Explanation of the Candida Diet

The Candida diet, also known as the anti-Candida diet, is a highly restrictive diet used to reduce the amount of yeast present in the body. While yeast is ordinarily a helpful component of a healthy body, it is believed by some that too much yeast can be harmful, even deadly.

Followers of this diet suffer from a wide variety of symptoms ranging from an overall reduced immune system function to yeast infections, thrush, athlete's foot, indigestion and poor mental function. Part of what makes this diagnosis so controversial is the tremendous range of symptoms. Many who self-report (and self-diagnose) suffering from an overgrowth of yeast (Candida) have already tried a variety of traditional medical treatments with little or no success. The majority of doctors do not believe in a diagnosis of Candida overgrowth and will not treat it.

The Candida Diet is not a simple solution, nor is it a quick fix. Most people who go on the Candida Diet will stay on it for at least 6 months if not several years before reporting any significant improvement. Because the diet is so incredibly restrictive, it is important to have a strong understanding of nutrition before attempting to try the diet without professional help.

Basically, the goal of the Candida Diet is to remove all yeast and yeast-encouraging foods from ones' diet. This may seem simple at first, but in reality is leaves very few foods. Obviously items such as bread and most cereals are immediately out. However, as sugar encourages the growth of yeast, this is also removed from the diet. Removing sugar from the diet (and all varieties of sugar) immediately eliminates most processed foods from ones' diet. Sugar is also naturally occurring in many fruits, so for the first 2 weeks it is recommended to eat no fruit as well. Citrus is especially bad and is not re-introduced into ones' diet for a period of several months.

Any items that have been fermented are also eliminated from the diet. This includes the preservative staple, vinegar. Vinegar is a key ingredient in most condiments and also in almost all salad dressings. Eliminating fermented items also eliminates most cheeses, except certain kinds of goat cheese. Some individuals are able to continue eating cottage cheese, although the most strict diets allow no cheese at all.

Almost all vegetables are allowed while following the Candida Diet, as are all meats, except those which have been processed or smoked (no bacon, no ham, etc). Peanuts are not allowed, although some individuals do tolerate other kinds of nuts. It is important to ensure the nuts have no exposure to molds, which are a kind of fermentation/yeast and can feed your yeast instead of kill it.

Because probiotics (foods which encourage the growth of yeast-eating bacteria) are allowed, plain yogurt is encouraged. Yogurt contains L. acidophilus, one of the most power probiotics available. It is also possible to find other supplements which are reported to boost the immune system while diminishing the production of yeast: grapeseed extract and garlic being two of the most popular.

I followed a strict Candida Diet for about 3 weeks, then slowly began reintroducing other foods into my diet. During that time I lost nearly 10 pounds, but steadily regained my health after nearly 2 years of constantly re-occurring throat and sinus infections. I was lucky in that I tolerated cottage cheese and could depend on that for both calcium and protein. I also began adding flax seed to most of my foods which boosted the nutrient content without impacting the flavor of most things.

The most amazing thing I noticed while following the Candida Diet, and an effect that has stayed with me, is a significantly reduced craving for sugar. Prior to following the Candida Diet it was not unusual for me to snack on sweets, but now I find I crave carrots and fresh vegetables much more often. This was certainly one of the toughest 3 weeks as I found myself constantly thinking about food, but it also raised my awareness of exactly what is in the foods that I eat.

While I would not recommend following a diet this strict for a long period of time without supervised care, I have to admit that my health has never been better since my 3 weeks on the Candida Diet.