It’s been exactly a month since I started my candida cleanse, and my new supplements!
Last month I got a bigger breakout than I was happy with, so I decided to take the following measures:
- Do a candida cleanse – a three week strict period of no sugar at all (even natural sugar) and a regimen of supplements (antifungals and probiotics) to restore gut flora balance
- Ditch Estroblock and Thorne SAT – my beloved supplements that worked so well for my skin for so long, but obviously didn’t seem to be working that great anymore
- Try some new supplements – berberine, zinc, and curcumin (aka turmeric)
My skin does go through cycles of waxes and wanes… so I can’t quite call this strategy a huge success until I’ve given it probably another month, but I must say… things are going very well so far.
How Did My Candida Cleanse Go?
My candida cleanse actually went really well.
It probably helped that I was eating fairly well for many weeks before the cleanse, so I didn’t get as much of a healing crisis (or major cravings) as I may have if I was jumping in straight off a sugar filled SAD diet (or if I had done this as soon as I came back from South America where I was eating really badly).
I would also always expect going into a candida cleanse to get a few more breakouts than usual up until at least the third week.
However, the only detox symptoms I had were maybe being a little more sleepy in the afternoon than usual..
And as for my skin, I had a few small pimples come and go throughout the cleanse but nothing too bad.
The biggest skin issue was that I did get one big nasty volcanic looking one on my chin that took FOREVER to go away, and left quite the red mark, which has still not completely faded.
So that kind of sucked, but overall, not the end of the world…
Here’s how my skin has progressed throughout the month:
Also, another reason I think the cleanse wasn’t so difficult for me was that I was keeping on top of making the food and taking all the supplements, but also doing a really great job of keeping busy with other things and not obsessing about my skin or the cleanse.
So it was over before I knew it!
And The Food?
For the first two weeks, I was flying with the food!
Sure, the options are a lot more limited… I was mostly eating plates of salad and vegetables, brown rice or quinoa, and a bit of meat or eggs. Sometimes more interesting meals.
But in honesty, I actually found that easier in some ways… when you have a limited scope of options, as least it’s not as hard to decide what you’re going to eat! (I don’t know about you, but I hate deciding what to eat)
So in that way it was great.
Overall, I was quite happy with the food on the cleanse! All the dishes were delicious, and even Luke (the non-candida cleansing husband) enjoyed every dinner I made us.
Here’s some of the food I was eating (all of which are great ideas for healthy acne safe food on or off the cleanse):
But by the end of the second week, I was getting so sick of all the same things that I was losing my appetite big time and starting to get cravings for a little more variety. So I decided to “cheat” a little…
And by cheat, I mean start eating some pumpkin and sweet potato. Which aren’t technically allowed, but… come on. It’s not like it was a McDonald’s burger.
Either way, everything still seemed to work out just fine. My appetite got re-invigorated by this small change and I made a strong finish with the cleanse.
At the end of the third week, I started transitioning by adding in some beans, a bit of fruit and other little things here and there.
By the end of the fourth week, I was basically eating my normal diet although I am enjoying maintaining a very low sugar whole foods diet and keeping many principles of the cleanse in my regular eating.
Although I have had a little bit of dairy and “white gluten” sneak in while out for dinner or with friends, but so far to no detriment.
Hey, I never claimed I would stay perfect!
And although the cleanse has ended, I will still continue to take zinc, curcumin, and berberine (although berberine only for another month or two as you don’t want to take that forever).
I have also increased my probiotics and fermented foods a lot – at least 100 billion probiotic count per day, some goats milk kefir every morning, some live sauerkraut, and a fair bit of kombucha.
This is to continue building up my good gut flora after my course of antifungals, and I will continue this on for as long as possible.
A Success Either Way
Acne or not, I am so happy I decided to do this cleanse.
I was getting very lazy about my diet and although I don’t know how (mentally) healthy being super strict is in the long run, I think it can be pretty useful in the short term just to get yourself back on track. I know I needed it.
And I am personally astonished at how a complete sugar fast can reset your taste buds on what tastes sweet….
Green apples are like wow to me now, where as when you are really used to very sugary foods and fruits… it’s like…. are you kidding me? Green apples taste sweet?? Cha’right.
And My Skin Now?
Skin has slowly been getting better and better over the month…. right now it looks friggin’ awesome! Despite it being the week right before my period!
So… like I said… I would like to give it another month, maybe two, before I sing hallelujah (since my skin does tend to go in cycles and waves when it comes to breakouts, I need to judge my skin over a longer period of time), but hoping it sticks!
Here’s me knocking on wood..
Want to try the candida cleanse in addition to learning exactly how to change your diet and lifestyle to clear up your skin? Check out my Naturally Clear Skin Academy program. See you there!
32 Responses
You look beautiful!
