Here are the additional foods you can add at Stage 3!

Vegetables

• Beans (fava, great northern, green, kidney, lima, mung, navy, pinto)
• Lentil
• sweet corn

Grains

• Barley and barley malt
• buckwheat
• grits (hominy)
• kafir
• millet
• oats
• rye
• wheat (bran, bulgur, flour)

Nuts

• almond (although I’ve read some places these are okay in stage 1 or 2)
• beechnut
• chestnut
• filbert
• hazelnut
• peanut (although I would avoid these as they are usually moldy)
• pine nut

Fruits

• apple
• blackberry
• blueberry
• boysenberry
• cranberry
• elderberry
• gooseberry
• huckleberry
• kumquat
• papaya
• peach
• pineapple
• pomegranate
• strawberry
• tangelo
• ugli fruit

If you’ve been avoiding cheese, you can add in cottage cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, provolone and string cheese.

As you keep adding foods, watch out for candida reactions.  These are different for different people, so you’ll have to use your own discretion.

This past Sunday was the 2 week mark for the F.A.N.A.T.I.C.

How is it going for you all?

Do you notice any changes – weight, energy, overall wellness?  Any victories, challenges, or questions you want to share with the rest of us?  Are you Stage 1 or 2?  Does anyone want me to post the Stage 3 food additions?

How are you handling social eating situations?  For me, not planning ahead is a recipe for disaster.  Sometimes it can be difficult anyways, since there can be those who take personal eating choices to be a statement of condemnation against them.   *sigh*

I ended the cleanse, but I still want to support those who are doing it for the long haul!  I know all too well how eating differently is easier with encouragement from others!

Did you know that we happened to have our cleanse at an optimal time?

What I mean is, spring and fall are the ideal times to cleanse or fast. Or at least that’s what is always said.  I don’t know a whole lot about it.

They are the times we experience the most drastic weather changes.  I wonder if that is why we most often become sick during these times?  It’s as if the unhealthy habits we cultivated during the summer or winter exhibit their consequences, if they are not balanced and tended to beforehand.

Fall and spring are also the time where our seasonal food availability changes the most.  Perhaps it is intended to meet our body’s needs in preparation for the upcoming seasonal effects?

It’s interesting to think about, anyways.

And I sure am ready for summer now!

You now have a whole week under your belt!  Doesn’t that feel great?!

While I highly recommend remaining on Stage 1 foods for another week (especially if you have a known candida problem or cheated during week 1) I am going to post the Stage 2 food additions for reference when you are ready.

Stage 2 Food additions

Vegetables

• Artichoke
• Avocado
• Brussel sprouts
• Chinese water chestnuts
• Mustard greens
• Peas (black-eyed, chickpea, field, green, split)
• Potato (waxy white, red)
• Rutabaga
• Soy
• Turnip

Fruits

• Melon (honeydew, muskmelon, watermelon)

Grains

• Cornmeal
• Corn oil
• Corn starch
• Popped corn
• Rice
• Triticale
• Wheat germ
• Wild rice

Miscellaneous

• olives
• tahini

I sometimes experience trouble when I add white potato and white rice in too soon.  So watch for trigger foods.

Some candida diets say that some berries are okay to add in.  When I was seriously battling candida I had trouble with fruit, but you may be fine with it.  And expanding acceptable foods sure sounds good, eh?

Go look in a mirror right now and say, “You rock.”  Because you do.

You are a F.A.N.A.T.I.C.

Baby Daddy and I were discussing where on earth we’re going to go for our date night dinner.  Our usual place would be possible, but we automatically equate it with freshly baked bread, calamari (breaded and sauteed), and wine.  Hmm.  Even the Chicken Marsala would be a no-no.

And not sure what we would do about the dinner salad, unless we brought our own dressing.   When I’ve been on the diet before, I would eat salad without any dressing at all.  I got quite the look when I suggested that to Baby Daddy.

Maybe we’ll stay home and fix scrambled eggs.  Heh.

I’m still waiting for an energy boost.  While I haven’t felt sick or headachy, I have been just dragging.  I actually took a nap yesterday.  Me, the no-nap person.

Cravings are still high.  I obsess over coffee and bread.

So, all in all, doing pretty good!

How about you all?  There’s a number of you I haven’t heard from, and wondering how it’s all going..

And for you readers who are sick sick sick of hearing about this stupid cleanse, I promise I will get back to writing about other things.  Because I know you’re just dying to hear about the fascinating things going on, like the new vacuum I got.

