Guest Post from Whole Intentions: What Are Your Cravings Telling You?

A few days ago we posted a brief introduction for The Sweeter Side of Candida and the awesome product giveaways, which are part of the launch (winners announced tonight, Nov 1, at 10:30).

Over the last few days I‘ve had the chance to preview the book and collect supplies to try a few recipes for a more indepth review later in the month. One of the reasons I’m anxious to try the recipes is so I can make them for my friends who deal with candida or follow a sugar-free diet to maintain healthy blood sugar. Special occasions and holidays can be especially difficult for someone avoiding sugar, which can cause people to avoid parties all together. That’s just sad.

As I read Paula and Sarah’s motivation behind writing this book, there was one sentence that resonated with me in particular.

“We know a candida diet isn’t always easy so these desserts are our way of giving you a special gift—a long-distance
hug while whispering “keep on keeping on”.

I love that! Encouragement for the journey is so important. I invited Paula to stop by as our guest today to provide a little more information about candida. If you’d like to ask Paula questions or get more information, you can contact her at paula (at) wholeintentions (dot) com.

[We only promote products we can fully support and believe in. In full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links, I am compensated if you purchase.]

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I feel like a piece of chocolate.

Oh, doesn’t that movie popcorn smell heavenly!

I’ll eat that last cupcake. . .we don’t want it to go to waste now, do we.

What do you crave?

Krispy Creme Donuts? A thick slice of bread and butter? What foods trigger the munchies? Peanuts? Chewy candy? The crunch of potato chips? We joke about the cravings of pregnant women, but are you the average Joe – or Josephine – with food cravings all the time?

What are your cravings telling you?

They may tell you that you have a bad habit of late night snacking, or that your body needs more minerals. But sometimes it’s deeper than that.

Food cravings are a key symptom of candida. What’s candida? Imagine two armies at war in your gut. One side is the good guys – bacteria like lactobacillus found in yogurts and fermented foods, and the other side is the bad guys – candida, the yeast-like fungus that wants to take over and create chaos on planet YOU.

What kind of chaos? You had to ask. . .

Symptoms of Candida

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acne
anxiety
arthritis
asthma
athletes’ foot
brain fog
cold hands or feet
colds
colic
constipation
cradle cap
cravings for sweets
cysts
diabetes
diaper rash
diarrhea
dizziness
eczema
fatigue
food sensitivities or reactions
hay fever
headaches
heart burn
hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
hypothyroidism
insomnia
irritability
joint pain
lack of appetite
migraines
mood swings
muscle aches and pain
panic attacks
poor memory and concentration
pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
psoriasis
rashes and dry red or white patches
respiratory problems
sinus congestion
thrush (white coating in mouth or vagina)

Like any army, candida needs supplies to do its dirty work – it craves them.

Common Candida Cravings

The common foods candida craves are the same ones that feed it and help it grow:

bread
chocolate
moldy cheeses (brie, camembert, etc.)
pickles
sweet sauces
sweet fruits (oranges, bananas, grapes, and dried fruits like raisins)
starchy vegetables (pumpkin, potato, etc.)

and most importantly. . . sugar.

Oh, yeah, candida LOVES sugar. It hugs and kisses it. It dreams about it, plans exotic vacations with it, and is just a tad bit obsessed. Are the foods you’re craving supplying ammo to the enemy?

Fighting Candida

Most people have a sweet tooth. I won’t lie, I do too! (do NOT ask me how much I love chocolate and peanut butter). Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re asking yourself, “But if candida loves sugar, breads, cheeses and fruit – what in the world do I live off? Bread and water?

Scratch that—NO bread. Just water. Whaaaaaaa!

No wait. . .really. . .there is a happy ending to this story.

Often times when you crave something sweet you can diminish it by eating small amounts of protein throughout the day (eggs, tuna, chicken, etc.). The ebook Candida Crusher suggests taking chromium picolinate two to three times daily with meals (about 500 mcg per dose). But the best way to fight sugar cravings is with this simple rule: if you crave it. . .don’t eat it. You’ll find that the more you avoid the foods that call your name, the better you feel and soon those cravings fade into non-existance.

But what about the times those cravings start to get the better of you? What if you need to make dinner and dessert for company? What do you do when everyone is eating brownies and you know you can’t have them?

You can still enjoy delicious foods safe for a candida diet, and yes, candida-diet approved desserts because the naturally sweet herb stevia and xylitol are the only two forms of sweetener that DON’T feed candida.

While it’s not true that everyone who craves sugar has candida, it is true that most everyone with candida will crave sugar.

The Sweeter Side of Candida

Need recipes that will help you stay healthy, lose weight, and fight candida?

We’d like to invite you to our Facebook Party on November 1st, 2013 at 9pm EST – 6 pm PAC

We’re giving away:

1 copy of Healing Candida with Food
1 copy of The Sweeter Side of Candida

Plus over $1,000+ in prizes!

Join us on Nov. 1st and bring a friend! This cookbook is *not* only for those who suffer from candida. It’s for anyone who wants to lose weight and/or stay healthy too!

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