One of the hardest parts about being on an anti Candida diet is the social aspect and you have two options - become a social recluse or deal with it the best that you can.
Although it may feel incredibly restrictive at first, being on an anti Candida diet does not have to mean the end of your enjoyment of food, social life or friendships. Here are a few tips to help you through the early stages.
Dealing with stage one of an anti Candida diet;
As you are probably aware, stage one of an anti Candida diet is where the real work gets done. It is an incredibly tough phase to get used to, especially if you are used to eating a lot of high sugar, processed foods.
Tip 1 - Take it slowly;
If you find that the thought of stopping all the food that you love in one swoop scary - then don't. Just stop all sugar for a week. This is the main food source for the fungus so you will be doing some good. The next week cut back the carbos and starches, carry on like this until you find that you have cut everything out that you need to. From there you can 'start stage one proper' and in no time you will be adding food back again!
Tip 2 - Focus on what you can eat;
Changing your focus from what you can't have to what you can have on an anti Candida diet is a great way to see your food in a whole new light. It is amazing the variety of tastes that you can get from a stir fry or salad just by adding a different vegetable or herb.
Tip 3 - Don't be too hard on yourself;
Some may call it cheating, I call it keeping the peace - Every now and then you will be put in a situation on the anti Candida diet where you have to choose between staying on the diet and hurting someone's feelings.
Whether you have been given a piece of cake by your mother in law, shouted dinner by a friend or your young daughter has made you a biscuit at day care and expects you to eat it. Do it. Enjoy it. Treat it as a '10 steps forward and one step back' moment.
Tip 4 - Take your own;
When visiting friends, take rice crackers and hummus - these are actually really yummy and kosher to boot! You may also find that they are relieved because they don't want to offend you by offering food that you can't eat - so it's a win win for all!
Tip 5 - Eat before you go;
If you are headed to a party, make sure that you have a large meal before you go, that way you will be able to ignore the finger food on offer.
Tip 6 - Dealing with dinner dates;
If you are invited out to dinner, ask about the type of restaurant you will be going to. Most dining places these days have a salad option or if not, then relax, go with the flow, enjoy yourself and deal with the consequences tomorrow!
Tip 7 - Explaining an anti Candida diet;
Some people feel awkward or embarrassed by being on an anti Candida diet and find it hard to explain to others what they are doing. The best way around this is just to say that you are on a detox diet and let the conversation go from there. Most people will just go 'oh, OK' and move on. Usually it is only people who have done similar diets will want to compare notes and these can be really enlightening!
If people want to know you are on this diet then just shift the blame onto your doctor, naturopath, nutritionist, psychic or anyone else who sounds like they might know what to do.
