Celiac disease is intolerance to gluten. The protein
in Wheat, Rye, Sweet rice and Barley must be avoided
and in some cases oats also need to be reduced or eliminated
altogether. This has said to be a genetic condition
that is very slow to develop but it can be brought on
also by overusing laxatives, getting inadequate protein,
anorexia, some other weight loss practices, over consuming
coffee, parasites and most likely even more variables.
People with Celiac can suffer damage to the intestinal
villi. This creates less absorption of nutrients and
can create further breakdown of the person's body. The
most common symptom of Celiac is chronic diarrhea. Other
symptoms can include abdominal bloating, weight loss,
malnutrition, feeling weak, bone pain, anemia and more.
Colitis has different variations that involve inflammation
of the colon. Diarrhea is the most common symptom and
there can be fever and anemia as well. Colitis affects
the inner most lining of the colon unlike Crohns that
can affect any part of the intestinal tract and can
affect the entire thickness of the intestinal wall as
well.
Colitis and Crohns disease have so many of the same
symptoms that it is challenging to get a proper diagnosis
but the treatments can be much the same. Often with
Crohns disease there can be many unrelated symptoms
just as with Candida. Luckily a dietary approach can
allow the entire body to recover and more often than
not, a person will experience their joint aches, rashes,
dry skin, weight issues, etc. All subside along with
a recovered digestive tract.
Another disorder that statistics say effects about
50% of the western population by the time they are 50
years old is diverticulitus. Many people with Candida,
Crohns, Colitis or Celiac can also have diverticulitus.
Polyps or little sacs that protrude out from the wall
of the colon are what make up this intestinal disorder.
Bits of food and things can get caught in them and become
infected. If the disease progresses too far, doctors
often remove the colon or the effected parts of the
intestine.
I have seen that in every one of these different disorders,
a whole food, macrobiotic approach can completely relieve
a person and the related symptoms. I personally had
experience with Candida and have had many clients with
each of the mentioned problems.
I remember macrobiotic counselors, attempting to solve
my various complaints, would say that I had a corn intolerance
or a wheat sensitivity. I found that neither was true,
nor did I have any Celiac but the Candida was growing
inside of me and little by little I was getting more
and more symptoms. Once I figured that out and solved
it, I was free! Each case is very individual so while
the following suggestions can be a place to start, I
encourage anyone who knows or suspects to be dealing
with a disorder of the intestines to seek out some personalized
guidance and perhaps from more than one source.
If you are new to a macrobiotic approach, you get to
decide how you wish to begin. If your condition is acute
you most likely will need to dive in and limit things
quite a bit. In severe cases the best thing a person
might do is to eat very well cooked, with a lot of water
to make a thin porridge, brown rice and in some cases
millet with well-cooked vegetable dishes.
This simple food does not require a great deal from
the digestive system while providing nutrients so the
body can begin the healing process. Depending on the
individual, miso soup or kudzu can be very beneficial
for Colitis or Crohns. For most people this sort of
a fast is not necessary and then you will need to see
how much you are willing to take on at once as you begin
your new approach.
For Candida, the kinds of grains you will want to
stick to would be similar to those with Celiac.
Millet, Quinoa, Amaranth and some Brown rice are usually
well tolerated. Teff can be for some people unless there
is leaky gut syndrome from the Candida burrowing holes
in the intestinal wall, as Teff is a very tiny grain
and often is difficult to completely chew well.
Hato Mugi Barley can be well worth the extra effort
and cost. Quantities are also a consideration, as with
Candida as there is often a desire to eat copious amounts
of grains or beans that will slow down progress to clearing
immensely. With Candida a very wide variety of vegetables
are usually great with emphasis being on dark leafy
greens like Kale, Collards, Dandelion, etc. and foods
that promote a more alkaline blood condition. Raw food
ought to be reduced greatly or avoided altogether.
Some people do well with Tempeh but not tofu or tofu
products while others need to eliminate soy completely.
Small amounts of wheat free soy sauce are often okay
but Ume Vinegar is an even better seasoning to use.
Ume vinegar is alkalizing and is the only vinegar I
would recommend for someone clearing themselves from
Cadidiasis, as it is not true vinegar but actually the
brine from making Umeboshi plums. Ume concentrate can
be quite helpful for most of these intestinal disorders
as is anything that helps to nourish and strengthen
the kidneys.
The best sea vegetables for those with Candida are
Nori, Arame, Hijiki and Dulse. Toasted Nori and Dulse
are the easiest to start with as you can use them right
out of the package and do not need to cook them. I think
these are great for most everyone as the wonderful minerals
they provide can really help with alkalinity, strength
and vitality. They are fun to add to a sauce or dressing
as then you will not notice them but they do add some
interesting flavor without it being overpowering as
they can sometimes be on their own. I enjoy Dulse or
Nori sprinkled in a salad or sandwich.
Of course with a healing course of action you would
not want to be eating sweets in general but especially
with Candida you must cut out all sweets. That means
fruits as well. This in itself is a challenge but with
a macrobiotic approach there also needs to be caution
as to how much salt is ingested because a person can
become too tight over time and create other problems
later on.
As a person is feeling better and better they can
gradually re-introduce foods like fruit by using a little
green apple at first, branching out if it right for
that individual with berries and then even sweeter fruits
and sweeteners. For all intestinal disorders I would
also recommend to eliminate all dairy products right
from the start. There have been studies that found inflammatory
diseases such as Colitis or Crohns only seem to effect
people in places where dairy is consumed regularly.
Usually adding in a small amount of bean food into
the diet can ease cravings for dairy products. The best
beans to make for Candida suffers are aduki, mung, baby
lima beans and small amounts of brown lentils. These
can be useful for Crohns and Colitis sufferers as well
with Celiac patients doing quite well with most beans.
There are far more dietary suggestions that would be
useful here but too many for the scope of this article.
This is just a beginning.
For many with intestinal compromises feeling hungry
all the time or not being hungry at all seem to be common
complaints. An interesting thing to note is that in
just about every case I asked the client to stop taking
vitamins and other supplements that they were taking
mostly for "insurance", they found not only
did their condition improve immediately but their hunger
seemed to normalize.
A few other things that can really help are taking
brisk walks and/or enjoying your favorite exercise.
Walking is especially nice on the intestines. A huge
key to improvement is chewing all food very thoroughly,
and maybe the most important, working with someone to
let go of limiting beliefs or anything that keeps you
stuck mentally and emotionally.
Every time I've seen Michio Kushi, he would say to
"Sing a happy song every day." I guess that
would be very "The Secret" of him now-a-days.
Find what brings you joy and cultivate it into you life.
You will acquire gifts from clearing yourself of your
troubles that will far out reach the time and effort
you take to become free.
Recipes below From Susan's Candida Free Cookbook available
at www.SusanMarque.com
Millet "tostadas"
This dish works great for most all conditions even Candida.
