Candida Killed my Summer............Now I must kill it

I've noticed a trend. I very infrequently blog anymore. But when I do, I seem to wait until the storm has passed and then summarize/comment/report on how much I'm feeling better. How I did it.


Not because I'm trying to brag or show how great of a problem solver I am. Simply because I usually have more energy at that point and when I'm in the storm I'm using all my reserves for full battle.


That's probably why my blog posts have become even more infrequent in 2015. There has been a lot of stormy weather.


So this time, I'm going to give you the honest goods. The honest not so pretty - the storm has not passed goods.


I have a severe systematic invasion of Candida overgrowth in my body. I'm pretty sure I've had a Candida issue my whole life. Its been barely controlled a few times when I got serious about cutting down on eating sugar which never seemed to last that long.


Cravings for sugar caused by Candida are brutal. I don't just "like sweets" - I literally feel like every cell in my body is screaming for them at times. Something I thought was just a personality trait of sorts - a lack of will at the least. Something I am/was embarrassed of. I often make a joke of it but its actually shameful to be hiding in the pantry eating chocolate chips hoping no one will notice (for the record kids can sniff out this behavior and will call you out on it each and every time - and they smell it on your breathe if they don't catch you red-handed). It consumes my thoughts.


I'm not going to go into the long list of symptoms I have had over the year. Its a long boring story and I'm tired of re-playing it in my mind. If you see me, you will likely question whether it is "all in my head". I "look" fine most of the time, I act fine most of the time. But I don't feel like myself. This is not who I am meant to be. I'm better than this. I'm shinier than this.


I was really confused about what was going on until recently. Symptoms of Candida overgrowth can be varied and inconsistent. I have had vastly differing symptoms over the year including a severe flare up of my IBS, and LOTs of other mental and physical manifestations. Lots of weird stuff going on.


This summer is the first time I think I started to actually feel defeated. I've been living "clean" for 3 years now. I could be the poster child for healthy living. I have structured my whole life around reducing stress (barring having three kids), eating well, sleeping and exercising. On paper, I've got this. In reality, its not working. Its incredibly frustrating. I don't know what else to "give up" and how much more money to spend on doctors and supplements.


In my frustration and tears, I finally told my new chiropractor about this situation last week. I don't always share my Candida issue with people I don't know well but with my chiropractic thermo scan results also showing something extremely odd going on in my body (a whole other story) I thought it was time to fess up.


She actually knew about Candida and was very open/understanding. Thank-you for not shaming me. I get enough of that from doctors. But she said "well, how did you get rid of it before?". I didn't really have an answer for her. Upon reflection, I  never did get rid of it. It got better at times, but I didn't get rid of it.


And one of my newer symptoms (although its been brewing for a few years) is severe mood swings. That's the part I can't handle. That I refuse to live with. I don't like that version of me.


So Candida killed my summer. A summer that had all the ingredients for perfection. It wasn't horrible by any means. I enjoyed many moments. But it wasn't what it should have been. I wasn't who I should have been.


So now I must kill it! I may have felt defeated at times. But I have another character trait -  steadfast determination - so I'm not giving up. Stay tuned. She isn't going to go down without a fight.


Prayers welcome!

B12, Probiotics and Yoga from a Tree.

Yoga from a tree. Check.

Hey Folks,
Its been a while. A long while since I've checked in.

For good reason.

This is the first day in months and months.........and months that I have felt like myself. Finally, hallelujah!

I've been just going through the motions. I'm not ill. I don't look bad (well not all the time). But I just haven't felt like myself. Sluggish some days. Moody others. Low energy. My digestion has been all over the place.

It started this winter with a bad (like really bad) flare up of IBS and what I think was one of my first "fibromyalgia" attacks. Or at least the first time I actually recognized it.

I hadn't changed anything in my diet to trigger it. I had been eating clean, exercising and had minimal stress so it was perplexing and extremely frustrating.

Thankfully, I stumbled across the FODMAP diet for IBS. It worked incredibly well and my digestion improved dramatically and pretty much immediately. Life. Changer.

But my immune system had taken a beating and I ended up with "ping-pong" strep throat in June and early July.  Twice within a month. It knocked the wind out of my sails. Plus I had to go on two very strong rounds on antibiotics. To say I was freaking out about that is a huge understatement. I had just gotten my stomach back on track. Arghhhhh.

