Oh Lordy, Not Even Spinach!

It's been recommended to me by my new and trusted doc that I need to get off candida-feeding foods. I know the drill, having taken long courses of antibiotics as a teenager (for acne) and having suffered the consequences to my digestive tract, not to mention my moods and energy level. I read The Yeast Connection: A Medical Breakthrough in my early twenties, and it was enough to convince me I had a problem.

I did the candida cleanse at that time: eliminating all chocolate, coffee, alcohol, processed foods, sweeteners, refined flours, yeast, most dairy, and all dried fruits, as well as strictly limiting fresh fruits, and many other random-seeming things. At the time I was vegetarian. I lived on rice, beans, veggies, and not much else.

I have to say, once the cravings passed – and they did pass – I felt great. Never felt better. And I became an excellent cook.

Though it's a drag to always pass when it comes to treats, I'm willing to do it...

But here's the rub:
My doc also ordered a blood test screening me for food sensitivities. I got the results on Tuesday: Out of 105 foods, I showed sensitivities to a whopping 26. Count 'em if you must:

Almond
Avocado
Broccoli (Broccoli for God's sake!!!)
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chili Pepper
Coconut
Flounder
Garlic
Halibut
Lentil
Mustard
Oat
Pineapple
Potato, Sweet
Pumpkin
Rape Seed (Canola)
Radish
Sole
Spinach (yes, you heard me!)
Walnut
Wheat
Yam
Yeast, Baker's
Yeast, Brewer's

Now add to that my raging intolerance for sunflower seeds, my inability to properly digest dairy foods, and voila: you've got quite a list.

Why, you may ask, am I willing to put myself through all this? Here's my best answer: it's nice to eat cake, but it's even nicer to feel great. And I know I will. Plus, it would be nice not to have rashes, and painful and alarming digestive issues, and maybe, just maybe, even sustain a pregnancy.

At the very least, it's worth a shot.