New To Gluten Free/allergen Free Diet...please Help

[kaygato]

Well I posted several months ago wondering if I had a gluten intolerance because of a miriad of symptoms I have. I recently went to a holistic medical center and had a bunch of tests done, which included food sensitivities. It was IgG and done by Alletess Medical Laboratory. Turns out I'm sensitive to a lot of things.

barley, green beans, pinto beans, bran, cantaloupe, cashew, cow's milk and all dairy, clam, corn, crab, egg yolk, garlic, gluten, haddock, lobster, malt, peanut, pineapple, rye, shrimp, soybean, swordfish, black walnuts, wheat, baker's and brewer's yeast, and yogurt

Anyway, I've been trying my best to avoid these foods since I got the results on Friday, but I know I've probably messed up a few times. I ate some chips that had corn oil as an ingredient, and when I went out to eat with a friend I had french fries and an asian dish with a sauce (and I had no idea what was in the sauce).

I'm going to call the company who did my test, since I can call their nutritionist and ask questions for free, but I thought I'd ask here as well. It mentions in a booklet from the laboratory that I can't have cane sugar or honey because they contribute to yeast overgrowth. Well I thought I was just sensitive to yeast, but it appears I have candida. What is the difference between yeast sensitivity and having candida?

And does that mean I can't have any foods with added sugar, just those that contain sugar naturally? I have a sweet tooth, so I'm hoping that in a couple months I'll be able to have some sugar or honey again.

I also understand that I probably won't react to all the foods I tested as sensitive too. My doctor said I'd just have to avoid some of the foods for 3 months, some for 4, and some for 5, before adding it back and seeing if I have a reaction.

Forgive me for my rambling on, I'm feeling very stressed right now. I just want somebody to explain the yeast sensitivity/candida thing, and give me insight into elimination diets.

[Takala]

I think, and this is my opinion only, that if you get your diet balanced up otherwise into what you should be eating, that the "yeast" overgrowth situation will take care of itself. This means more proteins, good fats such as olive oil and coconut milks, vegetables, and fruits, and fewer highly processed carbohydrates high on the glycemic index, such as white breads, white rice, and cane sugar. For some people, dairy products contribute to yeast overgrowth. Yeast is a fungus and the theory is that the fungus is over running the "good" bacteria in the gut that you depend on for digestion.

The most important diet is one that you can stick to.

I was tested out as a teenager as sensitive to a lot of things, but they missed the wheat problem because it was auto immune. I tried giving up all these other things, and nothing happened. I still was hyper sensitive to some things in my environment. I resumed eating them, and thought that as I aged, I was very fat intolerant because of a probable gall bladder problem, and just getting lactose intolerant with age. It was only when I went gluten free (initially I was grainless) that most of the other "allergy unknown" problems stopped, along with the glutening symptoms, which are different for me than a lot of other people.

[Korwyn]

If you actually have candida overgrowth (and you need to actually get specifically tested for this to be sure), it will generally not clear itself up. There is a specific naturopathic treatment regimen involving a strict sugar and starch free diet, including removing fruit and certain high sugar veggies, along with some specific anti-candida extracts.

There is also a standard western regimen involving pharmaceutical anti-yeast/anti-candida prescriptions, but it also involves adherence to a strict period of no sugars and extremely restricted starches (both quantity and type).

Candida displaces a specific family of bacteria in the intestinal tract when you have a intestinal pH that is too acidic. The stomach is acidic, the intestines are supposed to be alkaline (opposite of acid). However, people who have Candida also usually have other gut flora issues and generally suffer from an imbalance of gut bacteria anyway (google:intestinal dysbiosis).

My wife had a severe Candida issue that she finally was able to get under control, but it took her a year of no sugars, fruit, starches, or grains, along with some anti-Candida enzymes.