Vegetables with a Yeast Allergy

I am 100% plant based so that should be all I have to say about the topic of vegetables, but I also have Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease, on top of a Yeast Allergy. Actually I have Hashimoto’s and Thyroiditis, though I have not had a lot of thyroid flare ups, at least physically. When I say that I mean my thyroid has become swollen but I have managed to keep it in check. It has happened a few times. I have had other problems. I have feared though that if my thyroid did swell up it would kill me. I credit my strict diet. Part of that strict diet is I avoid soy, night shades, and certain goitrogenic foods like Kale and Strawberries, all of which I have discovered trigger my thyroid. I have read I should avoid what are called cruciferous vegetables, but I have found that broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts I can tolerate if I cook them.

Nightshades are tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers like bell pepper, but not peppercorns. I also have a latex allergy, and tomatoes and potatoes can be cross reactive with latex. I did not have a problem with potatoes as a kid, but after I had breast cancer and developed Hashimoto’s suddenly my body started to respond to potatoes like an allergen. A lot of things have become a problem for my body.

Not a positive way to start this but I wanted to get the cup half empty part out of the way. I have discovered many vegetables as long as they are low glycemic are safe with my yeast allergy. I at first got rid of all frozen food, but I have started to add certain frozen vegetables back into my diet. I have eliminated all canned vegetables except Eden food Garbanzo beans. Even though the beans can apparently be eaten as is, I always cook them and add spices that help with my yeast allergy. I also buy coconut milk in a can. Otherwise all my vegetables are either fresh or frozen. Though in the winter I do buy organic pumpkin in cans to use in soups rice or pancakes.

When it comes to vegetables the key factor with yeast is sugar content or glycemic levels. It is the same for fruits. I want to find vegetables that are nutrient dense but not high in sugar. I need carbs and that has been the biggest problem with this combination of allergies with my autoimmune disease. Thyroid disease is typically associated with gaining weight. But for what ever reason, I lost weight. The problem is compounded by my inability to eat high crab caloric foods. I can loose pounds in a day. I can also gain pounds in a day but if I do that by raising my sugar carb consumption I risk a yeast allergy attack that could make me sick causing me to drop all the weight I have gained. My goal is to not be on this roller coaster where I gain weight, get sick, and lose the weight, but to try to find a balance where I maintain a healthy weight and do not get sick. It is not easy. A healthy body weight for my height is supposed to be 120 pounds but I am finding it hard to get that weight so I have been trying to keep my weight at 110 or above. I get sick and feel very weak if my weight drops below 110.

I do not like wasting food so with vegetables I have containers I use to store the vegetables to help me keep them longer. I have Rubber Maid Freshworks containers. I also have linen bags by Ambrosia bag. I have met the owner of Ambrosia bag Jan Rem at Vegan events. She is a very nice woman and her product works. I just can not afford to buy a bunch of them right now to replace my Rubber Maid containers. If you eat medicinal mushrooms though I would invest in the purple and red bag to store your mushrooms. I never have to worry about my mushrooms spoiling now. I store my sweet potatoes, red onions, garlic and shallots in mesh bags in my kitchen cabinet. I also store greens and herbs in her green linen bag in my vegetable drawer.

I eat organic because of my autoimmune disease. Fresh Vegetables I can eat:

Carrots

Cucumber

Endives

Jicama

Lettuce (all varieties)

Radicchio

Red onions

Sprouts (Broccoli, micro, alfalfa, pea).

Watercress

Vegetables I prefer to cook:

Asparagus

Bok Choy

Broccoli

Brussel Sprouts

Cabbage (or fermented raw, not in vinegar, but I am not sure this is safe)

Cauliflower

Chard

Collard Greens

Corn on the Cob (I just added this one but it does have a higher carb content so I am trying to keep this as a rare treat for me and eat it with coconut butter)

Fennel

Leek

Maitake mushrooms

Mung bean sprouts (long white)

Okra

Portobello mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms

Squash (low glycemic varieties)

Sweet potato (boil do not fry or bake)

Yams

Zucchini

Fresh Herbs I cook with:

Basil

Cilantro

Dill

Garlic

Italian Parsley

Lemongrass

Mint

Parsley

Rosemary

Thyme

Some vegetables I have been meaning to try or are on my list of possibilities but I rarely buy are Celery root, Plantains and Rutabaga. I have eaten plantain chips and as a precaution usually make a yogurt dip to eat them with. Because of cross contamination with yeast products I read the labels. Anything that has been on equipment shared with gluten or certain nuts may be contaminated with yeast. I like Terra plain plantain chips and I also eat the Original Exotic Vegetable Chips as it is nightshade free.

I also like a variety of squash but I do not have a large kitchen. I have recently discovered small squash can be cooked in a slow cooker if punctured with a fork. I eat only squash varieties where the skin and pulp are edible so as not to waste anything. I store the cooked squash in mason jars in the fridge and try to consume it within 48 hours usually by turning the squash meat, seeds and pulp into blender soups or adding them to rice. Leftovers are not safe if you have a yeast allergy. I tried to buy butternut squash frozen but I think it is a bit to starchy that way and I do not like the taste as much as a freshly cooked squash. If you have the capacity to cook squash I would research which varieties have the lowest glycemic levels. I made a list in the article I wrote about carbohydrates and my allergy that I find I can enjoy. I would avoid Kabocha squash unless you cook it with garlic or onions or spices that kill yeast. I have started buying large bags of organic sweet potatoes instead but bags where the sweet potatoes are small in size.

After I got my yeast allergy problem under control to an extent, I started adding frozen vegetables back into my diet. I like to make soups and since certain vegetables I have to cook anyways I have started to buy them organic and frozen. I did for a long time leave out corn. I have started to add it back in as frozen.

Frozen Vegetables:

Asparagus (I also buy this fresh)

Broccoli (florets and rice)

Carrot pea mix

Cauliflower (florets and rice, white and colorful)

Corn (cook with foods that kill yeast and do not eat more than a 1/4 cup a day)

Four Vegetable mix (carrots, corn, green beans, and peas)

Okra (when I can find it)

I just reintroduced the four frozen vegetable mix back into my diet. I tried to add fresh green beans and they proved to be too much for my system. I have read however that green beans may be helpful to the gut after all, so I eat them this way. I often use the four frozen vegetables in soup. I make a soup with a mix of these frozen vegetables. I use the broccoli and cauliflower when I make rice. It makes cooking easier just to throw some rice and legumes in my crock pot with some water and frozen vegetables.

Well I think that is it. As I have written these I have realized other things I eat and forgot about but this is a good start I hope these help others who may have similar problems to mine. I think I will continue this series as I want to write an article on holistic medicines I find help me when I have a yeast allergy attack. I also want to talk about comfort foods. I have cravings for the foods I am not supposed to eat so I have had to find alternatives to resist the cravings. I have mentioned some of those comfort foods in this series but I think it might help if I dedicate a post just to that problem. “I want candy but candy could kill me.”