by Ricki Heller, PhD, RHN with Andrea Nakayama, CNC, CNE is guidebook on how to reduce the candida that exists in your gut by following a plant-based program. Ricki writes about her journey that began with her husband's prognosis of having only six months to live. She discovered that food was not only something she loved, but something that could have powerful healing benefits that eventually extended her husband's life well beyond the prognosis.
She discovered that the gut and digestive system are at the core of almost every health challenge. The gut creates a home for bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. These little organisms keep you alive and enable you to thrive. They help you train your immune system, prevent the growth of harmful bacteria that can make you sick, and create a barrier from exposure to all sorts of agents you come in contact with every day.
Candida is a yeast and dimorphic fungus that lives in your intestines. In a healthy person, candida is a harmless agent. But, if fluctuations in the internal bacterial environment that influences immune health enable the yeast to grow past its tipping point, the same harmless strains of candida can become pathogenic, invading the mucosa and causing significant damage. Ricki explains the symptoms one might experience as a result of this including a handy quiz that you can take to assess your symptoms. She talks about the importance of organic produce as well as the diet plan she has put together.
The first 100 pages allow one to learn about candida and how to reduce the candida in one's body. It's complete with motivation and stages depending upon one's symptoms. I found it fascinating as I wasn't familiar with any of this!
There are about 100 pages of recipes too, but only a few pictures. I tried two of recipes and loved them!
The first one I tried was the Quick and Easy Chard and Chickpea Soup. It's a simple brothy soup flavored with tomatoes and onions. The heartiness comes from the chickpeas and chard. I found it simple and satisfying.
The second one I tried was the Super Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Creamy Greens and Chickpeas. This was a flavor explosion. Sweet potatoes topped with slivers of kale and chard coated in a delicious coconut milk-based sauce with garlic and ginger and a bit of tomatoes and chickpeas. I found it to be tantalizingly spectacular.
The book ends with a section on strategies of how to live a lifetime without excessive candida. If you are experiencing health issues that may be due to an overgrowth of this yeast, definitely give this book a read. Either way, you'll learn a lot and have some great recipes to try. You will find this book on Amazon for about $15 here.
Full Disclosure: Although the book was provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.
No comments:
Post a Comment