There is very little information out there about this phase, probably because this can look different to a lot of people. Re-introduction of other foods is done during this time. How this phase goes is dependent on each individual’s body. I recommend only entering this phase if phases one and two have been accomplished within 4-6 weeks. If there are no longer any acute symptoms and things have been feeling steady with little to no flare-ups, it’s a good time to start experimenting with foods.

If you did experience a flare-up at any point during the previous phases, that’s okay. Not all hope is lost. It just means that you still have a good amount of candida in your gut, and it’s important to keep up with the herbs and diet. Your body might seem more sensitive to specific foods (particularly those high in sugar), which means that you’ve been starving it long enough that it really thrives when you give it something especially sugary. This is a good sign, actually. It is a message to keep going, and be slow and steady with reintroducing foods.

Keep boric acid suppositories on hand during this phase to continue to keeping your candida under control and managing symptoms should they come up in reaction to specific foods.

Phase THREE

Reintroducing Foods

This is a tricky one. Since everyone has a different body, this one is really up to you. I know at this point, you don’t want to “undo” any work that you’ve done with the long weeks you’ve stuck to the diet. With that said, some anxiety about going back to old foods is very real and very normal.

I encourage you to play around, slowly. This will help connect you to your body and understand what it’s trying to tell you. It’s always trying to tell you things because it is highly intelligent. It helps to slow down, pay attention, and give it the care it’s asking for. It’s also a great way to learn more about food. Your Google search history will be littered with questions about the nutritional content of food, and it will help you make informed decisions about what to eat.

The reintroduction of food may take months since it’s a slow process, which is why it’s recommended to stay on this diet for 4-6 months. It varies person to person. Candida can come back if there are many foods introduced too quickly, so take your time and go at the speed of your body. You may want to make this diet the foundation of your eating habits with some leniency and occasional candida unfriendly foods. Maintain your health, but live a full life and enjoy yourself every once in awhile. Find the balance that really works for you.

Start with “safe” foods that are low-risk (low in sugar), and be intentional about what order and when you eat them. For example, I began with berries 20 minutes after my breakfast. This allowed my body to begin the digestion process with fiber and proteins before the “sugary” berries, so my glucose levels didn’t spike and flare up the candida. Berries are also a complete fiber, and relatively low in sugar compared to most fruits. I ate about a handful of berries 3 days apart from each other to see if my body would react to them. When nothing happened, I began getting looser with when I eat them. Giving your body a few days’ space to respond to foods will give you a good sense of what it agrees with vs what feeds the candida.

I did the same with sourdough bread. Since this isn’t a yeasted bread and the sugars in the wheat get eaten by the starter, I figured this would be a good place to start to reintegrate bread back into my life. I did the same thing as the berries—I ate them after my fiber and protein rich breakfast, and allowed myself one slice a week until I thought my body could handle more. I did thoughtlessly eat a little too much when a friend of mine gave me two more slices of sourdough she made when I’d already had my one slice for the week, which caused me to get cramps and a chin pimple after weeks of clear skin. It’s symptoms like these that show up when the body wants to let us know that it’s reaching its limit.

You may not be able to return to the diet you had before, but you can still have a satisfying relationship with food. It’ll just have to be a moderate one rather than an excessive one. It may just require a bit more mindfulness and creativity. This might mean making sourdough anything whenever you want to consume bread. It might also look like carrying coconut aminos with you to sushi restaurants. What it looks like is up to you and what kind of relationship you’ve developed with your body.

My 2 cents

This very much felt like a fast of sorts, and broadened my perspective on why people use fasts as ways to connect with themselves, their environment, and their spirit.

I was using food as a means of momentary joy rather than honoring it for being much more than that—a reliable source of nourishment and lasting satisfaction. There’s nothing wrong with extracting joy from what I eat, but doing that excessively was becoming an act of negligence to my body, mind, and spirit. I had to experience the absence of massive dopamine hits from Hot Cheetos in order to return to embodiment and sacred relationship with my body. Everything else followed. After a couple of months on the diet, I saw myself shift mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Without being hyperbolic, I say this: I felt a fog lift off me that had been keeping me very dim for many months. My thoughts became clear, focused, and empowered. I got in touch with my feelings to feel them rather than make meaning out of them. I woke up feeling motivated to take care of myself and make a home out of my body. My sleep became deep and regulated, which gave me the rest I’d been wanting for so long. My appetite and digestion became consistent and communicative, and I could trace exactly what I was doing right or wrong. I experienced deeper joy from other things I was doing and eating that weren’t coming from cheap dopamine sources. My nails started growing faster and my hair became softer and shinier. My inflammation and acne had completely disappeared. After many months of irregular, painful periods, I got consistent and very mild menstruation cycles.

Sure, there were moments where I craved a tig ol’ slice of Detroit-style pizza with pineapple and sausage, and felt like I was missing out on good times with friends when I had to say “no” to dinner with them. I also remembered that going back to what was would mean I would end up in the same predicament, so I was either going to break the cycle now or later.

This is a new way of being in relationship to my body, a redirection from where it was when it was in need of deep balance, to where it is now, where the communication with it is much clearer and requires care and maintenance.

I hope this is helpful, and wish you the best of luck!