Q:
I want to do a meat fast over the weekend. I really want this monthto be a big weight loss month and I want to get off to the right start.
What exactly do I do?

A:
The nice thing about meat fasting is that you don’t usually have any rebound weight gain, like with a regular fast. The bad thing about it is that it can give you some very serious candida die-off. I don’t recommend you do it unless you’ve been on MOVES at least 2-4 weeks.

I just want to make sure you are aware that you may experience nausea, headache or worse from the die-off toxins. You will probably also experience loss of appetite, but you should force yourself to eat all of your food.

To do a meat fast, start with calculating your calories. Multiply your current weight by 10 minimum to 12 max. So for example if you weigh 200, your calories would be 2000-2400, which ever will make you full.

Next get your protein gram calculation by dividing your weight in half. So if you weigh 250, protein grams would be 125. Increase by 10-20 grams if you lift weights or are pretty active. This is not a super scientific way of doing the calculation, but the way that I know that is more accurate involves knowing your body fat percentage and lean body mass, which I’m not sure if you know or not.

OK, now pick a meat you are going to eat, and it’s best if it’s fatty. Say ground beef or chuck roast.
Then add the amount into fitday until you hit your protein grams. If you need more calories still, add fat into protein until you hit your calorie benchmark.

Coconut oil is your best bet for additional calories as it boosts the immune system and metabolism as well.
Then just cook up your meat and oil, and eat only that as long as you can stand it.

Q: Don’t we need to have antioxidants to improve the immune system? I feel like all I am hearing in the candida diet section is saturated fat, saturated fat, saturated fat. What about antioxidants? If we are not eating fruit or berries and we are not supposed to eat a lot of vegetables, how are we supposed to get enough? I thought these were supposed to be great for the immune system? I understand that the fats in omega 3 fish and olive oil are healthy, but I am just finding it hard to believe that the fat in butter and red meat can actually be healthy. I am sure it is, but it is just so hard to believe. Also, there was this naturopathic doctor who was really big on coconut oil and he died suddenly of a stroke at a young age. I just have to wonder whether or not it was from all the coconut oil. How can I be absolutely sure that all of this saturated fat is really good for me. I would really hate to go on believing this and then drop dead in a few months of a heart attack.

A:
Antioxidants are CRUCIAL to the immune system. Vitamins C and E really help to keep us (or get us) healthy. Saturated fats play a huge role too though. You can’t have one without the other.

And lets define “a lot” here when we’re talking about veggies. There were times when I’d eat several pounds of veggies a day because I thought I needed all that to be “healthy”. My antioxidant nutrient values were quite high when I did this, but like I said, I could easily eat 3lbs of veggies in one day, and that only added up to about 70-80 carbs.

If you choose nutrient-dense veggies and you supplement well, you’re getting superior nutrition and not just adequate nutrition. How many of us ate that many veggies and fruits in a day before we tried to be healthy? Most of us didn’t. Most of us had a diet based on grain/legumes/unhealthy fats with the occasional pieces of fruit and servings of veggies thrown in for color. So even eating “not a lot of veggies” on MOVES still has a lot of us better off than we were when we were much sicker.

And with respect to fruit, we do allow some “fruits” like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers. And of course there’s lemon and lime for those who can tolerate it. While some foods are higher in certain enzymes than others, you can have a perfectly varied and nutrient-dense diet if you limit your foods to the ones we recommend.

It IS hard to believe that fat consumption is necessary, because we’ve been conditioned by this whole “low-fat” thing that started in the late 70s. Did you know that the incidence of heart disease has gone up significantly as we’ve reduced our fat intake?

Bruce Fife, N.D. is considered one of the most prominant experts on saturated fats and coconut oil, and I haven’t found anything saying that he died. And remember that a lot of things can cause a stroke that have NOTHING to do with how you eat (even if someone DID eat coconut oil and then died from a stroke.) This sounds like some kind of urband legend to me — the same kind that was stirred up when Dr. Atkins died. (He fell on ice, hit his head, and ended up dying 10 or 11 days later, but the people who wanted to discredit him said he died of a heart attack and he was
“obese”. He wasn’t even overweight when he went into the hospital after his fall, but he gained something like 50lbs from fluid in those 11 days of his coma before he died.)

My results speak for themselves. My cholesterol looks great, my blood pressure is perfect, and I’m losing weight. Best of all, my Candida symptoms are improving every day. No doctor in their right might would argue with the results (even if they can’t wrap their minds around HOW I got them.)

