The Anti Candida Diet
Candida albicans is a microorganism that is actually a fungus similar to yeast, the microscopic fungus we use to leaven bread and baked goods. Candida, like yeast, feeds on sugar and starch (which is rapidly converted to sugar by the human body), and is also maintained in the body by a number of other substances that are found in processed foods. The Anti Candida Diet is a way of eating designed to starve this microorganism of the nutrients it needs to thrive by eating other things.
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Happily, most of the foods that yeast likes are also foods that most people should eat less frequently or not all anyway. Some of the foods that foods candida loves and that should be avoided include:
- Fast food and processed food
- Foods heavy in preservatives and chemical additives
- Alcohol and cigarettes
- High sugar fruits
- Condiments
- Aged cheeses, chocolate, and nuts
- Mushrooms and anything containing yeast or fungus (like leavened bread)
On the other hand, some foods actually inhibit the growth of candida. These foods include:
- Raw garlic and onions
- Cabbage, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower (the 'cruciferous' group of vegetables)
- Kale, Spinach, Chard and other dark leafy greens
- Cucumbers and Peppers
- Celery, Radishes, Eggplant, Asparagus, Zucchini and Okra
- High quality protein like fresh organic chicken, fish, beef, and pork
- Organic Greek Yogurt
- A few fruits like Oranges, Lemons, Bananas, and most berries
- Spirulina and Chlorella algae powders and most other seaweed products
Avoid highly processed meats like lunch meat or sausage, and stick to broiled or baked meat and lightly steamed or raw veggies. The Atkins Diet, a popular weight loss regimen that allows high quality protein and vegetables low in starch, is a good example of an Anti Candida diet.
The probiotic cultures in yogurt are very good at combatting Candida, but look for an organic yogurt without added sugar or fruit. Some of the commercial yogurts have so much sugar and so many commercial additives that they are more like a bad dessert than a good yogurt.
Also, Spirulina and Chlorella, two forms of green algae that can be purchased in powdered form in health food stores, are very good for combatting candida, and are excellent for restoring a healthy immune system. These two plants are among the oldest, most chlorophyll-rich foods on earth, and while they may seem exotic at first, they pack such a nutritional punch and are such effective candida-fighters that they are well worth finding and including in your Anti Candida Diet plan.
Many people start their Anti Candida diet with either a colon cleanse, or a two day juice fast during which only home squeezed vegetable juice made from cucumber, spinach, parsley, carrots, celery, and lettuce is taken. This cleans out the colon naturally and starves the yeast of what it needs to grow, and it is also a healthy practice in itself.
Many Eastern cultures include a regular juice fast as part of a normal life and diet, just to give the body a rest. Although such practices seem unfamiliar in Western countries, for most people they are completely safe and can be very helpful in maintaining overall good health. Check with you doctor first if you have any other chronic health problem like diabetes or any digestive condition.
Most people experience significant relief from Candida symptoms within the first month of the Anti Candida Diet, although it can be challenging to make the necessary changes at first.
Once a natural balance has been restored in your digestive system and the candida has been brought under control, you can usually reintroduce small amounts of some of the foods back into your diet. Most people do not have to stay on an extreme Anti Candida Diet permanently.
However, it does help to make a few permanent changes.
For instance, no one needs a steady diet of highly processed, highly-sugared foods washed down with alcohol and followed up with several cigarettes. A diet like that is bound to lead to health problems eventually, whether you struggle with candida or not.
Moving toward a diet of delicious fresh and whole foods, fewer (or no) refined starches, and no preservatives or additives, will make you trimmer, give you more energy, help you sleep soundly and awake refreshed, and increase your resistance to disease.
Who doesn't want that?
Learning which foods fight candida and restore digestive balance also changes a person's tastes over time. You may well find that, having eaten well for a sustained period to get rid of the candida problem, you no longer have the urge to eat poorly once the problem is solved.
Once your candida is under control, you may no longer crave things that are bad for you (the candida in your system is actually looking for sugar and things it likes, not things that are good for you).
You may well find yourself free to discover and enjoy foods you like for the first time ever.
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