Sunday, April 24, 2011

Candida Diet Week 15! Oxalate Breakdown!

Ever notice how long it takes some things in the body to heal? I've had 2 marks on my face (not that noticeable, thankfully) for awhile now. One since '06! One since just this past December/January..... or consider broken bones or injured nerves...

The body can sometimes take awhile to heal. I plan on following the general candida routine for awhile. With slight variations as I go, but it's such a healthy diet. I've gone all of today without yogurt (which has been the only dairy I've consumed since January) But every now and then I feel it's best to even go without yogurt, and when I'm done with the yogurt I have in my fridge, I'll likely not get any more for at least a week or more.

Also starting tomorrow I'll be not devouring almond butter :-X I'm going to aim for a week without almond butter, and see where I go from there. I feel like it's been too much of a fixation, and I'll be trying to add more beans & legumes into the mix to get the protein. It's gotten so much easier as time's gone by. I know so many more quick and easy recipes and have gained a good knack for how long things take to make and when to prepare them so I'll have them through a long day away from home. Quinoa has been such a great find. I still believe the best philosophy is "Everything in moderation (including moderation!)" A quick read-up on quinoa has the following:

"Quinoa is not a commonly allergenic food and is not known to contain measurable amounts of purines. However, like all members of the Amaranthaceae-Chenopodiaceae plant family, quinoa does contain oxalates. The oxalate content of quinoa ranges widely, but even the lower end of the oxalate range puts quinoa on the caution or avoidance list for an oxalate-restricted diet. "

So what are oxalates, exactly? Trusty wikipedia explains:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalate

Basically oxalates in food can bind with things like calcium and cause things like kidney stones.

So wow... here's news to my ears too! The more I'm reading, I see a lot of my favorite candida diet foods are pretty high in oxalates! Hahah c'est la vie.... ya just can't win 'em all can you.

Well that's helpful knowledge though, and much more ammo to steer clear from so much almond butter! Apparently almonds, beans, and kale are on the "high oxalate" list. Pardon me while I make a cup of magnesium tea :-X Here is a .pdf describing oxalate foods, if I haven't scared you away already!

http://www.pkdiet.com/pdf/LowOxalateDiet.pdf

Looks like avocado, yogurt, eggs, and lentils are still on the safe side! I've been kicking around the idea of reintroducing some fish into my life, and this seems to send me another step in that direction, as fish has no (or minute) amounts of oxalates, but a great amount of protein.... hmmmm.... we'll seeeee........

But anywho, "everything in moderation" really just can't be stressed enough. These foods high in oxalates certainly offer plenty of other nutritional benefits. If I could work out some type of fast once a month, I think my body would be pretty content.

Here's to my non-planned-yet-Easter-themed Resurrection! Here's to no almond butter all week and another new way of life, as each day is the first day..........