I’ve done enough research over the past 10 years and I’m quite confident in the way I eat. It’s hard to sort out the brilliance from the BS sometimes though, and I understand. The initial leap of faith was tough, but when I started digging and finding information that appealed to my scientific nature, the information was impossible to ignore. It’s a
learning process though. I learn EVERY day.

There are a lot of things that are great for the immune system. Things like lauric acid, found in coconut oil, and garlic, are also great for the immune system. Antioxidants are also found in meats.

I have read in the ‘Harvard Health Letter,’ Vol 32, #11, Sept 2007 the following (brief):

There are four varieties of saturated fat in our diet:
lauric acid
myristic acid
palmitic acid
stearic acid

Their effect on LDL cholesterol levels varies, so among the saturated fats, there are degrees of bad. Stearic acid seems to be the least bad because it’s rather quickly converted into a healthful monosaturated fat & doesn’t increase LDL levels very much, if at all. THAT’S GOOD NEWS FOR STEAK LOVERS: Half of the saturated fat in beef is stearic acid.

There’s a great chart in the newsletter showing the specific types & percentages of fat in common oils & fats: saturated, trans, monosaturated, & polyunsaturated fats.

From the looks of the chart, coconut oil doesn’t appear to be a good option over other oils like canola, olive, safflower, & sunflower oil.

Here’s an interesting twist:
The tropical oils in small amounts are okay, & they’re certainly an improvement over trans fat. Americans were scared away from them because of their saturated fat content. But REMARKABLY, COCONUT Oil & OLIVE OIL HAVE SIMILAR EFFECTS ON THE RATIO OF LDL TO HDL.

(This isn’t so bad either–When it comes to chicken, go ahead & leave the skin on. Because of the polyunsaturated fat content, says Dr. Willett, ‘a little bit of chicken fat isn’t such a bad thing.’ Besides, he says, ‘cooking chicken with the skin on makes it taste a lot better.’

Eggs are always quick, but they get boring.

Remember that you don’t have to eat “breakfast food” for breakfast. I’ll often have left-overs for breakfast.

A protein shake made with 1 egg, 1T butter, 1T coconut oil, 3/4c boiling water, and a pinch of stevia. (Blend it in your blender and enjoy!)

Q: If you have any suggestions on how to get started, feel free to let me know.
I am using coconut oil and butter and am trying real hard to be good on the candida diet. Sometimes I cheat, I’m not going to lie.

A: Very strict eating plans are hard for us all, my dear. I’m far from perfect right this moment myself because I’ve been having dairy off and on (heavy cream, cottage cheese, and cream cheese). These things clearly don’t agree with me, but for a number of reasons, I keep having them. The biggest factor for me right this moment is money, but I admit that if I had more money to get other good protein/fat foods, I’d still want a bit of cream cheese or heavy cream (even though I’d have a lot less of it than what I’ve been having recently.)

I find it harder to stay on the “straight and narrow” when I’m having even these small indulgences. I find that I’m most successful once I’ve gotten everything eliminated that affects me and feeds my candida. Then, I don’t need willpower because I’m not feeding those darned yeasties (and my food addiction) anymore.

I put together a chart a few months ago (that I submitted to Bee’s list, actually), and I just need to make a couple changes before I get it up here. I can give you a quick run-down of what I take though.

Morning:
1 Nature’s Way Chlorofresh Capsule
3 Nutricology Potassium Citrate (99mg)
2 NOW Magnesium Citrate (200mg)
1 Source Naturals Calcium Citrate (333mg)
1 Natrol Omega-3 Fish Oil (1,000mg)
1 NOW Shark Liver Oil (10,000 IU Vit. A)
1 NOW Vit D (1,000IU)
1 Twinlab E-400 (400 IU Vit E, natural, not synthetic)
1 NOW B-50 Complex

Evening:
1 Nature’s Way Chlorofresh Capsule
3 Nutricology Potassium Citrate (99mg)
2 NOW Magnesium Citrate (200mg)
1 Source Naturals Calcium Citrate (333mg)
1 Natrol Omega-3 Fish Oil (1,000mg)
1 NOW Shark Liver Oil (10,000 IU Vit. A)
1 NOW Vit D (1,000IU)
1 NOW B-50 Complex
1 NOW Folic Acid (800 IU)

I also use NOW ascorbic acid crystals throughout the day as well as unrefined, orgainic coconut oil from Mountain Rose Herbs.

