Thursday, November 4, 2010

Diet Recommendations For Yeast Infections

A Candida or yeast infection diet needs to reduce or eliminate the foods which yeast thrives on.  Essentially sugars are what makes yeast proliferate and it is these sugars which need to be reduced in ones diet in order to attain results.

This reduction or elimination of sugar will help your yeast infection supplements kill the yeast faster and restore your digestive system and your immune system to its original state.

The health implications of good diet are far ranging as you will be able to absorb the nutrients in your foods better, thus greatly enhancing your over all health after the yeast infection has been eradicated.

Please keep in mind when evaluating any candida diet or yeast infection diet, that in the 1970's the CDC decided that yeast and fungi were not that big of a health problem, so until recently, a candida diet had never been properly developed.  There are now some excellent and highly effective programs available.

Is there a 12-24 hour cure?  Check this link - there have been some amazing results:

For severe cases of yeast infections, a longer term diet may well work for you.

The diet suggested below is made up of foods that are known to starve the fungus and has over time shown great results. Changing diet or implementing a yeast infection diet can result in you showing flue-like symptoms as the candida parasite begins to die. Fungi are living things and of course do not like to die. They may emit toxins into your body, making your symptoms get worse instead of better at first for the first few days.  Implement the dietary changes slowly in order to monitor the effects and to let your body get used to the changes.

Make sure you eat plenty of fresh vegetables preferably raw or steamed on this yeast infection diet. This is very important on the candida diet because vegetables absorb fungal poisons (mycotoxins) and carry them out of the body.
The Candida Diet May Also Cause You to Lose Weight

Of course losing weight is easy if you cut down on the simple processed grains, eliminate refined foods, sugar, trans fats and get some exercise. These foods are really just junk foods and the human body was never designed to process them efficiently.

Vegetables are much better for you than processed foods and sugars and are a complex carbohydrate, not a simple carb that quickly turns to sugar in the body. As far as simple carbs go fruit is far superior to any grain.

I get emails all the time from people that are worried they are losing to much weight on the candida diet. They have nothing to worry about because your body should stabilize at its ideal weight. Our ideal weight suggestions have also changed to the upside because so many of us are to heavy. The best way to figure out your ideal weight is by % of body fat. The ideal is 12 to 15% for men and 18 to 20% for women.

A common question that is asked is do I have to stay on this candida diet forever?
No, you don't. But chances are that you will in some form or another because after the yeast infection is gone you are going to feel so good that you will not want to go back. At least that is how I feel about it. Your diet should be 30% protein, 30 to 35% carbs from produce, 30% good fats and 5% from nuts and seeds. The fats found in those foods should be mostly polyunsaturated or omega 3 fats.  Implementation of good eating habits should be looked at as a long term solution, not only for reducing candida effects but also for your overall health.

Do not starve yourself! If you are hungry eat! But eat the right foods and it will help maintain your weight.

When your yeast infection has been eradicated by the candida diet , you can then start slowly reintroducing other food groups back into your diet. Keep a record of how they make you feel and whether you get a re-occurance of yeast infections, then you must decide if they are worth it or not.

If you have kidney disease, you should consult a physician before you go on the candida diet. The kidneys can have a problem with the protein load of this yeast infection diet. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding you may not be suitable for this candida diet either because of reduced simple carbohydrates, please consult a doctor before proceeding.

Stevia and Stevia Plus is ok as a sugar substitute. However, Xylitol is even better because it is a proven antifungal and inhibits candida yeast. It has also been proven to reduce tooth decay in children and adults by reducing bad bacteria. It is very heat stable and makes a great cooking and baking substitute for real sugar. It tastes good too.

