Gut Health: The First 21 Days of My Candida Protocol

Here with a gut health update for you friends who have been following along on my candida protocol journey! I have officially reached the 21-day mark, which means I can start reintroducing certain foods back into my diet, and see how I react (some grains, new fruits and new veggies). If you haven’t read my previous post on gut health, I recommend you check it out before reading this one! It will set the stage and give you context.

As you know, I have been doing Dr. Stephen Cabral’s CBO Protocol to help heal my gut. This is a 12-week treatment plan, with an additional 12-week healing plan. All in, you’re looking at at least half a year spent healing my gut (should everything go to plan). This protocol is a huge commitment (and is expensive), so I wanted to wait until I was FULLY READY before diving into it.

I’m not going to lie, the first 3 weeks of this protocol have been difficult. They are the most restrictive (dietarily) and it is (I hope) when you’ll experience the biggest changes in your body. The first day or two were ok, I had meal prepped well, and felt prepared. Dr. Cabral provides you with a guide including a list of foods you can eat on the cleanse, which was way more extensive than I originally anticipated.

Here are the biggest things I noticed throughout the first 3 weeks of the cleanse. Keep in mind, everyone’s process is different, and if you do the CBO Protocol (or another candida cleanse), your changes may differ. While some of these things are frustrating, I know they are part of the process and PRAY everything is resolved in the end.

Your Skin May Breakout

One of the biggest changes I anticipated was breakouts. This is supposed to be a die-off symptom, which means the candida in your gut is finding it’s way out, and the detoxification is appearing as blemishes on your face. I broke out around my mouth (my typical area), which can be caused by both candida (or gut issues) and hormones (more on that in a second). I would also highly recommend NOT testing any new skincare products during the early stages of your candida protocol. May or may not have learned this the hard way, but you won’t know if its the protocol, or the skincare causing the breakout. Just avoid.

Your Period May Change

Ok so this was totally weird, and unexpected. I am on the pill (eye roll, I know), which means my period is extremely regular. Like, to the hour. So you can imagine my surprise when 8 DAYS before my regularly scheduled period, I went to the bathroom and saw, I had MY PERIOD! I emailed my gynecologist who said this was probably a result of hormonal changes from not giving my body the sugar it was used to. Also consulted a friend who did the CBO protocol, and she said her period totally changed while on the cleanse. This gave me peace of mind, but I ended up bleeding for almost 2 weeks, which was not ideal. Stock up on your favorite tampons pre-cleanse…just in case. These are my favorite.

Your Cravings May Be Intense

To be honest, I had no clue what to expect from a cravings standpoint with this cleanse. I wasn’t sure if I’d crave sugar, or crunchy salty snacks. Turns out, it was the crunchy salty snacks that I desperately wanted (salivating now just thinking about them). I typically eat breakfast around 9am, which should hold me over for a few hours. However, because of my dependence on carbs and snacky foods, I find I would start needing a little salty snack around 11am to hold me over until lunch. I am still working on not giving into the hunger feelings around 11 am, since I am trying to retrain my brain and body not to depend on those short-burst of energy foods that I relied on prior to the cleanse. This has been HARD.

You May Still Be Bloated

Odds are, you didn’t develop candida overnight, which means it won’t go away overnight. I am 3 weeks in, and still am dealing with regular amounts of bloat. I’ve heard this gets better, but I am waiting for the reduction in bloat. I will say, avoiding foods that you know make you bloated (whether or not they’re approved on the cleanse) is critical. I was eating a ton of nuts at the beginning of the protocol (which apparently you’re supposed to avoid for the first 21 days…I didn’t get that memo), and they made me super bloated. Almonds in particular caused the most bloat for me, so I am avoiding them as much as I can. Similarly, while foods like chickpeas are allowed on the cleanse, I know they cause me to bloat, so I haven’t eaten them at all.

These are the overarching symptoms I’ve noticed the first 21 days fo this cleanse. Will provide more updates next month!

You May Have Less Brain Fog

Something that has been huge the last 2 weeks is my reduced brain fog! It could be from the detox, or could be the fact that I’m not drinking wine, but I feel so much more clear-headed, which has been absolutely awesome. Before the cleanse, I would typically have a glass of wine 2-3 nights during the week, and would drink at least 2 glasses of wine on Friday and Saturday on the weekends. Don’t judge, I love wine. Yale has also not been drinking and says he feels the same. Who knows which the clearness can be attributed to, but I feel great!