I’d like to note that since I’m pregnant, I’m taking a little more folic acid than most would take, I DON’T take additional niacin, and I don’t take much Vit C consistently (because I’ve read of cases where babies have been born with rebound scurvy from their mothers taking too much Vit C.) I also take a little more magnesium to help with my blood pressure while pregnant, and I’m taking the potassium because I’m not getting nearly enough dietary potassium. I’m not using anything like clove oil or oil of oregano also because I’m pregnant.

I think that pretty much covers the basics.

Most of my supplements come from vitaglo.com. They’ve got great prices and flat-rate shipping. A couple come from Vitacost.com too (again, with
great prices and flat-rate shipping.)

Hope this helps.

Since yeast has been causing me some very painful sinus issues lately, I have a few suggestions that really help.

1) I’ve been putting coconut oil in my ear (also affected) and my nose. I know it sounds weird, but it really helps. You can put a glob of coconut oil in your nose and lay down with your head tilted slightly back. It’ll run into your sinuses, and after a bit, you’ll blow a bunch of nasty gunk out of your head. (Same thing with the ear pain that was spreading along the whole left side of my face. Put a glob of coconut oil in your ear and lay down for a bit so it can run in. It helps!)

2) See a chiropractor! My chiro did this massage thing and released some pressure points that did help with my sinus for a few days. I only see him once a week, so the pain came back, but it worked for about 3 days.

3) Steam, steam, STEAM! We actually have this “personal vaporizer” that we got at Walgreen’s. You put water in it and it directs steam right into your nose (or your whole face if you use the face mask that comes with it.)

4) Saline drops are quite affective, and you can use them as many times as you like. (I’ve never tried the garlic drops, so I can’t speak to that, but I’d guess it’d work just as well as saline. I don’t know if it’d cause any painful die-off though.)

5) Eat on plan and take supplements that support your immune system. Make sure to get PLENTY of Vit A, C, D & E so that your immune system can work FOR you instead of against you.

I’d just like to add a couple comments to the great weight loss tips post.

> – Calories should be 10-12 times your body weight. So for instance if you weigh 200 pounds your calories should be 2000-2400.

Many people don’t seem to understand that when you’re eating a high-healthy-fat, low-carb, moderate protein diet, calories don’t count like they do when you’re eating a low-fat, high-carb diet. I’ll post an interesting article shortly that describes why “a calorie isn’t just a calorie” when you’re following a low-carb, high-fat diet.

I bring this up because the calorie issue can be just as important for people who’re underweight (or of average weight.) If you have trouble keeping weight on, remember that you may need more calories than you think are necessary because your body is using the nutrients you provide it quite efficiently.

> – Avoid eating 3 hours before bed time. If you get hungry before bed, have 1-2 tbsp plain coconut oil. Also you can always bring coconut oil with you to eat in emergencies.

If you’re pre-diabetic or diabetic though, you may need to eat a high-fat snack (which can include a bit of protein too) right before bed to combat the “dawn effect”. Personally, I can’t stomach plain coconut oil, but I have been known to have a shake before bed that includes 1 egg, 1T butter, and 1T coconut oil (along with some stevia and a cup of water.) That fat/protein snack is really easy to digest AND it keeps my liver from thinking that it needs to make glucose overnight. When I have something like this right before bed, my morning fasting glucose is always much better than it is if I eat at 6:00pm and then don’t eat again ’til the next morning.

> – Eat your largest meal in the morning, and break your food down into 4-5 smaller meals (unless you have digestion issues).

Again, if you’re pre-diabetic or diabetic, it’s wise to eat your largest meal (which presumably contains the most carbs and protein) in the middle of the day. Blood sugars can run higher in the AM because of the dawn effect, so you don’t want to go and dump more protein/carbs into your system when your body’s already struggling to deal. And if you have too many carbs (or too much protein) with your evening meal, you don’t have a lot of time to mediate your blood sugar through activity. Again, you’ll head into night time with higher blood sugars and then your liver can compound the problem by thinking it needs to make even MORE glucose.

Yes, following a quality candida diet (low-carb, high-healthy-fat, adequate protein) goes a long way toward helping you maintain stable blood sugars, but people often still have trouble as they heal their bodies because of the damage that the candida toxins do to our endocrine systems and cell walls.

