A short while after I started the diet I got really sick. I kept getting sick and I am not just talking about the cold and flu thing, I am talking headaches, joint pain, canker sores so bad in my mouth where I couldn’t eat, yeast infections and list goes on from there. I would be sick for two weeks and then well for one week and then sick for two weeks again.I was concerned with my health and scheduled an appointment with my doctor to see if he could figure out what was going on. At first my doctor thought that I may have Lupus. After pulling blood and running a bunch of test I was surpised at the diagnosis of my problem. The problem I had was a yeast overgrowth witch is commonly known as Candida. Because I drastically changed my diet my body was like ” WHAT ARE YOU DOING!”.I visited a few natural doctors and while some helped only a little, I did learn a few things from all of them. One of natural doctors put me on a Candida diet which was much harder then my regular diet. I believe what may have contributed to my yeast problem is that Saturdays are a free day in which I can eat anything I want. Allowing myself to freely enduldge in cheat foods on Saturdays has been one of the key ingredients to my diet success. Cheat days allow me to stick to my diet over time versus the Yo-Yo diets I did in the past. The Candida diet prohibited me from eating anything processed or with yeast and sugar in it. There were no cheat days with this diet so you basically have to stick it out day after day and week after week.

Using Stevia as a Sweetener

When I first started dieting I was predominately using Sweet-n-Low and Splenda as an artificial sweetener.  My mother, who is big into the natural stuff, recommended that I start using Stevia.  She also recommended that I do some research on the artificial sweeteners that I was currently using.  At first I dismissed the idea of doing the research on these products but over time I decided to take a closer look. 

I came across website after website that listed a long list of harmful effects on the body caused by using these artificial sweeteners.  Many of these websites also linked illnesses such MS, arthritis, memory loss, and to my amazement even obesity to some of these artificial sweeteners.  However, just don’t take my word on it I highly recommend that you research for yourself.  Just Google “effects of (enter your favorite artificial sweetener here) on the body” to see what you can find.

What I like about Stevia as a sweetener is that it is made from an herb and is not chemically created in a lab (like the other artificial sweeteners).  However, not all Stevia products are the same.  I have tried a variety of different brands of Stevia and some of them have a very bitter aftertaste.  After trying numerous brands, my brand of choice is the NOW brand of Stevia.  I prefer the NOW brand, whether Alcohol or Glyercine base, because it has no aftertaste.  I also personally prefer the liquid over the powder because I have found that the liquid dissolves better in my coffee and protein shakes.

Now a word of caution, Stevia is very sweet and I recommend starting out with only a few drops to get the taste where you like it.

However, one of the biggest challenges I have found with the NOW brand is that it is hard to fine in stores.  I have found only one health food store in my area, and I live in a big city, that carries the NOW brand.  If you are having a hard time finding the NOW brand in a store near you then I recommend checking it out on the internet.  Actually I pretty much buy my Stevia online now because I hate to drive across town for it.  The best deal that I have found on the internet is for around $5.35 for a 2 oz bottle of the Alcohol free Stevia Glycerite.  You can checkout the latest deals by clicking the link below.

Now’s Stevia Glycerite Alcohol Free 2oz