A couple of years ago my immune system got really weak and I was constantly getting sick. Nobody likes to be sick so I realized I had to do something drastic to improve my health.

While researching health related information online I came across articles about Candida. What I read about it seemed to make sense to me so I decided to go on a diet to deal with the issue. I cut out all sugar, gluten, grains and most carbs, switched to organic food and generally followed the guidelines of the GAPS diet.

My meals consisted of protein (fish, poultry or meat) and vegetables. I ate a lot of nuts and seeds since I was missing crunchy things like bread. To be honest, I ate pretty healthy before (other than indulging in french pastries, which are my weakness) so being on a diet wasn't very hard for me.

I didn't crave sweets, bread or french fries. As a matter of fact, people at the same table could eat croissants and no part of me was tempted. However, it wasn't easy to find diet friendly choices in restaurants. Even in NYC not that many restaurants have healthy side dishes other than a salad. My new discovery was "Westville" restaurant which offers a lot of great vegetable sides with your choice of protein.

For my breakfast I mostly ate eggs and berries and sometimes made myself butternut squash pancakes. I got the idea for these pancakes from "The Heal Your Gut:Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Intestinal Health Using the GAPS Diet" cookbook by Hilary Boynton and Mary G Brackett. Other than squash puree, coconut oil, eggs and salt, I used flour that I made from pumpkin seed/pepitas. These pancakes are pretty tasty. I still make them even though I am not on a diet anymore.

After being on the anti-Candida diet for 9 months my health did improve. I would have probably stayed on the diet much longer just because I could and I didn't feel like I was deprived of anything. I was going to Provence, France for vacation and there was no way I could have all healthy food while traveling even if I could resist amazing french bread and pastries so I just got back to my usual way of eating.

Nowadays my breakfast is pretty much the same: I have two cups of green tea, various berries and a small piece of toasted whole grain bread and sometimes eggs.

Here are some photos of my healthy breakfast and a painting inspired by it.

Here is my breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon, berries and butternut squash pancake with crème fraîche and green tea.

Another breakfast with soft boiled eggs, my favorite dill, butternut squash pancakes with crème fraîche on top, berries and a slice of pear and I just love this Noritake Jardin Fleuri plate!

This is my still life painting "Breakfast with Eggs and Berries" with a butternut squash pancake.

I am not on any diet anymore but I still try to eat healthy when I can. Here is my typical breakfast with a cup of green tea, a small toast of bread with butter, organic berries and gluten-free millet kasha  with flax seeds on top.

When I am traveling, I find that being on a diet is nearly impossible. Vacation is the time to enjoy wonderful pastries and more as can be seen from the following still life paintings of mine..

This painting, "Breakfast With Croissant, Cheese And Fruit" was inspired by our wonderful breakfasts while traveling in Provence.

"Breakfast with Croissant" was inspired by our delicious breakfasts while on vacation as well.

Please check out my paintings on my website. Thank you!