That's the short story, Throw in a knee injury, an unexpected bathroom renovation, recurring ear infections for my 6 year old and 3 hour dance rehearsals twice a week. Something had to give. I was tired.

So my blog updates had to go.

But I'm back. For today.

If you are wondering how I got back on track and am back to feeling normal I'm hoping to do a proper post one day with the deets. One day when I feel more confident the new "old" me is here to stay.

But I think it might be from mega probiotics, getting my iron levels back into shape and getting back for routine B12 shots. I  B12!!!

I'm not looking for sympathy. Don't feel sorry for me. I know lots of people are going through much more difficult times than me. I'm just sharing because sometimes people need to hear ideas (Hello, did I mention the FODMAPS diet and B12 injections HAVE SAVED MY LIFE - or the quality of my life). And I'm pretty pumped to be feeling like myself again. And I'm okay with admitting I struggle sometimes. I'm not perfect. And I don't need to be.

In almost every way I live an amazingly blessed life. And even when I'm finding things hard and I'm not my shiny, positive, energetic best I still try and squeeze the best out of every day.

So even though I was in NO MOOD for my summer bucket list this year when I originally wrote it out, I went ahead and did one anyway, And I'm glad I did- I've even managed to get through a couple items.

Now I'm so excited to tackle the rest with a bit more bounce in my step.  I love summer!!! I love FODMAP's(I mean low FODMAPS - you know what I mean - actually you probably don't - google it)!I love B12. I love my aerial yoga hammock.

Something to Munch on since I can't have apples..................FODMAPS Friendly Peanut butter cookie dough bites!

Hey Folks,

I had a rough winter with my digestive issues. It was very confusing (and even more frustrating) since I didn't know what more I could possibly do to heal my gut. My stress is low (other than having three kids which is a bit of a circus most days), I eat clean, I've cut out two of the four food groups recommended in the Canada Food Guide (dairy and grains). I'm super strict with my sleep schedule. I don't drink ANY alcohol. Ever. I don't drink any caffeine. Ever. Not even decaf. I take my supplements. 

ARGGGGHHHH. Its maddening.

Or it was. 

After hitting rock bottom on Easter weekend, I went "research crazy". And stumbled across "The Complete Low-Fat Diet" book. It is basically a diet for IBS sufferers. Its categorizes the different types of sugars (certain groups of which can be difficult to digest for people with IBS) and specifies which are high/low in FODMAP's. You basically need to eliminate the foods with high FODMAPS for a few weeks and then you are supposed to re-introduce/test them to see which ones you are sensitive to. 

Well, for the record: 

1) This diet is really restrictive, especially if you already know you are sensitive to grains, dairy, banana's, yeast and mushrooms. Now there is a whole slew of vegetables and fruits I'm also not "allowed" to eat. The most difficult ones to give up: onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower and apples. That last one is just cruel;

2) This diet WORKS. I was better within 2 days after months of upset (really upset) stomachs. 

This is not meant to be a long-term diet/lifestyle. But guess what. I'm too scared to go off of it. I enjoy not being sick. I've had a few things in small amounts (beans, garlic powder, onion powder) and I survived. But I'm still not ready to really test it. 

So in the meantime, I've been keeping these "balls" in my fridge as my snacking options are pretty limited. I make a batch every week. They are easy to whip up and help to keep my fingers out of the cookie jar.

If you are eating super healthy and still not feeling great, it might be worth looking into the low-FODMAP diet. There's definitely something to it!

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites - Raw, Vegan & Grain Free

by MamaChanty

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: None

Keywords: raw dessert snack vegan grain free pumpkin coconut peanut butter

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Ingredients (16-18)

• 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
• 4 Tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1/2 Tbsp cacao nibs (optional - for some crunch)
• vegan chocolate chips - to taste
• 1 Tbsp Truvia or sweetener of choice
• dash fine sea salt

Instructions

Just mix it all together. Roll it into balls (I make them 1 Tbsp each). Store in the fridge. And munch on one (or two or three) when you start looking in the fridge for a snack. Easy to make. Easy to eat.

