more than willing to admit I *LOVE* fruit. Nothing makes me happier than a piece of fruit. (What's not to love? Whenever I'm wavering in my commitment to raw, fruit always wins me back. I love pretty much every fruit out there (durian being the exception) - all berries, bananas, citrus, tropical fruits, anything. love love LOVE it!
So today was a pretty bad yeasty day and it's not surprising - for breakfast I had 1L of smoothie: 2oz wheatgrass, 2 bananas, 1 orange, 1 yg coconut (water & meat) and 1 pineapple all blended together. It made nearly 2L so I shared half with the kids and then added the wheatgrass in (they don't care too much for wheatgrass smoothies). The sugars in the fruit did me in for the rest of the day. I went on to have 2L of green smoothie (parsley, banana, berries, kelp powder, maca powder, goji berries, spirulina, agave nectar and a few cacao nibs)... soooooo delicious, but well, I don't know. I had drank both by 3 p.m. and drank water the rest of the day, yet still experienced extreme heat within the face - super-flushed cheeks & nose, in the typical pattern for me. And lately we've been consuming fruit salads for breakfast like they're going out of style, too. And my kids *love* fruit as much as I do, so they're always snacking on it. And when it comes to a snack, nothing says snack food like fruit. Quick to prepare, travels well, and soooooo good!!! (I'm not doing a very good job weaning myself emotionally from fruit here, am I)
But now, I sense the time has come for me to lay off the fruit already. I've been raw 2 YEARS this month (I can't believe it myself) and I am really feeling the need for a spring cleanse. I'm hoping to reignite the passion for dark leafy greens, find balance within.
It's funny how my dietary desires have changed the past 2 yrs... like many raw foodies I wanted entire meals when I first embarked... fancy entrees that took lots of preparation, but we're reminiscient of cooked meals I loved. I've slowly moved towards much simpler fare - I can't remember the last time I made something complicated or time-consuming. Mostly I can live on green smoothies and some soaked nuts & fruit, maybe a chia pudding or bowl of raw muesli & nut milk... I've fasted twice - once for 45 days and then for 30 days. And it was TREMENDOUS both times in terms of finding a wonderful balance within.
Ohhh, I really need to see that giving up fruit isn't a giving up, it's a gift to my body. Honouring that it no longer needs the sugar overload fruit brings. It may be that the yeast-laden carbs are doing more damage than I have focused on here, in which case abstaining from both for a while would be wise. Let's just start with the bread-y foods and then see the fruit go.
So today I embrace where my body is at on this journey. Embrace the candida. Love the candida for the message it provides. And now, RELEASE the candida. You can move on, little ones. There's no need for you here anymore. Your message has been received and I thank you for bringing me into greater awareness of my body on this journey to pristine health. I *love* you, little yeasties. Now go; your work here is done!!
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