Looking at the photos of your healthy meals made me feel embarrased about my diet! 🙁 It’s difficult, intellectually I understand that sugar is not good for health/skin, but I have such a strong (emotional) addiction it. Feeling bad about myself (my skin) makes me want to do comfort eating…which causes acne…and that of course makes me feel bad about myself 🙁
Do you have the recipe for that chicken salad? 🙂
Thanks Elina! Sugar can be very tough to let go of, and any habit is very difficult to break if there is a strong emotion behind it; at least you recognize it, that’s the first step. Try to sit with those painful emotions and just feel them instead of reacting to them (which we do to try and make them go away and feel better, of course it does the opposite). Read this article if you haven’t already! https://thelovevitamin.com/18901/accept-acne-still-try-get-rid-of-it/
And sending big love your way x
As for the chicken salad, I think it was cooked chicken, lettuce, sprouts, avocado, radish, yellow pepper, pumpkin seeds, and the dressing was:
Ingredients:
• 2 – 3 regular sized garlic cloves
• Juice of 1/4 lemon (or more to taste)
• 1.5 tablespoons anchovy paste (omit if necessary)
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Instructions:
Add ingredients to a food processor or blender, and blend up! Store extras in sealed container in fridge
Wow! This is super inspiring! Thanks for sharing and this is definitely encouraging me to try a candida cleanse for 1 month too! I just gotta get my hands on a good probiotics and go, go, go.
One question: so you kept eating natural sweet from fruits, like bananas or apples or mangoes? Or you would only stick to low sugar fruits like berries and green apples? And I take it that you said gbye to bread, pizzas, pastas and pitas> right? Thank you 🙂
Hi Sarah!
The only fruit allowed are berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries), green apples, or I just found out grapefruit is ok too. But only like one serving of these fruits per day (between them). And yes, no dairy (except I ate organic butter), no bread, no grains except brown rice, quinoa, and buckwheat… it can be a tough diet, but it doesn’t have to be so bad if you plan your meals well, stay on top of making food, and get some variety in there. Good luck!
Thank you for the reply, Tracy!
HAHAH that knock on wood selfie cracked me up. Also your skin is looking great now, you’ve given me some ideas for dinners and your breakfast looks so yummy and healthy! Thanks and all the best 🙂
haha thanks Laura, glad to provide some inspiration!
Congrats Tracy! Your skin looks amazing! I have been eating very poorly the last couple of weeks due to the stress of finals (I’m a stress eater to the max…). That combined with the stress of finals and other issues with school is taking a severe toll on my skin. But I’m going home in a couple of days and I’m looking forward to trying some of these dishes; they look delicious!
Hi Sarah, I’m glad people are enjoying these food pics… sometimes it just takes a good food idea to re-inspire us to get back on track! Good luck 🙂
I’m on day 3 of my cleanse and this post is just what I needed! I’m not having any of negative side effects I actually feel amazing! Minus the intense cravings but even those are way better today.
Thank you!
Great, keep going!! The cravings will get better, the worst is always the beginning when it comes to that…
Yum – the foods that you cooked look so amazing!!! It’s a struggle to accept no dairy and no fruit when my diet already has no junk and no grains and mostly no deserts, but looking at what you ate is very encouraging. If I can find a healthy lunch place near my work that serves things like that, the candida diet will be pretty easy. It’s difficult when you work away from home to cook all your meals according to candida protocol.
How important would you say is taking the antifungal supplements on the type of diet? Is it likely to fail if you don’t take those?
Hi Anna! I’d say the antifungal is very important… I mean the diet has a lot of benefits.. it’s a total detox from processed foods, common allergen foods, and sugar, so it’s going to be positive no matter what, but for the gut balancing, the antifungals and probiotics should not be skipped
Hey Tracy,
Please Please Please could you do a free summer clearing challenge. Not even an ebook just a blog post with a few steps on how to clear skin.
Samantha
By the way your looking gorgeous as ever!
Thank you! Ok I’ll think about that! 🙂 Check out my free report too with the 7 things you can start doing right now to clear your skin
Hi! Your skin looks amazing! While going through all of this, do you still do the caveman regimen?
Hi Megan, I’ve deviated from full caveman a little bit, I talked about it in this blog post: https://thelovevitamin.com/18931/quitting-estroblock-candida-cleanse-new-supplements/
Great to know. Do you think doing the caveman regimen or rinsing with water every few days would be advisable for reddish prone (maybe rosacea) clog prone skin? I’m so sick of the endless cycle of cleanser and moisturizer… They always end up aggravating my skin with either more red and more clogs. I’ve also done oils, but they also aggravate my skin. It’s very sensitive! I’m just worried about getting more clogged pores. Your advice would be helpful. Thanks for everything you do!
