If this looks familiar, that’s because I was, in fact, hugely inspired by a Bon Appétit recipe for strawberry cucumber fruit salad with lemon cream. It was featured in their August edition. I came across it and lit up. My mind immediately started the process it’s so attuned to now: deconstructing and reassembling the recipe to make it Candida Diet-friendly. Which, in this case, was a simple as swapping out the créme fraiche for coconut butter and pistachios for almonds and skipping the added sugar. It’s plenty sweet all on its own.
“But wait… the first word in this recipe is strawberry. Am I on the right site?” You may be wondering. It’s me. I now eat (some) fruit again (in small amounts and properly combined). And I have to tell you. It must be like having a near-death experience. Strawberries have never, ever tasted so good.
Over two years! That’s how long it’s been since I ate the fruit. Why the change?
Well, it’s always been my hope that I would be able to re-introduce certain foods that I reacted to. Of course, naturally sweet and nourishing fruit, being the foremost of my interest.
Most of the Candida Diet books and blogs out there advocate this eventually. Once your overgrowth has been addressed, leaky gut healed up, and overall inflammation has been calmed. But health and nutrition are an ever-evolving field, and particularly in terms of gut health and microbiome stability, we’re only just starting to understand all of its facets and permutations.
I’ve also come across some websites that advocate small amounts of low-glycemic index fruits, even from the early stages of the diet. Again, this is because there are many vitamins and fiber in fruit, which are extremely good for you.
And I’ve even heard the argument that was utterly eliminating even natural sugars can stress the adrenals and suppress proper hormone function. This post by Empowered Sustenance breaks these ideas down very clearly. I was intrigued by these ideas but was essentially too afraid to try them.
I also thought it would be better to stick to one plan and not jump all around trying different things. Of course, there will always be some experimenting, but the fruit was one barrier I was very cautious about crossing.
The one plan that I’ve been following most closely has been Sandra’s on CandidaDietPlan. com. I’ve read a ton of books like the Body Ecology Diet, The Candida Cure, The Yeast Connection. So if it’s about Candida, I’ve probably read it.
Sandra’s site and books are beneficial because they’re current, and she offers helpful webinars and courses on exact steps to recover. She’s always adding to her knowledge base and updating her info as well. For example, she recently gave the earth-shattering news that she has recently come into the camp of those who believe in fruit. And the heavens opened up, and angels sang.
The key is not to overdo it and keep servings of berries to 1/2 cup, cherries to 1/3 cup, and eat 1/2 a not-too-ripe banana once a day at most. It might not sound like much, but when you haven’t tasted that sweet sapor of fresh summer fruit in what feels like ages, the pleasure is surreal.
I’ve been having a ball making Sandra’s smoothies and dabbling with my little fruit dishes. This one is epic. And I’m beaming to report no ill effects from enjoying the fruit in the allotted portion sizes.
Ingredients
- ½ Cup strawberries
- ½ Cup Persian or English cucumbers
- 2 Tbs coconut butter
- 2 Tbs almond flour
- 1 Tbs coconut shreds
- 1 Tbs coconut oil
- Sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)
- Juice of ½ a lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees
- Trim strawberries
- Slice cucumbers
- Combine and set aside
- Combine almond flour, coconut shreds, coconut oil, and spices (if desired)
- Spread onto parchment paper cookie sheet
- Toast in oven for 5-8 minutes or until golden (careful not to burn)
- Combine coconut butter and lemon juice (if desired)
- Drizzle coconut butter over fruit and sprinkle with almond/coconut mixture