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Inspiration to Get to a Yoga Class this weekend........or just move

I'm back with some Experiments - Water Kefir + GF Sourdough Starter + Bananas = Perfection

Hey Folks,
I'm finally back with a recipe. I've actually been cooking, baking and fermenting up a storm. But I'm kinda out of the habit of documenting my kitchen adventures so many of my experiments have been lost, never documented, so never to be repeated. In some cases that's not a bad thing - there have been some epic fails as I learn how to make and use GF Sourdough starter. But there have been some real winners...this one I HAD to share.

This recipe is going to call for my two new loves - gluten-free sourdough starter and water kefir. I'm sure I'll lose some of you there (no worries - I wasn't familiar with either a few months ago). Unfortunately I haven't documented how I've made either of these. Yet. Sorry - that will have to be a future post but there is LOTS of good information out there so just do a goggle search and start experimenting yourself. That's what I did.

For those of you that already have a batch of GF sour dough starter going (or regular flour if you don't much care about being gluten free) this is great recipe to use up some of that extra starter.

All three of my kids LOVED this bread. I can't have banana's - sigh - but I was quite giddy about how much this bread rose and the texture. Weird things make me happy. After almost 3 years of GF baking this is by far the fluffiest bread I have made.

I did have a cheat. To make sure it was edible. It was. So then I had another cheat. I'm going to pay for that.

Just for the record, I'm introducing fermented foods into our diets to try to increase my intake of food based probiotics (my IBS was on a rampage this winter even with a probiotic supplement) and improve the digestibility of some foods. I've even re-introduced some gluten free grains since the fermentation process helps pre-digest them and so far, so good.

I'm experimenting with all kinds of things these days - FODMAPS diet, water kefir, raw potato starch, L-Glutamine, sour dough, fermented vegetables - so watch for some new recipes and updates on how much better I feel.............or how I overdid it and really buggered up my system. LOL. Hopefully its the former not the latter! Happy baking!

Vegan GF Sourdough Banana Bread

by MamaChanty

Prep Time: Varies

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: bake dessert bread breakfast snack vegan gluten-free gluten-free flour oats banana sour dough starter

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Ingredients (1 Loaf)

• 1 cup Gluten Free Sourdough starter
• 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend
• 1/2 cup gluten free quick oats
• 3 banana's mashed
• 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1/3 cup water kefir
• 6 Tbsp organic coconut sugar or sweetener of choice
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash of fine sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 chia egg (4 Tbsp warm water with 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds)
• Vegan chocolate chips (optional, amount as per preference - I did about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

I just threw all the ingredients, with the exception of the chia egg and baking soda, into a mixing bowl. I used my hand mixer to mix until fully combined.

I then let it sit on the counter (covered with a tea towel) for about 6 - 8 hours. The batter rose significantly during that time.

I then preheated the oven to 350 degrees.

Immediately prior to putting it in the oven I made my chia egg and combined it with the baking soda.

I added the chia/baking soda mixture to the batter and folded it in taking care not to over-mix it.

I then put it in a greased loaf pan and baked it in the over for 1 hour.

Wait until completely cooled before attempting to slice. That's a hard wait but worth it. Enjoy!

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Getting into the Bubbly...............

Some of my "bubbly" experiments.
 Some water kefir and lacto-fermented vegetables.
Going to need more counter space.......

Nope. Not what you think. 

I still don't drink. Sorry Parkland ladies. Fun Bobby Chanty is still in hibernation.

But I have been making my own bubbly...........WATER KEFIR.

Completely addicted. In love. Enamored. 

Haven't had this much fun in the kitchen since I discovered Chia seeds.  Look it how it bubbles........I made that.........so fun!!!

Most of you don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Don't feel bad - my spell check doesn't even recognize the word. Well, here is the official definition:

1. Water Kefir (pronounced keh-FEER) is not as well known as milk kefir. But it is the same concept - symbiotic grains of bacteria and yeast that ferment a specific liquid - in this case, a sugar-water-fruit liquid. It produces a mild, light and refreshing, slightly carbonated beverage.

Basically, you feed sugar water to "water kefir grains" and it turns it into a slightly sweet, mildly carbonated beverage that is FULL OF PRO-BIOTICS. You drain off the fermented kefir water after 24 - 48 hours (drink it or use it for a second ferment), add more sugar water to the grains and you just keep going. You can flavor/feed it with different fruits, dried fruits, extracts, etc. Dozens of flavor combinations. 