Hi Megan, check this out, I think this advise and the papaya masks every four daysish would help you big time: https://thelovevitamin.com/17699/sensitive-clogged-red-skin-rosacea/
And just a minimal routine, of maybe washing with water once a day and then moisturizing with only a couple drops of oil. Eventually you can stop using the papaya masks so much and transition into a more full on caveman if you wish, once your skin is healthier
Your meals look amazing! My goal for this summer is to make awesome looking veggie-based dishes. Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
This is a little OT, but what are your thoughts on apple cider vinegar? Can’t remember if you’ve blogged about it. For about two weeks I’ve been drinking it daily (about 2-3 teaspoons in my water bottle, sipping on it all day) and also applying it on my face every other day (1 cup of water and 1/4 cup ACV). I hope it’s not a fluke, but my skin has looked great, even while being on my cycle! Plus (TMI lol) my bowel movements have been sooo much more regular, which may be the reason my skin is clearing up?? I don’t know, but fingers crossed that the ACV is helping! (I am 24, have had acne since I was 18)
Hi Merc 🙂 I gave ACV a try both internally and externally years ago and never enjoyed / had much success with either, but I also hear many people thinking it’s made a big difference for them. I’m not particularly against it for any reason! I still definitely love using it in cooking and salad dressings. Also yes regular bowel movements would have a huge impact on your skin, so that could definitely be it (whether because of the ACV or something else), and what I would put my guess on as to why your skin is doing so well. It’s often so hard to know for sure what really is the thing that is making the biggest difference! haha
Hello Tracy, first just wanted to say that I love your blog! I have learned so much from you, and am thanksful that you take the time to share your knowledge with us. I’d like to share some of my story and get some feedback, as I am still struggling with acne, and I feel as if I’m doing everything right. I’ve been eating healthy for years, but started paleo about 7 months ago. I follow the diet pretty strictly and limit my intake of nuts and fruits. I drink green tea and dandelion root tea tumeric daily. I also drink an obscene amount of water. I take rainbow light for women’s food based multivitamin, zinc, NAC, vitamin a & d, probiotics, and then at night before bed I take magnesium. I also just started taking milk thistle this past week. My skin was under control (not perfect but better) for a while and then in late Decemeber I quit taking my birth control (Apri) that I had been on for 5 years. Since then, my acne has been getting worse and worse, it wasn’t even this bad before I was eating paleo. I also still have not had a period. Might I also add that I wash my face with Manuka honey and moisturize with Jojoba oil. I get breakouts on my chin and recently have been getting a lot on my forehead. I also have a lot of clogged pores or closed condones (idk what they are called) which drive me insane!! I’ve concluded that my hormones are probably out of whack from the birth control all these years, do you think I should give estrogen a try? Or maybe a canidia cleanse? I’m so depressed about my skin, it’s ruining my social life and it sucks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also what can I do to get my period back?? Thanks 🙂
Hi Kendall, yes you definitely sound like you’re experiencing the birth control fallout, sorry to hear you’re struggling 🙁
It can definitely take a while before your hormone stabilize after quitting birth control, sounds like yours are definitely not there if you haven’t even gotten your period yet. Estroblock / Vitex chasteberry (and zinc, magnesium and B6 will also help this process) is a combo that often helps with acne after quitting birth control. But I would suggest first that you get a saliva hormone test done to figure out what your hormones are actually doing, it will save you time and money in the long run.
Also, how do you feel other than the acne? Paleo can work great for some people, but I don’t think it’s the panacea for everyone. Some people feel great on it initially and end up not feeling so hot later on. Don’t get too tied to the philosophy if it’s not working for you.
Hello, Tracy! Sorry I am just now seeing your reply. Thank you so much for getting back to me! I’m trying to schedule to get my hormones tested but I’m not sure where or who to go to. Do I go to a primary care physician or an endocrinologist or what? And do I just tell them I want a saliva hormone test, or is there a specific kind? Thanks xoxo
Unfortunately physicians and endocrinologists only do blood tests which aren’t always that accurate… inedependent labs, naturopaths, etc do saliva tests. I recommend calling the Delgado Protocol (same people who make estroblock), you can get a saliva test from them for $99 if you tell them you’re a Love Vitamin follower. They mail it to you and you mail it back
Hi Tracy, thanks for all of the advice you post. Just wondered what the anti fungals are that you take? Is there a specific name? And how long should you take them for? Thanks xx
This time I used an antifungal kit called Candigone (made by Renew Life). The kit is for two weeks, but I’d recommend doing another kit right after and doing four weeks…
So… follow the diet for 3 weeks, antifungals for four weeks, and then probiotics for as long as you can after that.
Hello Tracy,
My endocrinologist gives saliva hormone test, however, they said its for thyroid and not hormone therapy (I have no idea what that means). I currently have an appointment to see them, however, not for another month and I would like to get things figured out sooner. I cannot find any reviews for the Delgato Saliva hormone test, so it is making me nervous. Would you say it is realiable and worth the money? Also do I ask for the 11 panel hormone kit? Thanks so much for your replies, they mean the world!! xx
I had it done with them, and tons of people in my Academy have had it done too.. it’s just a standard saliva test. They mail it to you, you mail it back. They’ll give you a consultation after and give you some suggestions (ie. their supplements that might help you based on your imbalances, so be ready for that). Yes it would be the 11 hormone test
Tracy i have some questions for you:
xylitol and almond milk are allowed during the candida diet? I’m from Italy and it’s really difficult to find here coconout milk without sugar.
I’m taking barberberine too, do you think is a problem to take the antifungals (i’m going to use pau d’arco) and barberine in the same time?
Thanks so much for your reply
Xylitol is allowed, almond milk is too as long as it doesn’t have added sugar. And I think it should be ok to take antifungals and berberine at same time, but not if you are taking psyllium at same time
Thank you so much!