Gut Health: Candida Cleanse Halfway Point Update
Hey friends! How’s everyone doing? I am doing…..so-so. We were in NYC this past weekend for a night, where we certainly indulged and took advantage of the fact that I get 1 “cheat meal” a day on my candida cleanse. Let’s just say Saturday was a cheat day, and was probably not the best for my gut protocol, but I wasn’t going to miss out on our friends engagement celebrations! Similarly, this picture has literally nothing to do with my protocol, other than I took it while I was getting ready for my first big “cheat meal” for our birthdays!
Anyway, at this point I am halfway through my Equilibrium Nutrition Candida Cleanse! If you haven’t read my first two blog posts on the topic, I suggest you read those (HERE and HERE) before proceeding further. To be totally honest, the first 21 days of the cleanse/protocol were by far the most difficult. I was SUPER strict about not letting myself eat anything that would feed my candida, and I even chose to eliminate foods that are included on Dr. Cabral’s Sensitive Gut Guide because I still felt like they were too “sugary”. Now that I am past the 21-days of more restricted eating, I’ve let myself enjoy foods like sweet potatoes, some grains, and bananas.
I am feeling pretty good on the cleanse, although still not lightyears better. My bloat and gas has definitely reduced, but some foods (some legumes, some veggies) still cause some irritation. I also do think improper food combining plays a role in how my stomach reacts to mealtime, even though some dietitians will tell you that poor food combining is not a thing. Who knows.
On Dr. Cabral’s CBO protocol, it was recommended I do the Intestinal Cleanse Protocol halfway through my candida cleanse. I started that protocol last night, and my stomach definitely isn’t feeling great today (cramping, and a few trips to the bathroom). The protocol encourages binding and elimination of the excess bacteria in the gut that causes candida and yeast overgrowth. You have to drink a sulphur and charcoal mixture, and take food based laxatives a few times a day to encourage proper elimination of your waste. Based on how my stomach is feeling today, I think I will take 1-2 laxatives 2x/day, instead of the recommended 3-4 3x/day. That just seems like it’ll be too much for my system. Listening to my body here. **UPDATE: The intestinal cleanse protocol didn’t agree with me. I will reach out to the EN team, but for now, staying away from it (caused massive pain in my stomach).
Something else I am noticing is my hormones are shifting thanks to the reduction of sugar in my diet. I mentioned in my last blog post, that my period came a full week early. While it hasn’t come early this month, I have what feels like period cramps, which started yesterday afternoon. Not sure why this is happening, but clearly my body is trying to figure itself out.
Speaking of hormones, I normally get menstrual migraines towards the end of my period, and last month I didn’t get them at all which was so awesome! I’ve been getting them since college, so not having to take Excedrin at the end of my period was a welcomed change! Will see if that continues this month.
Lastly, I am always apprehensive to bring up my skin, because I am afraid of jinxing anything, but I feel like my skin is looking a bit more clear. I’ve also been using my Joovv about 5 days a week, which I also think is helping keep my skin from getting inflamed. In general, the winter is always tough on my skin, and I am very much looking forward to some sunshine when we go away next month!
All in all, I am feeling pretty good still on the cleanse. I know I need to tighten up my dietary habits (I’ve been a little too lax the past week), but I still feel like I am moving in the right direction. I’ll probably do another post at the end of the cleanse, and a final one a few months after, so stay tuned!
As always, feel free to comment below or reach out on Instagram with any questions you have regarding the CBO Protocol, and I’ll do my best to answer them however I can!
xo
Allie
