For a while now I've wanted to blog about different diets. I decided the best way to do that was to immerse myself in them first and write about them after. This is diet #6.

I want to start by saying that I'm not doing any diet to lose weight. So you won't see any dramatic before and after pics here. My goal for these analysis is how they make me feel, physically and mentally. My body goal is to feel healthy and strong. I do not weigh myself regularly nor do I take my body measurements. Any weight loss I experience is not a good indicator of how much you may lose on each diet. Weight loss is extremely individual, based on your own metabolism, nutritional needs, lifestyle and activity level.

The Parasite Cleanse and Candida Diet are Therapeutic diets. They are not intended for prolonged use. The plan is to rid the gut of any bacteria or yeast over growth and parasites that may be causing disease, illness and discomfort. All disease begins in the gut, so they say, so clearing out any harmful organisms is an excellent place to start when you are looking for true healing. This is the secret to optimal health, get your gut healthy first, then work on the rest.

Low sugar intake is key to this diet. Parasites, bacteria and yeast all fed on sugar. Inflammation feeds on sugar. Cancer feeds on sugar. Are we seeing the trend yet?

To find out what your risk factors are for having parasites and to learn the signs and symptoms, click here.

The Diet: This is a protocol I have been developing for some time. It has 4 different phases with different eating plans for each phase.

· The initial phase involves strengthening the body, the immune system and providing digestive support.

· The second phase takes 1-2 weeks and draws the organisms out of the protection of the intestinal walls. It involveslow sugar diet, with lots of fiber and supplements and homeopathic remedies.

· Phase 3 lasts 2 weeks and focuses on detoxification and flushing organisms. This involves a very restricted diet, no sugar, almost no fruit, no grains and supplements and homeopathic remedies. Phase 2 and 3 should be repeated twice for best results.

· Phase 4 is healing and repairing the intestinal wall, establishing balanced gut flora and reducing inflammation. This involves homeopathic remedies, and few supplements and avoiding inflammatory and sensitive foods.

Cleaning is also a big part of the Parasite Cleanse. The kitchen, bathroom and bedroom areas need to be cleaned frequently.

Candida Cleanse is mentioned here as it is a similar protocol to rid the body or Candida as it is for parasites. (I did the Parasite protocol.) However with Candida the diet is much stricter low sugar and carbohydrate and can take more than a few months to clear depending on the person and their symptoms. The right homeopathic remedies and supplements can speed the process up. Minor Candida or yeast overgrowth can be cleared up using the Parasite Protocol.

Homeopathic remedies are, in my opinion, essential to the healing phase of both of these diets. You can do the diets without homeopathy but it will take much longer and may not be as effective. However to truly heal and repair the intestinal walls and mucous membranes, homeopathic remedies should be used. If not, all your diet work has been for nothing and you leave the body open to re-infestation.

Duration: 4 weeks minimum, best if done for 8-12 weeks the first time and should be repeated once or twice each year.

What I ate: Lots of yellow and orange vegetables to support liver function, lots of root vegetables and squash, as well as eggs, meat and nuts. I had no problem substituting squashes and root vegetables when my family would have rice or pasta at supper. I ate soups, salads and wraps for lunch (great grain free wrap recipe here). I had eggs and sweet potatoes or some grain free protein bars for breakfast. I added plenty of medicinal spices to my food and drinks. I drank herbal teas as medicinal support. I took a homeopathic parasite cleanse combo as well as some mineral salts and other supplements daily.

Pros: There is no carbohydrate or calorie restriction in this diet, so I never felt hungry. It just took some creativity and prep work to put together meals and snacks. I used many of the same recipes I ate for the Keto diet here.

I felt really good even during the detoxification phase of this diet. My body feels good with more root vegetables and no grains. Lots of spices and teas were easy and tasty addition to my meals.

Cons: Lots of supplements can be difficult to take or work into my schedule. I honestly started off with a lot (5-8) of supplements and ended up just taking just 3 or 4 most days.

The restrictive phase of the diet can make it difficult for social occasions and eating away from home. However small dietary errors are not going wreck your diet or make you have to restart anything.

The idea of parasites can make people very uncomfortable. Looking at your own stool daily and speculating on what you see can be unsettling as well.

Some people experience digestive upset, cramping or bloating while doing a parasite or Candida cleanse. I did experience a little of this towards the end of phase 3. The discomfort was very minimal, but I did note it.

It's common for people to experience a minor illness, cold or flu, during the die of phase of this diet. This occurs if there is a lot of yeast and parasites being mobilized and dying off at once. You may need to slow down or decrease some of the supplements and remedies if this happens. This diet plan minimizes this effect with the support of homeopathic remedies and mineral salts.

Energy level: Generally really good. I ate probably more carbs than I needed to with all the root vegetables. I did notice some lower energy during the detoxification phase so I scaled back my cardio work outs.

Weight loss: none that I noticed

Cost: Moderate. The supplements and homeopathic remedies add to the cost. However I was able to use many supplements, teas and spices that I generally keep in the house.

Recommended for: Anyone with allergies, chronic inflammation, auto immune disease, digestive problems, skin problems, ADHD, inattention, mental and emotional instability, poor mineral absorption, chronically underweight or overweight.

The preparation phase of these diets are key. The body needs to be properly supported and strengthened to minimize any negative detoxification effects. Lisa can design a program to strengthen and support your body so you can do this diet without the negative detoxification effects.

Bottom line: I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to do this diet. I consider myself to be quite healthy, but after all the research I did, I decided it was possible that I was affected by parasites, even though I only had a few risk factors. Unfortunately I was correct. I did see evidence of parasites in my stools. So gross. I was surprised at how quickly it started to work. Perhaps because I had been on a low sugar and low carb diet for several weeks before. I will continue with the gut healing portion of this diet during my next diet- the auto immune protocol.

After the results that I saw, I will definitely be doing this diet each year for maintence.

I'm not good at following rules, I'd rather make my own. So here's the Changes I would make: This diet can be really over whelming with all the different phases and supplements and remedies. However this is the best design for the most effective results for the general population without ill detoxing effects. I have modified it for children and it could be streamlined for certain people depending on their symptoms and current health.

Supplements: many. Herbal, gemmotherapy, vitamins, spices, teas, homeopathic remedies, mineral salts, and food as medicine.

In the spirit of full disclosure I want to include my constants: I drink 1 cup of organic coffee each morning as well as greens powder in water with 1 tbsp AVC and 1 cup of lemon water. I take my homeopathic remedies as needed. I strive to do cardio 3-5 days per week, and weight or resistance training 4-6 days per week. These are just my normal routine and I did not change these for this diet.

I hope you have found this information helpful. My goal is to share information to educate and empower people to take control of their own health. Please contact Lisa for more information. I would love to help you experience Better Health Naturally!

The information provided here is for educational purposes only. For treatment please seek a qualified health care provider.

Next up: Auto Immune Protocol Diet