There are many different ways to do a cleanse. In fact there are cleanses for your liver, kidney, gallbladder and more. If you begin your Candida treatment with a cleanse, you should be focusing on flushing your colon. This is where most of your Candida colonies reside, so flushing out this part of your body will go a long way towards beating your Candida overgrowth.
Designing a good cleanse is not easy, particularly for Candida sufferers who may already be experiencing fatigue and low energy levels. Thats why I usually recommend eating small portions of salads and vegetables throughout your cleanse. However if youre feeling more adventurous, you can go for the full colon cleanse and stick to a liquid diet (more on that below). For most Candida sufferers though, the easier version is more suitable. You can follow this cleansing diet anywhere from 3 to 10 days.
What to eat on your cleanse
The diet during your cleanse is similar to the main Candida diet, but even more strict. In fact you should restrict your diet to raw salads and steamed vegetables only. Dont worry! Its not as difficult as it sounds and always remember that you are only doing your cleanse for a few days. Your body will quickly adjust and you will end the cleanse feeling refreshed, light and healthy.
Consider what you eat every day and you will understand why a cleanse is sometimes the best way to give your liver and internal organs a fresh start. Fast food is overloaded with additives, most beef has added growth hormone, and fish are full of the various many chemicals that are pumped into the oceans. Cutting out these toxins and replacing them with fresh vegetables is a great way to start your fight against Candida.
- Eat only raw salads and steamed vegetables
- Avoid starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, yams, corn and winter squash
If youre not too excited about the prospect of a vegetable-only diet for a week, think again! You can make some really delicious recipes using salt, pepper, lemon juice, oils, herbs and spices to liven them up. Check out my list of foods to eat on your cleanse for more information.
If you are going to follow an even stricter, liquids-only cleanse, youll need some extra nutrition. You can get this from a vegetable broth, and I have listed my own recipe below. Even though you discard the vegetables after cooking, many of the nutrients leech into the broth during the cooking process.
If you are following a liquids-only cleanse, you should drink 2-3 bowls of this vegetable broth each day to replace depleted minerals. And even if you are not doing such a strict cleanse, this can still be a tasty addition to your diet. The quantities in this recipe should last you for about 2 days of your cleanse, and you can keep it refrigerated during this time. Use organic vegetables if possible!
Recipe: Vegetable Broth
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large handful of kale or chard, chopped
4 stalks of fresh grown celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
Place ingredients in 2 quarts (about 2 liters) of pure or distilled water. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes, then strain the liquid and discard the veggies. If youd like to spice it up a little, throw in some cayenne pepper.
What to drink on your cleanse
The first thing to mention in this section is that you should be drinking lots of water during your cleanse. This will give your body the absolute best chance to expel as many toxins as possible. All that water keeps your digestive system moving and speeds up the elimination process.
There are also several detox drinks that you can use to make your cleanse more effective. In my Ultimate Candida Diet program, I describe a detox drink that is carefully designed to support your liver, promote bowel movements and encourage your body to expel the Candida toxins more quickly. If you are serious about tackling your Candida then I would definitely recommend it. However, on this page I will describe two other detox drinks that are regularly used by cleansers.
The Fiber/Bentonite shake
A popular drink among cleansers is the fiber and bentonite shake. This is a detox drink designed to remove toxins from your gut. The fiber supplement gets your digestive system moving and scrapes clean the walls of your gut, while the super-absorbent bentonite clay sucks up any toxins sitting in your intestines and carries them safely out of your body.
For the fiber supplement, there are several different options. Psyllium husk is very effective, but can be quite harsh on the intestines for those who suffer from Leaky Gut Syndrome. Other good alternatives are Acacia Powder and Pure Apple Fiber. I especially like Fiber-3 by NOW Foods it contains soluble fiber from Golden Flax Meal and Acacia, plus Inulin as a prebiotic.
