When you suffer from an overabundance of food allergies, as I do, you just accept that you must stay away from your diagnosed troubling foods. But what if you find out some of those safe foods are still harming you in a different way?

What I thought was no big deal, turned out to be a pretty big deal and a revelation of what has been harming my overall health and digestive system. Last week, I was diagnosed with Intestinal Candidiasis, also known as "The Yeast Syndrome" or "The Leaky Gut".

I feel the need to go back in time and start from the beginning: when I was born. Jumping forward 25 years is necessary because it is where my food allergy journey begins. I came into this world rejecting this world, entering with an allergy to dairy. That escalated to also being allergic to shellfish, red meat, pork, grapes, and bananas a few years later. When that went away, it turned into my infamous corn allergy, along with coconuts, pears, oranges, lettuce (yes, you read that right!), various types of fish, mustard, as well as shellfish and grapes, and many more I am missing for the sake of your sanity to continue reading the list.

Throughout the years, I have watched my food intolerance grow larger and larger, with no thought process about it, but that it is what it is. Not once did I think there could be anything bigger. I accepted that my body always had a reaction to the foods I ate. Even when I did avoid the multiple foods I am allergic to, I was still always sick, always itch, and always dazed out with a foggy head. Recently, a doctor told me that my body has a high rejection of food and that is due to my Intestinal Candidiasis.

There are trillions of bacteria living in our digestive tract; the normal microflora. These bacterias play a supportive role in helping to synthesize vitamins, degrade toxins, and produce natural antibiotics. However, in my case, my stomach has an overabundance of yeast organisms living inside it, growing rapidly, making the harmonious balance between yeast and bacteria upset. Therefore, my stomach being overpopulated by yeast is weakening my sinuses, immune system, and digestive system. Without knowing this, I have been feeding the growing yeast in my stomach all the foods it wants and needs to thrive on and take over.

I am writing this letter for the same reason I started this website; I want other people who are going through this too to know they are not alone. It helped me greatly when I was adjusting to my corn allergy, which is why I plan on starting a weekly blog about my candida experience.

My cooking and eating have changed drastically as I wrap up my first week. I must now stay away from dairy, nuts, soy, gluten and grains, sugars, nightshades, vinegar, and stretchy vegetables, as well as corn. Luckily, this has given me an opportunity to create new "free-from" recipes that I am excited to share soon!

While I am at this ridiculously long letter, if you are all still following me by this point, I want to take a moment to spotlight the support I felt this passing week. Besides the discovery being a shock to me, I also felt fear, panic, and acceptance. I was informed that the detox I will face to help cleanse my body and begin the process of breaking down the yeast is also going to upset my body, putting it into shock and causing me to face withdrawal-like symptoms. They were not kidding because all that started right on day one.

On the first day, I started my new diet plan and supplements and right away experienced weakness and headaches. The next day was followed by cold sweats, vomiting, and even more weakness. While the days continued, the symptoms began to subside, leaving me with mood swings I was also warned might occur.

Today, I am feeling more like myself, and maybe even better than myself, but I can only thank those who got me through the first few days. Their own words, presence, and helping hands, whether psychically being in front of me or just sending their love through a message, help me stay strong, even if they did not realize they helped at all.

Here's to my journey with candidiasis, the hope for its elimination from my body, to new recipes, and the struggle of only having one small cup of black coffee a day....oh dear!