> – If you are stalled, make sure your calories are correct and your ratios. Do not go overboard with either protein or fat.

FitDay.com is our friend, everybody! No matter whether you’re overweight or just tracking your diet as you cure your candida, that site is invaluable! It can really let you know where you stand, and if you start to have problems, you can look back at what you’ve eaten to see if you can figure out what’s going on. For instance, some long-time low-carbers will get to the point where they have trouble losing weight. They start entering their food in Fitday and find that they weren’t eating enough or they were eating more carbs than they thought. The same bits of information can be helpful to candida sufferers. For instance, if your symtoms get worse, you can spot-check. Am I getting enough fat? Am I eating too many carbs? Am I feeling poorly because I’m not getting enough calories?

> – Also if you are stalled, consider ditching stevia, dried spices, salt, lemon juice and butter along with your typical candida diet.

Respectfully, I have to disagree on the salt thing. If you use nothing but sea salt, and you use it to taste, AND you’re drinking your water, it’s likely that the salt is not the issue. Nutrient deficiencies as well as the consumption of refined, iodized salt can certainly cause weight loss issues though.

If you suspect salt is a problem for you, look at your diet. Is there refined salt that’s sneaking in? Is your butter salted? What about seasoning blends that you use with protein and veggies? Are you eating any protein or veggies that are hiding extra salt? (Some canned fish and frozen veggies will contain added salt, so you have to look.) A little refined salt can actually do a lot of damage, but if you use SEA salt to taste, you drink your water, and you maintain an adequate mineral balance, you shouldn’t have any trouble with “salt”.

Here is some information on how to lose weight (if you need to) along with curing your candida.

- Calories should be 10-12 times your body weight. So for instance if you weigh 200 pounds your calories should be 2000-2400.

- Avoid eating 3 hours before bed time. If you get hungry before bed, have 1-2 tbsp plain coconut oil. Also you can always bring coconut oil with you to eat in emergencies.

- Eat your largest meal in the morning, and break your food down into 4-5 smaller meals (unless you have digestion issues).

- Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of plain water.
So if you weigh 200 pounds, you would drink 100 ounces of water a day or more. Water is your friend and helps you detoxify and metabolize fat

- If you are stalled, make sure your calories are correct and your ratios. Do not go overboard with either protein or fat.

- Also if you are stalled, consider ditching stevia, dried spices, salt, lemon juice and butter along with your typical candida diet.

- Also consider doing a meat fast (just meat and oil) for a few days to kick start the process. Beware that this may give you die-off symptoms that are more severe.

For most of my years, I have struggled with carb cravings.
Over the past 2 months, I am seeing great changes.
I knocked out most of my candida symptoms by STRICTLY following all the Mercola and Bee advice for one month.
Luckily, I read all the Rachel Heller books just about the same time.
I tried their 3 day challenge…the carb cravings are gone. Hooray.

I haven’t had a return of any of the yeast symptoms and I feel it is going to work for my lifetime.

I am no expert, and this is NOT medical advice.
But, from my research…I morphed the Heller advice into a 2 day trial.

There is a two day test you can do at home to see for yourself if an adjustment in your carbohydrate intake will help you in any way.

Here are some guidelines;
EVERY MEAL is a GREEN MEAL…
1)dark green leafy vegetables at each meal
2)lean protein at each meal
3)up to 2 Tablespoons “healthy lipids/fats at each meal (virgin olive oil, coconut oil)
4)Fresh Garlic or Kyolic at each meal
5)filtered, chlorine free, water at each meal (puree all in a blender and use a straw if necessary)

Important;
You must eat ONE meal a day that has good carbohydrates.
Don’t ever skip that.
Limit the eating of this meal to 3/4 of an hour. That limits your insulin “release” reflex.
On that one meal of the day, ADD to the meal your healthy carbohydrate servings of;
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup sweet potato
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup white potato
1/2 cup mixed berries
1 whole grain/low carb tortilla
(think up some more…stay low on the glycemic index. Go for colorful natural foods.)
This Carb Meal should be started and finished within 3/4 of an hour.
Have a small piece of dark chocolate for desert if you wish

Take the two day test without any yeast products (bread, rolls, wine, or dairy products, etc)

Do take calcium supplements. I also include about 1 tsp. sea salt.

See how you feel.
It feels great to me.

Of course, if you chose to continue this WOE (way of eating) beyond the 2 days, you would want to meet with a certified nutritionist to
fine tune it to your needs.