"Why am I bloated EVERY time I eat?"
Updated: Apr 6, 2022
If you are asking yourself any of these questions, there might be a solution:
"Why do I bloat every time I eat?"
"Why am I bloated without even eating?"
"Why am I either constipated or have diarrhea?"
"Why do my joints always hurt?"
"Why does my abdomen hurt to the touch?"
"Why does my stomach hurt when I eat?"
"Why am I irritable, anxious, and have mood swings?"
"Why am I in a constant brain fog?"
"Why do I feel tired all the time?"
"Why is my skin breaking out, peeling, dry, or itchy?"
"Why have I had a sinus infection/ sever allergies for SO long?"
"Why am I craving sugars & carbs?" (sugary drinks, soda, chocolate, pasta, bread, pretzels, candy etc)
*Drum roll please* The answer may be Candida.
Candida?! What is that?!
Candida is the most common fungus in the human body. It’s generally harmless, but an overgrowth of this fungus can lead to infection, causing any/ all of the symptoms above. Combine that with leaky gut syndrome due to a poor diet, alcohol & caffeine consumption, & stress, and you find yourself in a whole mess of horrible symptoms. Bad right?
Ok, so how does an "overgrowth" occur? There are many causes, but the leading causes are:
A poor diet that is high in dairy, refined carbs, and sugar
Food intolerances (i.e. gluten, dairy, lactose, nuts, sugars, fruits)
High alcohol consumption
High Caffeine consumption
Elevated stress levels
Birth control pills (or hormone medications)
Antibiotics
Diabetes
A weak immune system (Including autoimmune or immunocompromised)
A diet that is low in or lacking grass fed meats, wild caught seafoods, free range eggs & poultry, local organic vegetables, real organic bone broth and lacking enzymes & probiotics. (These foods will save you)
I can't tell you how many people I know that will hear this and INSIST that they have a "healthy diet". but feel terrible EVERY time they eat. Every single day, they complain of some (if not all) of the symptoms above. I usually just ask them what they ate and drank for the past few days and we quickly debunk their opinion of "healthy eating". We quickly diagnose that a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Caesar salad, spaghetti with garlic bread, buffalo ranch fried chicken wrap, strawberry kiwi smoothie from "Tropical Smoothie", 6 pack of "light beer", buffalo chicken wings, & fried pickles dipped in chipotle mayonnaise is, in fact, NOT healthy. And then, the conversation can move forward.
Its sad, because nothing above is "outside" the normal diet of the standard American. In fact, a LOT of it, most people would categorize as 'healthy'. But, all of it is highly processed and filled with highly processed proteins, refined carbs, refined sugars, saturated fats, oils, and conventional dairy.
Conventional dairy, refined sugars, refined grains, gluten, alcohol, caffeine, pills, and stress are all HUGE factors in overall wellness. INCLUDING gut wellness. And ALL of those things are 'feeders' for Candida, resulting in a yeast/ fungal infection that can progress into other infections if not treated.
So, what does all of that mean and how do you fix it? I am so glad you asked. Let's allow Dr. Josh Axe take it from here.
"Candida Diet: The Foods & Supplements to Eat (and Avoid) to Treat Candida
March 25, 2021
Original article and page source found here.
When it’s at proper levels in the body, candida is a fungus that aids with nutrient absorption and digestion, but when candida overproduces, it can then become a serious concern that causes a wide variety of negative and serious health problems. A yeast-free candida diet is one of the best ways to reduce and eliminate candida symptoms, but what exactly do you need to eliminate from your diet?
Read on and I’ll tell you exactly what to take out of your diet and what to add to get rid of candida for good.
What Is the Candida Diet?
Candidiasis, commonly referred to as “candida,” is a fungal infection that can affect men and women of all ages in various parts of the body. It most commonly occurs in the mouth, ears, nose, toenails, fingernails, gastrointestinal tract and vagina.
Possible symptoms comprise a true laundry list ranging from bad breath to persistent heartburn to arthritis. Due to its many and varied symptoms, candida is often ignored, undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
If you have candida or know someone who does, the good news is that there are many candida natural treatments. The main natural treatment is a change in your diet to discourage the overgrowth of yeast.
Before embarking on your new diet, though, it’s a good idea to start with a candida cleanse to help rid the body of excess candida through flushing the digestive tract.
You have two options for a cleanse: a liquids-only cleanse or a more gentle cleanse with food. You can also start with the step one cleanse and then move to the step two cleanse.
Cleansing Step 1: Liquids-Only Candida Cleanse (Duration 1–2 Days)
Start by making a vegetable broth from organic onions, garlic, celery, kale, sea salt and pure water. Let it simmer and strain. Discard the vegetables, and refrigerate the broth.
Throughout the day, sip on warm broth. It’s imperative that you drink lots of water to help your body expel all the toxins in your system.
While this is not a long-term cleanse, it can be repeated as needed every few weeks. It can also be used as a jump-start to the food cleanse below.
Cleansing Step 2: Steamed Vegetables (Duration 3–5 Days)
By eliminating grains, sugars, fruits, starches and alcohol from your diet for three to five days, you can make great headway in your fight against candida overgrowth.
What can you eat on a candida diet? You should mostly eat:
Fresh, organic vegetables that have been steamed. For this cleanse stage, keep away from any starchy vegetables like carrots, radishes, beets, sweet potatoes and white potatoes, which may contribute to excess sugar levels and feed the candida.
Continue to drink plenty of pure water, a minimum of 72 ounces per day, to help flush the candida and byproducts from your system.
During this time, no more than once a day, you can eat salads made from leafy greens (like romaine) or bitter greens (like chard) and topped with just a bit of coconut oil and apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice).
During either of the candida cleanses above, you can use bentonite clay to help surround the toxins and efficiently remove them from your system.
Once you’re done with the cleansing stage, you can then move on to an antifungal diet that doesn’t just discourage candida — it helps your body get rid of candida for good!
Here are the dietary steps I recommend for a candida-free diet:
Diet Step 1: Remove the Problem Foods
Now you know what to eat, but you are likely wondering what not to eat on a candida diet. First and foremost, you need to continue to remove the foods from your diet that literally feed the candida and encourage it to flourish in your body.
The top offenders include:
sugar
white flour
yeast
alcohol
These items are believed to promote candida overgrowth. If you avoid eating sugar and white flour, then you will easily cut out most processed foods, which tend to be higher in calories and unhealthy ingredients and low in nutrition.
Avoiding sugar in all of its various forms is truly key to fighting candida. The candida yeast cells need sugar to build their cell walls, expand their colonies and switch into their more virulent, fungal form.
This is why a low-sugar diet is such a necessary part of your candida treatment. If you need some help, here’s how to kick your sugar addiction.
Going forward, you want your diet to be centered on:
vegetables
high-quality protein foods