So much of the ability to do something is just telling yourself you can.

I knew Thanksgiving was not going to be easy - and this late in the game I was prepared to be a little relaxed this weekend about the Candida Diet. For starters, Nigel and I went out for sushi on Thursday at a place that uses brown rice. It was brown rice unlike any I've ever seen - very dark, almost black, and really flavourful. The sushi was gorgeous and we tried hard to avoid non-Candida Diet ingredients but I think a few may have snuck in. I definitely tasted a small amount of sugar. This is why, in the early stages, it was so important not to eat out.

Then I made Thanksgiving Dinner at my house on Friday. I made lots of veggies and a beautiful turkey. The only things on the table that weren't strictly Candida Diet friendly were cranberry sauce (made from scratch, but with sugar) and gravy (I used some corn starch to thicken it.) I didn't have any cranberry sauce but I did have a bit of gravy. The next day I made soup and ate a lot of it this weekend.

Monday I had dinner at my aunt's - she made ham (definitely not Candida Diet-friendly as it's full of nitrates), potatoes which were fine except for the inclusion of horseradish (not allowed because it has vinegar in it), and coleslaw (again, vinegar.) I just relaxed a bit, had small portions, loaded up on veggies, and drank club soda instead of sugary pop. At this point, the Candida's gone anyway - it's just the last couple of weeks to keep it gone.

I also made a dessert twice this weekend, which I loved - sliced apples, mixed with berries, lots of cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with powdered walnuts mixed with coconut oil. I baked it and it made a lovely, fall-themed, refined-sugar free dessert. Good for breakfast too.

Nigel and I had an interesting chat on Thursday about what the social implications have been of this diet, for both of us. There are some things that are odd about eating like this, which I wouldn't want to make permanent. I think it's generally good to eat a variety of fruits, even sugary ones, as well as mushrooms, vinegar, a small amount of aged cheese, oatmeal, and coffee and tea. I plan to resume eating all those things. But so much of what this has taught me is the importance of planning, cooking, and eating natural foods. With the exception of Thursday's sushi, I haven't eaten out now for nearly six weeks. It was only hard for the first two - then it just became a habit. A few people have said to me that they could not do this - frankly, I don't believe it. It's just not that hard. So much of the ability to do something is just telling yourself you can.

It's really a misnomer to call this a "diet." I don't like the word with its implications of starving, fads, and extreme measures. It's really partly a cleanse (to get rid of the Candida) and partly a way to re-train yourself about how to eat. It's so weird that choosing to eat this way (clean, home-cooked, whole foods) is making me seem strange. For both Nigel and I at this point, eating processed foods all the time, eating food that's full of sugar - that is what seems strange.