I got me some water kefir grains from a trusted local source. Kijiji, of course. She is actually a legit business person with a pretty robust website so it's all good. Hubby was pretty skeptical. I was pretty desperate to get my hands on some.

Why the desperation you ask? 

Well, two things really:

1) I had been experiencing a pretty bad IBS-c flare up over the winter. Unfortunately, it escalated over the Easter weekend into a full fledged fibromyalgia attack/food flu/severe sickness. Call it what you like. It was bad enough that I had been dealing with severe digestive upset but then I got slammed with full body aches and pains, severe brain fog and extreme fatigue. No - it wasn't the flu. And it happened more than once this winter. Frankly it scared the shit out of me. I know digestive issues are just the first step down the slippery slope to auto-immune disease........and;

2) I got some blood work back for all three of my rug rats. All three have "nutritional deficiencies". Various states of low iron and B12, among some other unusual things. I know their guts aren't working properly. We also went through some dietary changes with our 2 year old over the winter after he started behaving like a raging lunatic most of the time. Plus he was having weird facial rashes. We stopped feeding him eggs and, go figure, he's really only a lunatic some of the time. But I suspect the fact that we were feeding him a diet of almost exclusively eggs (dumb in hindsight - I know) has done some serious damage to his system. 

Needless to say, I believe that we all need some gut healing to take place.  Things just aren't quite working properly for any of us - even on a gluten (grain for me) and dairy free diet. A low sugar diet made up primarily of whole foods. 

How can I be working this hard at it and still not seeing results? Grrrr. Frustrating.

Had a small pity party and then got serious about figuring this shit (no pun intended) out.  

I took out a small truckload of books from the library (only a couple shown - Thank you City of Winnipeg), spent many, many (many) hours scouring the internet and am in the process of coming up with a new game plan.  A plan that includes lots of cultured/fermented foods full of natural probiotics.  A game plan that requires me to learn how to make lots of cultured/fermented foods full of natural probiotics. 

It is so easy to order (hold) books from the library. They also have lots of digital version available if that's your thing. What a great way to do some research!

Bring. It. On. I'm jazzed. Pumped. Can't wait to tackle this next kitchen adventure. Fuck you IBS. You're not going to win. Sorry - I rarely swear but I'm fired up.

So expect to see some new recipes and experiments coming your way!

And for the record. I'm currently trying the FODMAP diet that is specifically for IBS sufferers. It calmed my stomach down pretty much immediately (about 2 days after starting it). Just throwing out there if someone else is confused on what to do next. I don't think it's a long-term solution but its giving me the relief I need to get feeling good enough to tackle this next chapter of my gut healing journey.

Stay tuned. 

My experiments at the Gym - Focusing on Gaining Muscle not Losing Weight

Hello Everyone,
Sorry I have sort of disappeared for a while. We have just been very active with hockey, dance, swim..........And I have been on a bit of a spring cleaning binge. So I rarely get to the computer and I haven't been doing much experimenting in the kitchen with recipes.

Instead I have been experimenting in the gym. I'm on a bit of a roll with my work-outs. I'm up to about 5 work-outs a week, and sometimes I actually have to force myself to take a rest day because I know I need them but I don't really wanna.

I'm not saying this to brag. Exercising is just a habit. When you're out of the habit - its brutal and it sucks. When you're in the habit - its pretty easy. I'm in the habit today. Friday March 20th, 2015. Life could throw me a curve ball any day and that might no longer be possible so I'm just enjoying it.

I feel really fit and energetic. I feel good. I'm a slave to my grain and dairy-free diet, sleep rules, hormones and supplements but generally I feel really good so its worth it.

But. There's always a butt (a slightly jiggly one as the case may be).

Even with working out 5 days a week and eating my grain-free, dairy-free, low sugar diet I started gaining some weight. Not lots of weight. Just five pounds in all the wrong places so my clothes were starting to feel tight and things were starting to look mighty jiggly.

I'm not looking for sympathy. This may annoy the hell out of people who need/want to lose a lot of weight but I'm just telling my story so chill. And keep in mind that I had already gained 15 pounds (in about 6 months) post breast-feeding so I'm not trying to be super skinny - just the right weight for me. The weight where I feel best without depriving myself.

