Rachie K's Wholesome Kitchen

I wanted to create this page for a few reasons but mostly because when I was diagnosed with Candida (a yeast infection) last year (and more recently now with leaky gut), I had never heard of it, other than the “genital” kind, thrush and I had nowhere to go for recipes other than using my own imagination and a lot of research along the way. My journey has been a long one. It all began not long after I had an emergency operation on Christmas day 2010 for surgical removal of a peri-anal abscess, it was such a traumatic experience for me, nothing has compared to it to date (no pun intended) . Approximately 3-4 months into my healing process I developed the flu virus which lingered for over 3 months, normal you might say? Well no it was far from normal. I kept going back and forth to the doctors within those 3 months, only to be prescribed anti-biotic after anti-biotic, nasal spray after nasal spray and nothing seemed to be working. In the end I developed a skin rash, so back off to the doctors I went, to now find out why I had this skin rash. From here I was then referred to an Auto Immunologist/Allergist, this was to be a waiting period of 12 months, upon hearing that I took it into my own hands and went to see another GP to be get another opinion and to ask to be referred to someone else that wasn’t going to take 12 months!! So I was referred on to someone else who did all sorts of allergy testings on me but to no avail, his medical opinion was that I had an Auto-Immune disorder where my body was no longer producing its own histamine. So to dig a little further I was then sent to Gastroenterologist where I was tested for Coeliacs/Crohens and for Gluten intolerance. Nope it wasn’t any of these.
I underwent a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, did all the blood, urine and stool samples you could possibly imagine (by now I’m feeling like a lab rat) and still no closer to any answers other than this so called auto-immune disorder and after the endoscopy, inflammation of the gut. Sadly no other alternatives were given to me other than take an obscene amount of anti-histamine (3-4 180mg 24hr tablets that would normally stop any normal functioning body’s itching) and some steroids by the Gastroenterologist, as I broke down in his office saying someone has to help, I can’t be itching like a maniac on my wedding day (as my wedding was drawing closer). I suffered so many different symptoms ranging from severe headaches, foggy brain, abdominal pain/bloating, weight gain, loose bowels, nausea, joint/muscle pain and last but least chronic, severe itching. My skin would feel like it was burning from the inside out. There were days (in winter) where I would be stripped down with ice packs attached to my legs and my arms just so that I could feel some relief, it was a dark time. I thought this is just something I’m going to have to live with as no one seemed to have the answers.
Fast forward to almost a year afterwards and I had finally had enough. During that year I had gone through my first gruelling IVF cycle where I was to learn that my body had started menopause, I was devastated, this couldn’t be happening to me, but it was. We went ahead anyway and I was put onto steroids again and the highest of dosages of fertility medication that they’re allowed to give a woman over 45, I was only 38. Sadly, our very, longed for baby wasn’t meant to be. All this medication made my symptoms worsen once again. I was losing all hope. Time to leave the toxic city and move to Busselton, which we did and it was the best move we’ve ever made. It was here that I seeked out a Naturopath (someone out there had to be able to help right?!) and she was my angel. She seriously saved my life as I had reached a very dark place and finding it very difficult to live with these symptoms. So after a series of tests and her researching all of my IVF data she concluded that I had Candida.

We had to strip my body back down to the bare basics of its functionality. This is where I was put onto a very strict Candida diet and a detoxification of my body. It was not going to be a walk in the park. I had to cut out all Sugar (artificial sweeteners/corn syrup/honey/malt/soy sauce/vinegar, mayonnaise and all commercial jams and spreads), Carbs (breads/grains/wheat/pasta/yeast or semolina based products), ALL Fruit, Fruit juices(soft drink/cordial/coffee, alcohol) All Dairy products were forbidden even soymilk with malt. I couldn’t eat peanuts, coconut or old nuts and seeds, the only nuts I could eat had to be raw/organic almonds and seeds like sunflower and pepita’s (pumpkin seeds). No shellfish, no processed or preserved meats like ham, salami and sausage. There were certain vegetables that I was unable to eat like mushrooms (it’s a fungi, so of course not allowed), tofu (soybean product) miso, tempeh and or potatoes (only sweet potatoes, which became my saviour) corn and parsnips. I had to keep a food diary for these 3 months also, so every day I had to write down in my diary, every little thing I had eaten. Remember I also mentioned I had to do a detoxification of my body to strip it back to basics?! Well, I had to drink herbal concoctions three times a day (they were so vile to begin with), take several herbal tablets to rid my body of all the bugs it had created along the way and I had to cleanse my liver too, this just wasn’t a Candida diet for me personally, it was so much more. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, the first month was THE hardest. Sugar cravings are evil, just ask my husband the plus side, I lost a lot of weight and more importantly, my health was renewing. Slowly as time passed by my itching and all of the other horrible symptoms were subsiding, relief was coming, the heavens were opening and the angels sang.....hallelujah!! So you might be asking well what did she eat?! This is why this page has been created. When I was first diagnosed, I was just handed a list of what foods I could and couldn’t eat and what I could and couldn’t drink, she didn’t have a magic box of recipes or a menu plan for me to follow, that was up to me to do.
