RawKaren

Hi Karen and Lady Daventry,

There are a number of candida threads on this site if you work through the forums. I am not qualified to tell if your acne is candida related, but here is a quick summary of what can work and what does not. Raw foodists often have different views on how to treat candida, but I can share with you what has worked for me.

811'ers will tell you that candida is fat related, not sugar and that if you reduce your fat to 10%, your candida will clear up. However there are alot of stories about 811 aggravating candida , but if you are more comfortable doing it the 811 way, give it a try although it reads like Lady Daventry has already been down that path. I think everyone is different and managing candida can be quite a personal thing.

The middle ground that works for me is to reduce sugars as far as possible by eating more veg than fruit. Take care with your fruit choices by eating low sugar choices such as berries, lemon juice, lime juice and try to avoid sweet fruits. However citrus is known to aggravate acne - especially oranges. I have a friend who always breaks out if they OD on oranges, similar to symptoms you describe. If you decide that you must eat fruit, eat it whole not juiced. Avoid mushrooms, vinegars, dried fruits, olives, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, grains and any nuts that have a high propensity to grow mould, eg pistachios and peanuts. Some hard core anti-candida folks avoid nuts altogether, but you might find this is too restrictive if you are completely raw. If you want nuts, go for almonds and walnuts which are not so bad. Soaking nuts does help to remove some of the fungus and soaking makes them easier to digest anyway. There is also no harm eating more seeds than nuts for a while. As a substitute for grains, try buckwheat. It is a fruit seed, not a grain, but gives you 'carbs'. Eat lots of greens.

Eat coconuts and coconut butter/oil as coconut has high antifungal properties. Flax oil is apparently a great antifungal. Garlic and onions are great and also have anti-fungal properties.

Buy some pau d'arco tea. Try to get it wild/raw. It needs boiling for 20 mins to release the compounds. Only take it for a week and see how you feel and read the contraindications carefully. Green algae such as chlorella or spirulina also helps. Grapefruit seed extract is also a great anti-fungal.

Pre-biotics and pro-biotics will also assist to allow good bacteria to flourish. Avoid the dairy based ones even if you are not raw as dairy aggravates candida. The only exception (if you are not raw vegan), is natural yogurt - this is good for candida.

Expect to feel under the weather whilst the candida dies off. You should really give it six weeks if you have it bad, but your acne symptoms should start to clear up quite quickly.

Let us know how you get on and good luck.