What Are Your Cravings Telling You?

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Guest Post from Paula of Whole Intentions

I feel like a piece of chocolate.

Oh, doesn’t that movie popcorn smell heavenly!

I’ll eat that last cupcake. . .we don’t want it to go to waste now, do we.

What do you crave? Krispy Creme Donuts? A thick slice of bread and butter? What foods trigger the munchies? Peanuts? Chewy candy? The crunch of potato chips? We joke about the cravings of pregnant women, but are you the average Joe – or Josephine – with food cravings all the time?

What are your cravings telling you?

They may tell you that you have a bad habit of late night snacking, or that your body needs more minerals. But sometimes it’s deeper than that.

Food cravings are a key symptom of candida. What’s candida? Imagine two armies at war in your gut. One side is the good guys – bacteria like lactobacillus found in yogurts and fermented foods, and the other side is the bad guys – candida, the yeast-like fungus that wants to take over and create chaos on planet YOU.

What kind of chaos? You had to ask. . .

Symptoms of Candida

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Symptoms of candida:

• acne
• anxiety
• arthritis
• asthma
• athletes’ foot
• brain fog
• cold hands or feet
• colds
• colic
• constipation
• cradle cap
• cravings for sweets
• cysts
• diabetes
• diaper rash
• diarrhea
• dizziness
• eczema
• fatigue
• food sensitivities or reactions
• hay fever
• headaches
• heart burn
• heart palpitations
• hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• hypothyroidism
• insomnia
• irritability
• joint pain
• lack of appetite
• migraines
• mood swings
• muscle aches and pain
• panic attacks
• poor memory and concentration
• pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
• psoriasis
• rashes and dry red or white patches
• respiratory problems
• sinus congestion
• thrush (white coating in mouth or vagina)

Like any army, candida needs supplies to do its dirty work – it craves them.

Common Candida Cravings

The common foods candida craves are the same ones that feed it and help it grow:

• bread
• chocolate
• moldy cheeses (brie, camembert, etc.)
• pickles
• sweet sauces
• sweet fruits (oranges, bananas, grapes, and dried fruits like raisins)
• starchy vegetables (pumpkin, potato, etc.)

and most importantly. . . sugar.

Oh, yeah, candida LOVES sugar. It hugs and kisses it. It dreams about it, plans exotic vacations with it, and is just a tad bit obsessed. Are the foods you’re craving supplying ammo to the enemy? Because, you know. . .if you feed them . . .they will come. 😉

Fighting Candida

Most people have a sweet tooth. I won’t lie – I do too! (do NOT ask me how much I love chocolate and peanut butter). Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re asking yourself, “But if candida loves sugar, breads, cheeses and fruit – what in the world do I live off? Bread and water?

Scratch that – NO bread. Just water. Whaaaaaaa!

No wait. . .really. . .there is a happy ending to this story. . .

Often times when you crave something sweet you can diminish it by eating small amounts of protein throughout the day (eggs, tuna, chicken, etc.). The ebook Candida Crusher suggests taking chromium picolinate two to three times daily with meals (about 500 mcg per dose). But the best way to fight cravings is with this simple rule: if you crave it. . .don’t eat it. You’ll find that the more you avoid the foods that call your name, the better you feel – and soon those cravings fade into non-existance.

But what about the times those cravings start to get the better of you? What if you need to make dinner and dessert for company? What do you do when everyone is eating brownies and you know you can’t have them?

You can still enjoy delicious foods safe for a candida diet, and yes, candida-diet approved desserts  because the naturally sweet herb stevia and xylitol are the only two forms of sweetener that DON’T feed candida.

While it’s not true that everyone who craves sugar has candida, it is true that most everyone with candida will crave sugar.

The Sweeter Side of Candida

Come to the Facebook Party on Nov. 1st (info below)
to get a 30% off coupon!
(coupon expires at the end of the party)

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Need recipes that will help you stay healthy, lose weight, and fight candida?

We’d like to invite you to our
Facebook Party
on November 1st, 2013
6 Pacific / 7 Mt / 8 Central / 9 East

Tell them Aunt Mae sent you!!

We’re giving away:

• 1 copy of Healing Candida with Food

• 1 copy of The Sweeter Side of Candida

Plus over $1,000+ in prizes!

Join us on Nov. 1st and bring a friend! This cookbook is *not* only for those who suffer from candida. It’s for anyone who wants to lose weight and/or stay healthy too!

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I have tested many of these recipes and I give this cookbook Aunt Mae’s hearty approval!

Blessings, ~Aunt Mae

Disclosure: some links in this post are affiliate links.  These are for products and services that I personally use, love and heartily recommend.  All opinions are wholly my own.  I do receive compensation when you purchase through one of my links.  Being an affiliate is one small way I generate a bit of income to help support myself as a new widow left without any financial resources.  Thank you.