calcium, and other important stuff

... went to a bonfire party the other day. My friend has a lively and enquiring mind, and had cooked pumpkin soup for everyone - but a bowl of celery soup for me. She had made a chili curry - but along came a bowl of prawn salad for me. By the time platters of cake were being handed round, which I politely refused, J asks me if I'm on a diet. No sugar, anti-Candida, I mutter. At which point J and I begin the interesting task of discussing her own anti-Candida diet, which has succeeded. She is (mostly) free of Candida symptoms, eats a well balanced healthy diet which includes bread, sugar and alcohol. She says she listens to her body more, nowadays, and when things 'don't feel quite right' she just cuts down on the bread, sugar and alcohol for a few days til she feels better.

We had a similar history - loads of random, apparently disconnected symptoms of things that were slightly wrong, but nothing worth bothering the doctor with, followed by finding out about Candida, and coming to the inevitable conclusion that this is what we're suffering from. Then some research, and the devising of a suitable diet.

J drank rice milk, and a product called Oatley - I neglected to ask why! but presume she had a cereal she liked eating it with. She cut out caffeine, alcohol, bread, sugar, sweets cake & biscuits, fruit and fruit juices. She pretty much carried on eating most veg, apart from roots, I think. And she took a tablet of some kind. There are two reasons I'm blogging this - apart from the THRILL of meeing someone who's going through the same experience, and has a POSITIVE RESULT - one of which is the great CALCIUM debate, and the other is to reveal her 'party trick'

J's strategy for eating out at friend's houses

She told them she was on a diet. She said she was happy to eat her diet food while everyone else all around her ate delicious party food. J's eating-out food was a jacket potato, with tomato & cucumber salad - easy and simple for the hosts to prepare alongside the dinner.

Now, I don't have either potatoes or tomatoes or cucumber (J's named foods) on my list. But, there again, J has got rid of her Candida symptoms, so this obviously worked for her...


CALCIUM

J managed the very restrictive diet for 7 months and lost a lot of weight, as well as improving her general health. Not having a plan for how to end the diet, she went to her practice nurse. Who buried her head in her hands, and said 'Calcium: everyone on this anti-Candida diet forgets they need calcium.'

Well, this was one of the factors I'd forgotten to think about. I'd forgotten that I'm a woman of a certain age, that I risk suffering from osteoporosis, brittle bones, if I don't keep up with the calcium intake. I'd forgotten that if I stopped drinking milk and eating cheese I'd be depriving myself of a major source of this metal... it's a metal! I'd always assumed it was a mineral, for some reason.

So I looked up calcium. It's also present in high to good quantities in...

Celery, Kale, Spinach, Sesame Seeds, Fennel, Almonds, Broccoli, Parsley, Romaine Lettuce (foods not listed in any particular order).

I worked out that the goat's yoghurt I'm eating would provide all my weekly needs of Calcium if I consumed FIVE tubs of it. I've increased my weekly supply to THREE tubs, and can now enjoy lashings of yoghurt with all meals, and even have a dish for supper, or as a dessert. I now make sure my weekly veggie shop includes ALL of the above (I have been alternating spinach with kale, but now I make sure I've both in the fridge; I also make sure I buy fennel whenever available), to make up for the other two tubsful of yoghurt.


AND THE FIREWORKS
fizzed and sparkled for nearly an hour, felt like...


FEATURE THIS

This week I has mostly been trying not to shop, (International No Shopping Week), but fresh veg and yoghurt had to reach the house somehow... and, also, feeling even better ever since NO SUGAR CONTENT DAY.


QUICK LUNCH

ADUKI BEAN CURRY

Oil, goosefat. Garam Masala (I put two knife-blades worth in, but it should have been two teaspoonfuls for my money), stir til smells right. Add chopped root ginger, leek (about an inch per person), fennel, a few bits, celery (one stick pp), fry for a bit, not too long. Add one tin aduki beans, but not all the liquid. Stir well. Add spinach, don't stir. Put the lid on, and leave for about 5-10 mins. It's nicer when the celery and fennel are still a bit crunchy. Serve with goat's yoghurt (of course). I forgot, but it would have been more interesting still with mint or parsley chopped onto the yoghurt. I ate all of this. Add more veg and eat with some rice if serving two people. I just love aduki beans, they always feel good.



Pie, anyone???