Regular Bentonite clay doesnt mix well with water so buy it in liquid form, like Great Plains Bentonite. This will make the detox drink a lot easier to get down. Add it to your fiber supplement and shake up the mixture for a few seconds, then quickly drink it before it settles. Drink another extra large glass of water immediately after. Both these ingredients are great for detox. The Bentonite clay soaks up toxins, and the fiber pushes waste matter out through your colon.
Recipe: Fiber/Bentonite Shake
1 large cup water
1 flat Tbsp. fiber supplement
1 flat Tbsp. liquid Bentonite Clay
This detox drink should be taken on an empty stomach, so dont eat anything for an hour before and after you drink it. The easiest times are usually first thing in the morning, in the afternoon, and a couple of hours before bedtime. You can drink it 2-3 times each day.
The liver flush
There is another drink that you can use to support and protect your liver during your cleanse. Known as a liver flush, it is also popular among cleansers and combines olive oil, garlic and ginger. You can drink it once a day in the evenings, but it should be at least an hour after your last fiber/bentonite shake.
Recipe: Liver Flush Drink
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Small chunk of fresh ginger
Just blend all the ingredients together and drink. If you dont have a very good blender, chop the garlic and ginger first before blending.
What causes the toxic build-up in your colon?
We put our colons under a great deal of stress with our modern lifestyle. Years of fast food, cigarettes, prescription drugs and alcohol keep the colon busy. Add Candida to that mixture, and you have a recipe for an unhealthy colon.
The colon is the waste pipe of the body. Once the nutrients are taken out and processed, the waste from your food intake is passed through the colon and expelled from your body.
What many people dont realize is that this fecal matter, including the Candida yeast colonies, can get backed up and solidified in your colon. Without a regular cleansing program it can get trapped there for years or decades, slowly releasing toxins into your system.
The waste matter hardens, fixing itself to the wall of the colon. Sometimes an unhealthy colon will have attached to it up to 20 pounds of this matter that just wont go away! Ever wondered why you sometimes feel heavy and bloated?
This waste material can serve as a breeding ground for Candida, releasing toxins into your bloodstream. They can spread through your body, affecting every part of it. Hence the need to flush out your system with a good cleanse.
Colonic irrigation
Colonic irrigation is really not as daunting as it sounds, but in some cases it can make your cleanse more effective. It acts to loosen and expel the hardened fecal matter within your intestine, eliminating the Candida yeast and its byproducts much more quickly than you can by diet alone.
Colonics are especially useful for those Candida sufferers who experience chronic constipation. If you are not suffering from constipation then it might not be for you. The downside to colonics is that they remove much of the good bacteria from your gut as well as the Candida yeast. So if you unsure whether you need it, I would recommend that you stick to the dietary cleanse at first.
During a session of colonic therapy, which typically lasts around 45 minutes, the patient lies down and is first given a gentle but firm massage in the lower stomach area. This is to loosen the materials that the colonic will expunge. A small, sterile and disposable plastic tube is then inserted into the rectum and warm water is passed into the colon. Clients typically report a warm feeling but often have little sensation of the colonic, although it can feel slightly uncomfortable the first time. The water is allowed to gently flow into your colon, then you push it out along with the fecal matter that it has loosened. This cycle repeats several times. Other liquids, often coffee, are then typically added to the water to further help with the loosening.
You can look online to find your local colonic therapist. He or she will be able to give you guidance as to how often you should get a treatment. For the purposes of your cleanse, two or three sessions should be more than sufficient.
Is cleansing safe?
Cleansing is generally a very healthy way to reset your health, give your liver function a boost and detoxify your body. However it can be stressful on the body, and so I would not recommend it if you have any major health concerns or are at all worried. Consult with your health practitioner if you have any concerns. And if you experience an irregular heartbeat or any other worrying symptoms, you should stop the cleanse immediately.
Cleansing can also be quite draining, so if you have a full time job its best to take some time off and relax in a comfortable environment. Set aside a time for recovering your health, and try to keep it free of commitments, social events and meetings. Your cleanse should only last a few days so scheduling it around a weekend is often a good idea.
About The Candida Diet. Lisa Richards is an expert in digestive health and the author of the Ultimate Candida Diet program. She writes regular posts on the causes
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