If you are going on a yeast infection diet, follow these simple rules:
  • Fruit juices because of the sugar they contain.
  • Breaded Meats...All others ok .
  • Egg substitutes...Eggs themselves are ok...organic is best since they contain the correct omega fatty acids ratio...with fertile if you can find them being the ideal.
  • Margarine and butter substitutes.
  • On the yeast infection diet, low-fat yogurt (especially made from goats or organic), cream cheese, sour cream made from real cream, unsweetened whipping cream, and butter are all ok. With yogurt, get the lowest sugar content as possible.
  • NO Potatoes and legumes on the yeast infection diet for the first two weeks. After two weeks sweet potatoes may be eaten in moderation if they do not cause a problem for you.
  • Fresh vegetables and freshly made vegetable juice ok.
  • NO Coffee or tea (regular or decaf), NO Diet or regular sodas, Organic coffee or tea and herbal teas are ok in moderation.
  • Bottled and reverse osmosis filtered water; distilled water is the best for removing toxins but should only be half of the water you drink, herb teas, freshly squeezed lemonade or lime-ade is ok.
  • On the yeast infection diet NO Grains are allowed...this includes pasta, rice, corn, wheat, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, oats, and barley.
  • Absolutely NO Yeasts allowed...this includes bread, pastries and alcohol, hydrolyzed yeasts...Read your labels.
  • NO Pickles, salad dressings, green olives or soy sauce...
  • Salad dressings made of olive oil, Braggs apple cider vinegar, water, and lemon juice are ok.
  • Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar and black olives not aged in vinegar are ok.
  • NO Partially hydrogenated oils including corn and peanuts.
  •  Coconut oil , olive, grape seed, and flax seed oils in a cold pressed formula when available are ok.
  • NO Peanuts on the yeast infection diet and all peanut products and pistachio nuts. I would avoid cashews too.
  • Raw nuts including pecans, almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds are ok.
  •  NO VINEGARS These include ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, pickles, pickled peppers, hot sauce, salad dressings, green olives, horseradish, dips, mayonnaise.
  • It is best to avoid tuna, swordfish, shark, and shellfish because of high mercury content.

You are probably thinking, wow, what am I going to eat on this candida diet?? I thought the same thing until I really checked it out. So here is a list of Good foods although not complete.

The Candida Diet and Good Vegetables
Good candida yeast diet vegetables are alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, brussel sprouts, all the cabbages are good for the candida diet including broccoli. Carrots are a very controversial food on the candida diet, I have seen one yeast infection diet say yes and the next say no. Now they are a simple sugar when digested, but they are also an antifungal and keep the yeast infection from spreading. I just had to go on what the Mycologists said on this one, which is to eat them, raw. If you cook carrots it raises the glycemic index to double that of a raw carrot.

Other good candida yeast diet vegetables are okra, summer squash, turnip, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, zucchini, celery, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, string beans, lettuce, arugula, beet greens, bok choy, cabbage, chard, cucumber, endive, mesclun, purslane, radichio, radish, vegetable sprouts, watercress, bell pepper, broccoli, brussel sprouts, collard greens, dandelion greens, egg plant, garlic, kale, leek, mustard greens, onion, scallion, shallot, tomato and turnip greens.

The Candida Diet and Good Fruits

Plum, peach, nectarine, apricot, kiwi, lemon, lime, orange, tangerine and persimmons. Now grapefruits and green apples are higher carb fruits but the acid does help kill yeast, so occasionally it would be of benefit to eat them.

The Candida Diet and Meats

Good meats for the candida yeast diet are beef, liver, sausage, buffalo, goat, lamb, pork, poultry and all other fowl both wild and domestic.

Good candida yeast diet seafood’s are shrimp, octopus, snail, squid, anchovy, cod, halibut, flounder, Mahi-Mahi, red snapper, and wild salmon. Fresh water fish include catfish, caviar, crappie, pickerel, sturgeon, perch, white fish, bass, and all trout species are good on the candida diet.

I recommend grass fed or organic meats with no antibiotic exposure from grains or injections, seafood, wild fish-not farm raised, wild meats, goat, lamb, and organic free range poultry .

Bologna, frankfurters, sausage, and salami can be eaten occasionally, read the labels looking for the addition of starches and sugars. Pork is not recommended because it is usually irradiated.

Most herbs are also ok, and be sure to use natural salt. I also should let you know that most fish these days are contaminated with mercury. Substitute with goat, lamb, poultry, or sardines since they are high in omega fatty acids if able on this diet, or eat mercury free wild fish.

Natural peppermint teas will also be very soothing on your digestive system while on the candida yeast diet since it helps manage yeast die off, as well as nausea, abdominal fullness, or pain. Try to drink four 8-ounce glasses of distilled water a day, and 4 glasses of bottled or spring water to keep the body flushed of toxins.

As you can see there is actually quite a lot you can eat. There is no reason to go hungry since you can eat all you want of these foods and not only kill the yeast infection, but the excess weight, if you have any, will flat disappear. I lost 25 pounds in two months, didn't even try, and never went hungry.