I wasn't freaking out or anything. I have a pretty comfortable relationship with my body. Its not perfect but I'm pretty impressed with all the crazy shit it can still do. Make babies. Do headstands. Dance like its nobodies business.

But I did decide it was time to look at what I was doing and how it was possible that I was gaining weight (and no, it wasn't all muscle) when I'm the picture of a clean-eating fitness princess from the outside looking in.

Well, I have a few secrets.

1) My "low-sugar" diet isn't always that low sugar. I have a sweet tooth that won't quit. I don't eat "unrefined white sugar", but let me tell you, there are lots of ways to let sugar sneak its way back into your life disguised as clean-eating. Paleo pancakes with syrup anyone. Grapes (did you know they are addicting). Dark Chocolate (my nemesis - sorry for saying that - I really do love you chocolate);
2) I have a huge appetite. Huge. Always. Hungry. Plus I love food. My husband is almost twice my size and most days I eat more than him. Enough said. I eat a lot of calories in a day. Everyday. Lots. You would probably be shocked, maybe disgusted, if  you spent an entire day with me;
3) I hate cardio. Hate it. Actually not a secret. I was bragging about my new-found love of yoga and hatred for running a while back. Well, I was getting to the point where I was almost exclusively doing yoga and no cardio or weight training;
4) When you give up grains its hard to find snacks. So I was eating a shit-load of nuts. Fatty. delicious. High calorie nuts.

Well, after lots of reading and a hard look at my diet and exercise plan I realized that obviously doing yoga 5 days a week was making me super stretchy and I was learning lots of neat tricks...........but my line-backer diet and lack of cardio and weights was not giving me the body I wanted. Yeah, I looked fine. But I didn't want to replace my entire wardrobe for 5 pounds. And I like to train with a goal.

So after all my reading (really love the Eat to Perform Facebook page and articles) what did I conclude:

1) Although its okay to eat lots of calories (its actually really bad to under-eat if you are active) - my diet was a little too heavy on calories from sugar and fat and not enough from protein.............and I CAN'T BELIEVE I'm saying this but not enough carbohydrates.  I wasn't feeding my workouts with carbs for energy or protein so that I could actually maintain/build muscle;
2) I didn't/don't need to lose weight. I just want to lose some fat and gain some muscle;
3) Muscle burns lots of calories (and looks damn hot) so if I'm going to eat like a 250 pound football player I'd sure as hell better build some muscle to torch some of those calories;
4) You will only build muscle by lifting heavy things while feeding your body the right macro-nutrients and calories; and
5) Its okay to hate cardio. Its not a necessity.

Enter the "8-week challenge". I'm on week three. And I feel great. Here is what I decided to do for eight weeks:

1) Don't worry about restricting calories but get lots of protein at the right times.  I don't track my food (tried for a day - too much bloody work) but just try to a) get some carbs before a work-out for energy and enough protein after a work-out for muscle recovery, and b) get enough protein throughout the day (I have a rough idea of what it should be but I don't track it or over-think it - I just make sure I have protein with each meal and snack);
2) Cut out sugar (pretty much, almost). Now I can say I'm on a low sugar diet. Not no-sugar. Just low-sugar. Wow. Do I ever feel better. Energy levels are WAY more stable. Moods are better. but for the record, the CRAVINGS DO NOT GO AWAY. Yes - they are less intense. But they are still there;
3) Take it easy on the nuts. Eat them, just don't go nuts on them. LOL.
4) Lift HEAVY weights twice a week;
5) Do high intensity intervals (with or without weights) at least once per week.

So this is what I'm experimenting with. I'm in week three and my clothes feel loser around the waist. Yay - I hated that feeling of flab spilling over the top of my jeans.  I'm never hungry, well, I'm always hungry but I'm never hungrier than usual. I'm already starting to feel stronger - I'm lifting heavier weights all the time- its actually pretty fun.

And this morning my girls were looking at my scrawny arms and said "Mommy you don't have much muscle". Point taken - I have long spindly arms. So naturally, I pulled off my shirt and flexed my back for them. Their eyes went big and one of them said "You look like a man". LOL. I think its working.

So that's my update. I'll let you know how my experiment goes...............is this the end of my love affair with yoga? Can you eat a shit-load of food and still lose fat if you focus on gaining muscle? Can you really forgo steady state cardio and look your best?

I guess only time (and willpower) will tell.