If you suffer from Candida, Ice Cream may be one of those
foods you have trouble avoiding for a couple of reasons.
One reason is that Ice Cream is high in Sugar and Corn Syrup,
with one brand measuring 14 grams, equivalent to 1 Tablespoon of sugar, per serving
size (1). The definition of a serving
size can be misleading, and it is easy to inaccurately visualize a bowl of ice
cream as such. However, if you were to
measure a serving size, it would be about 1/2 of a cup, or one scoop of ice
cream (2). Because we anticipate that a
serving size is more than that, we may have a habit of dishing out 3 to 4
scoops into a bowl, and then going back for seconds. This can
easily add up to 8 Tablespoons of Sugar (about 1/2 of a cup) in your dessert alone.
A second reason Ice Cream can pose a problem for Candida
sufferers is because it contains milk. Alongside Leaky Gut allergies to wheat (glutenous
grains), soy, and corn, those with Candida can also be sensitive to dairy
products and/or have an inability to breakdown Lactose (3).
Many Candida diets rule out all dairy products to address
this potential dairy allergy, and also as a cautionary approach to the
possibility of antibiotic residue that may be present in Cow's Milk (4). For Candida, the high amounts of sugar added
to ice cream, alongside possible trace amounts of antibiotics, and a potential dairy
allergy is courtship for a problem food that is highly addictive.
I would recommend any Candida sufferer to try very hard to
get away from Ice Cream. To do that,
like I've outlined in my previous posts, is to transition out of it.
Take the ice cream you crave the most (Chocolate, Peanut
Butter, Birthday Cake, etc), and switch it for a boring flavor like
Vanilla. Don't buy any toppings to go
over it. Be sure to only buy that flavor
when cravings arise. Concentrate on only having a couple scoops at a time. If
necessary, try measuring an actual serving size amount.
The next step is to switch to frozen yogurt. You can experiment with flavors, but try to pick
a frozen yogurt that has no artificial additives and is made with milk from
Cows not treated with rBST or antibiotics if possible. A brand I used that was closest to this
criteria is called Open Nature, and is available at Safeway.
Try changing between flavors until you reach plain old
boring vanilla again. You can buy bananas and Natural Peanut Butter or
Almond Butter as a topping or in a smoothie.
I started out by making smoothies, and then went to
toppings. As I lost my cravings for my
old peanut butter ice cream, I began mixing frozen yogurt with just plain yogurt. After the
transitional phase, I replaced frozen yogurt all together with a good quality plain yogurt.
*A word of note for Candida Sufferers who think they may suffer from a dairy allergy:
If it is due to leaky gut, probiotics are necessary to heal the problem, which along with being easier to digest is why plain yogurt is a form of dairy generally allowed. It is also a great source of Calcium. However, if you find you have side effects from eating plain yogurt, try yogurt from Goat's Milk first, and probiotic supplementation as a last option.
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