Every couple of weeks I would report to her office and we would go through my food diary, it was here that she suggested that I write a recipe book for her other patients suffering Candida because she was so amazed by imaginative recipes and menu planning not to mention that I was the ONLY patient of hers that stuck to the whole diet entirely right to the bitter end!! Hence why I’ve now decided to create this page, I want to be able to help others with some recipe ideas as it can be so daunting when you’re told you can’t eat this and you can’t eat that, you’re like what the heck can I eat, grass?? Later on I will give you an example of how one of my “weekly food plans” looked like; I will also list the foods that I was able to eat. Luckily for me I do have a love for cooking and food, so it actually became a blessing in disguise, I became very creative with my cooking, I loved it and I think my husband did too
I’ll never forget her saying to me that “by the end of these 3 months, you won’t want to go back to the way you ate before, you’ll see”....she was right, I didn’t want to! However you’ve got to treat yourself now and again, don’t you?! As a rule I do stick to the same way of eating to this day, with a little added extra here and there, like a bit of feta in my salad, or some crackers and soft cheese (cheese for me, was the hardest thing to give up, I was a cheese freak, now I can barely stand the taste of a cheddar cheese in my mouth) and or a piece of fruit like a mandarin or rock melon. Mind you it took some time after coming off the diet before I re-introduced these things to my palate!!
For those of you that don’t know about Candida, it is a yeast infection, mine is of the gut. It’s where the gut flora has become so imbalanced that the intestines inflame and the infection grows, SUGAR feeds the growth. Guess what else? Antibiotics promote yeast infections, including gastrointestinal Candida overgrowth!! Remember all of those anti-biotics I was given? YES!!
Do you also remember how I was told by an IVF clinic that I was premenopausal? As we all know part of the hormonal system, the endocrine system, is comprised of glands such as the testes, ovaries, adrenals, and thyroid – all controlled by the pituitary and hypothalamus glands, located in the brain. Our glands are instructed by the brain to release hormones into the blood stream. These hormones circulate until they find their receptor, the place where they are needed. Unfortunately Candida can bind to hormones, altering their shape so they're no longer able to fit into their target receptor, making certain hormones inactive. This creates a hormonal imbalance.
Many of the symptoms of Candida overgrowth – weight gain, weight loss, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menstrual irregularities, joint pains, muscle fatigue, asthma, and hay fever – are caused by hormonal imbalances. Estrogen and progesterone control bladder and bowel functioning, and regulate blood sugar. Endocrine disruptors (also known as hormone disruptors or estrogen mimics) such as dental mercury amalgam, the chemicals found in dry cleaning materials, paints, pesticides, plastics, corticosteroids, etc., are known to block estrogen receptors.
Although the exact effects of endocrine disruptions are unknown, excess estrogen puts people at risk for cancer – especially breast cancer, whereas I’m already classed as a high risk, having lost a grandparent to breast cancer. Sadly I also have something called Xenoestrogens (that’ another part to the puzzle). I’m estrogen dominant and low in progesterone, you need these hormones regulated to be able to have a child, mine have not been, and perhaps have not been for many years as my naturopath believes. All of my reproductive hormones have been depleted. My cortisol levels were off the Richter scale, underactive thyroid and the list goes on and on!
So here we are, the page has been created and a new journey begins. I hope that I can help others with some inspirational food ideas/recipes as you embark on your journey or just want to make a difference in your diet for better health. This page will not only focus on Candida, we will also bring recipes that are Gluten/Lactose free and or just healthier twists on your favourite meal! Here’s to happier health!