Breakfast

• scrambled eggs or omelet – add onion, green pepper, broccoli, spinach
• yogurt (plain) – I like to add cinnamon and a dash of real vanilla
• steak (hey, why not?)
• fried eggs
• ham – be sure there isn’t sugar added

Lunch

• tuna or chicken salad – made with yogurt, herbs and spices
• steamed veggies
• raw veggies with dip – made with yogurt or sour cream and herbs, spices, lemon juice
• vegetable soup
• wraps – plain meat or tuna/chicken salad wrapped with romaine leaf
• chef salad – mixed greens with chicken or ham, boiled egg, cheese, veggies and homemade dressing (olive oil, herb, spices)

Dinner

• Roasted/grilled/baked chicken, beef, ham
• Fish, shrimp
• Beef stew
• Gumbo
• Vegetable soup
• Omelet
• LOTS of vegetables

How did your first day go?

The second and third days are usually the most difficult.  Hang in there.  YOU CAN DO THIS!

It’ll only get easier from here!

Are you drinking lots of water?  Lemons?  Taking your supplements?  Pooping?

This is the time that our bodies may scream their disappoval over our new food choices.  Lots of carbs and sugar created these organisms (yeastie bugs) that are demanding to be fed.  So when you are tempted to give in, just picture an evil little yeastie bug chortling and scarfing up that sweet you just inhaled.  And getting bigger.  And having babies.

Headaches aren’t uncommon, and if you’re really full of candida you may have flu-like symptoms.  Drink lots of fluids, take a Purification bath, and try detox tea (green tea with cleansing properties).  Heck, you can even take a Tylenol if it’s really bad.

But don’t give up. It’s just those yeastie bugs dying, and they won’t go without a fuss.

It’s our first day of the F.A.N.A.T.I.C.!

I have to admit I am missing my hot cup of coffee.  I’m having tea instead, and just the presence of a warm mug helps a little.

For breakfast I had scrambled eggs, with a bit of fresh cilantro and white cheddar mixed in. So tasty!

Like I said, dairy is questionable, so use discretion.  Raw dairy and plain yogurt are fine, but the others are best avoided.  When I went on the diet for severe Candida, I avoided ALL dairy for 8 weeks.

For lunch I am planning on having some chicken breast on a romaine salad with chopped green pepper.

Eggs are boiling right now for snacks.  I may slice some on the lunch salad, too.

There are a number of nursing mothers joining in, so I want to encourage them to be sure to eat enough protein.  Think yogurt, meat, eggs.  I know, that stuff gets old fast. Try to mix it up with herbs, spices, etc.

Food can be such a comfort thing, but for these next couple weeks, we have to think of it more as medicine.  Food as medicine may not sound very appetizing, but not heeding the effects of food is probably what got us in trouble in the first place.

Remember to drink lots of water today!

Are you prepared to begin walking on the road to more energy, less weight and fewer cravings? The Fabulous Awesome Neurotic And Terrifically Incredible Cleanse is just a few days away!

The first few days will be the most difficult as your body adjusts. Be prepared for increased irritability, headaches and fierce cravings. Have a plan so that when your body is screaming for satisfaction, you don’t cave.

It helps to have your food prepared ahead of time, so that when hunger strikes you aren’t tempted too much. Have fresh vegetables washed, cut and ready to munch. Boil some eggs and keep them cold in the fridge for a quick protein boost. Mix up your salad dressing and veggie dip.

(I like to make veggie dip with plain yogurt, fresh garlic, sea salt and herbs. Sooo tasty!)

Roast an entire chicken or big cut of beef, cut into chunks and keep in fridge. You can eat as is, or reheat. Chicken or fish is great mixed with plain yogurt and herbs for a salad. You can add it to mixed greens, or wrap in a romaine leaf to make a sandwich. The same can be done with eggs for an egg ’salad’.

Meats and eggs tend to be more acidic, so be sure to eat plenty of green to maintain a good pH balance. It also helps to add lemons to your water as you drink it throughout the day.

Lots of water is IMPORTANT. You want to keep things flushed!

Remember to begin taking your supplements! Beginning Sunday night I will be taking:

1. anti-fungal (melaleuca alternifolia oil)  – every night before bedtime, 7 drops in capsule
2. digestive aid (ComforTone) – every night before bedtime, 2 capsules
3. alkalizing supplement (AlkaLime) -  first thing every morning, and before bedtime
4. enzyme (Essentialzyme) – with every meal
5. probiotic (Life 5) – evening

For those who need a strong regimen add garlic, gse, melrose, etc.