Gluten-free And Sugar-free

[sunflower]

I've been gluten-free and lactose free for many years, and I think I am not having (major ) problems following the diet. Still, recently I've been trying to go sugar-free and yeast-free and I am finding this next to impossible. I get such horrible cravings for ANYTHING sweet that I think I am addicted to sugar! Help! Anybody has been through this and survived? Any tips?

The reason I am attempting this suicidal diet change is that I suppose I have candida overgrowth in my intestines. From what I read in the Internet, I have typical symptoms - I am going to see a natural medicine specialist about it, since no other doctor seems able (or willing) to help me with this, so hopefully I will have a doctor's diagnosis in about 2 weeks.

I've been trying and failing to go off sugar a few times this year - one month is my biggest success - but it is so hard to stick to this diet. Firstly, it is another dietary restriction on top of gluten and lactose, and I hate restricting my diet further. Then, the way I learned to manage gluten-free and lactose-free diet is by finding substitutes, trying to treat the restrictions (like, "I can't have milk") more like changes ("I can have soy milk instead"). So, I managed the one month without sugar only because I substituted white sugar and processed sweets with lots of fresh fruit, but now I have read that in the anti-candida elimination diet you have to give up all sweet foods, including sweet fruit and dried fruit, and anything baked with white flour and yeast, and I just don't know how to stick to it. After a day or two without any sugar, my craving for something sweet gets so strong that if I don't find some substitute, I break down and eat some chocolate. Any ideas how to deal with it? I know that craving chocolate might mean lack of magnesium, so I could try taking some magnesium pills, but it still leaves the problem of sugar in general.

It is really ridiculous when I stop to think about it. I mean, I don't smoke, but now I think I started to understand what some of my friends were going through when they tried to give up smoking. This is just sugar, it should be easier to give up, shouldn't it?

I'd appreciate any input from people who had similar experience.

I'm sorry for the ranting, I think I'm just feeling too sorry for myself today.

[tarnalberry]

First, figure out if you really need to go that strict, or if you can have _some_ fruit each day. (As for soymilk, Unsweetened Silk has something like 2g of sugar, and I like the taste. ;-) )

[whitelacegal]

Sunflower,

I have also been on this gluten-free and candida diet for 8 months and finally gotten over the yeast problems, i couldnt get better until i took all sugar products out of my diet and now that i am better its hard for me to try sugar again, The diet is really hard to stick to( the candida diet) but if you dont stick to it , the yeast will never go away cause that is what happened in my case. good luck

[tammy]

Hi Sunflower,

Yes I can relate. My biggest tip is to really decide what you can and will do consistently. I have not heard that chocolate cravings may mean a lack of magnesium but find that very intriguing. I will say that I have increased my magnesium intake for many of my symptoms. Although I continue to battle the urge for carbohydrates, simple and complex, I do relish that fact that I remain gluten-free and semi-casein free since Decemer 2002. At one point I was gluten-free, Casein-Free, Soy-Free, Corn-Free and Sugar-Free. I stopped. I am solely gluten-free, and I reduce all of the other foods. I needed a degree of peace of mind. The very high level of stress that it was creating for me seemed to be pointless.

My greatest tip to you is to find what you will be the most committed to and stick with it!

[kabowman]

I have recently discovered that I am yeast intolerant and have been considering going suger/carb free (are greatly reduced) to see if that will help. However, from what I have read, even once you "cure the yeast intolerance" you still have to watch what you eat for the rest of your life due to possible "flare ups."

So, my question is: is it worth it if you just give up the yeast? Especially if I don't have a lot of the other side-effects a lot of people with this have (i.e., yeast infections). Maybe this is just another intolerance on top of all the rest?

-Kate

[sunflower]

Thank you all for your posts and your encouragement! And sorry for my late answer.

In the meantime, I've been to the natural medicine specialist, but I'm a bit disappointed and confused. Yes, he agreed this can be either Candida, or some undiscovered allergies, and so he tested me for several allergies and discovered about a dozen or so, including milk, eggs, pork, carrot, oranges and God knows what else. He told me to eliminate them from my diet for a month and then come back for a blood test by which he can define if I have yeast problem and what kind of homeopatic treatment I should have. Only I'm somehow not convinced by the allergy "testing" which consisted of waving a copper rod over me (it was some kind of machine for testing allergies using magnetic waves). OK, some people might believe it, but I need a more solid proof to start an elimination diet as strict as that one. So I'm planning to do some "proper" allergy tests (like blood tests) and see if I get the same results. Well, it seems like it's still a long way to success for me.

Anyway, I noticed one good thing - after severely reducing sugar for the last couple of weeks, the sugar craving is almost gone! Maybe my yeast are dying out Or maybe it's just a matter of getting used to a different diet? I did not manage to cut out sugar completely yet, but I think I made some progress.

Whitelacegal,

Did you take any medicines apart from the diet? Or did you get rid of yeast just by sticking to the diet? The 8 month perspective seems like such a long time, but at least I can hope for a light somewhere at the end of that tunnel...

Also, do you have a list of forbidden products from the yeast diet that you followed? I've seen some candida diets on the Internet, but some are stricter than the others, and I am wondering to what extent I should limit myself?

Kabowman,

In my case, I don't know if I have yeast intolerance, but I do think I have yeast overgrowth, because of frequent yeast infections which can be cured with drugs, but only for some period, and sooner or later they would reappear. I also have the sugar craving, I'm often tired without reason (even though I stick to the gluten-free and milk free diet) and for many years I was often treated with antibiotics. From what I read in the Internet, this seems like the perfect picture for yeast overgrowth.

Tammy,

This is what I decided to start from I greatly reduced the sugar, and I feel so much better now. I'm wondering about cutting it off completely, but I guess I need someone more experienced to tell me that this is absolutely what I must do to get rid of the problem.

Tarnalberry,

According to some diets I found on the Internet, the only allowed fruit are the non-sweet ones like grapefruits or kiwis. I don't like either of them very much, so I still continue to eat small amounts of apples, oranges, etc.

[whitelacegal]

Sunflower,

Yes, i was on Sporanox for 4 months and still taking this for the yeast, I basically followed diets that was in the books and didnt eat any sugar products at all, no soda, basically just greens and meats. And i also took alot of supplements but i dont know if they helped or not.