Candida Diet Breakfast Ideas
Good candida yeast diet foods for breakfast are eggs cooked any style with bacon on occasion, ham, steak, or chicken (Not breaded). Grapefruit and vegetable juices are good, especially fresh carrot juice with a clove of garlic. A person could get tired of eating eggs I must admit on the yeast diet so just treat breakfast as any other meal. Have chicken salad, raw nuts or yogurt, just use a little imagination. A few times a week you could have a bowel of all bran cereal with almond milk if it does not cause a problem for you.

Candida Diet Lunch Ideas

For lunch have chicken salad or chicken, fish, beef patties with a vegetable basted in butter. Don't worry about fats on the anti-yeast diet since you need them for energy production for the body. That is how the body was originally designed to get its energy from. The body was never designed to use sugar from processed grains for fuel and this is what makes most people fat as well as feed candida and yeast.

Candida Diet Dinner Ideas

Just about anything goes on the candida diet for dinner as long as it is an allowed food. Steak, fish, poultry, wild game, and pork are all ok as the main dish. Raw or lightly steamed vegetables are the best, not over done, but still crisp so you don't kill all the available enzymes in these foods. Herbal teas or water are ok to drink.

After two weeks you can add yams, legumes meaning beans and peas. Oats can be added along with brown rice, basmati rice, oatmeal, quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, barley, flour tortillas, and sour dough bread in moderation on the candida diet.

Candida Diet Foods to Raise PH in The Body

There are two kinds of alkaline and acid forming foods. One of course is the acids or alkaline substances the foods themselves contain. The other is the acid or alkaline forming ability of a food after it is digested. Take for instance a lemon which is very acidic, but once digested it has an alkalizing effect in the body. The absolute best foods for the alkaline diet and to raise body ph are not surprisingly green.

I have tried to edit this list to give you more acceptable diet options while treating yourself for candida. However, if you eat something from this list and it causes a problem, stop eating it!

High Alkaline Foods for The Candida Diet

Sea salt, mineral water, baking soda, seaweed, onion, pumpkin seeds, taro root, lotus root, sea vegetables, limes, lemons, raspberry, and pineapple.

Moderately Alkaline Foods for The Candida Diet

Green apples, spices, alfalfa sprouts, avocados, currants, chestnuts, pepper, garlic, kohlrabi, asparagus, kale, grapefruit, parsley, endive, arugula, mustard green, ginger root, peas, broccoli, lettuce, raw carrots, strawberries, squash, loganberry, olive dewberry, and Braggs apple cider vinegar.

Low Alkaline Foods for The Candida Diet

Most herbs, almonds, green tea, mu tea, jerusalem artichokes, brussel sprouts, fresh coconut, quail eggs, cucumbers, eggplant, primrose oil, sesame seed, leeks, cod liver oil, almonds, okra, sprouts, bell pepper, cauliflower, olives, onions, cabbage, rutabaga, radishes, ginseng, eggplant, collard green, egg yolks, raw goats milk and whey, olive oil, whole sesame seeds, blackberry, and sprouted grains.

Very Low Alkaline Foods for The Candida Diet
Oats, duck eggs, ginger tea, ghee, quinoa, wild rice, coconut oil, flax oil, olive oil, chive, celery, most other seeds, turnip greens, cilantro, lettuce, and blue berries.

Neutral Foods Foods for The Candida Diet

Butter, most expeller pressed oils, and plain yogurt.

Very Low Acid Foods for The Candida Diet

Pumpkin seed oil, grape seed oil, cream, butter, goat/sheep cheese, spinach, string beans, wax beans, zucchini, chutney, rhubarb, coconut, organs, venison, fish, wild duck and pine nuts.

Low Acid Foods for The Candida Diet

Almond oil, lima beans, chard, tomatoes, black tea, wild game meat, lamb, mutton, boar, elk, goose, turkey, and mollusks.

Moderately Acid Foods for The Candida Diet

Nutmeg, pork, veal, bear, mussels, squid, chicken, green peas, snow peas, garbanzo beans, cranberry, pomegranate, pistachio seeds, chestnut oil, lard, pecans, and palm kernel oil.

Highly Acid Foods for The Candida Diet

Beef, pheasant, cottonseed oil, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cocoa.

Try to eat from the alkaline side 70% of the time if possible.

Other Acid Forming Compounds

Most prescription medicines and over the counter drugs can be highly acidic as well. Recreational drugs and alcohol are also acid forming. Chemicals and toxins that we use and are exposed to every day at home which number upwards of 250 also cause acidity, overloading the immune system and the liver. Disease and the growth of microforms result, which can create even more acidity. Eventually, life threatening diseases can develop and can result in death.

Acknowledgements: 
Dan Jackowiak