Anti Candida Diet
Can an anti Candida diet really work to eradicate this crippling infection? Will following the anti Candida diet reduce all of the symptoms?
If we look first at what Candida is, we can get a better understanding of how to control it.
Candida albicans, is a yeast like fungus that occurs naturally in the human body in the gut, bloodstream and elsewhere. It is essential to help with digestion and rarely causes any ill effect. However, sometimes an excess can build up in both men and women and this can lead to problems that range from rashes and discomfort to crippling infestations or worse.
In severe cases drastic action must be taken, such as bowl cleansing, however Candida can normally be controlled with a healthy diet and the help of a homeopathic remedy.
There are so many myths surrounding the anti Candida diet but it mainly boils down to common sense. Candida or Yeast Infection is mainly a disease of the modern western world, fuelled by our sedentary existence and love of convenience, processed fast food.
So, it is common sense really; the best anti Candida diet is unprocessed slow food. By this I don’t mean only eat raw foods, although fresh salads and yogurts are amongst the best for alleviating this problem.
Almost any food that is not coated in batter or crumbs, covered with a sauce or had all the Vitamins boiled out of it can form part of your anti Candida Diet. Just remember to keep it as fresh as you can and you will be eating more healthily.
Here is a list of some foods you should avoid; they probably caused your problem in the first place:
You must try to steer clear of anything that is pre-processed like ready meals; TV dinners; buffet food; deli products; pizza; burgers; take away chicken dinners. If you (or your spouse) didn’t prepare it; You can’t eat it. Period. To follow your anti Candida diet you should avoid all processed foods like these and anything deep fried like fish and chips and try to eat more natural foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
Under no circumstances can you eat any sauces such as ketchup; mayonnaise (mayo); salad dressings; mustard; margarine or syrups. These are all things that will make your condition far worse. Eating chemical food additives, preservatives, stabilizers, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners and coloring agents are all on the banned list too. Please read the ingredients list on the side of the packet.
You must not drink any fizzy drinks like cola or soda pop, nor can you drink coco; milk or milk shakes (not even goats milk or soya milk); and you should also try to avoid tea and coffee.
All sugary foods are on the avoid list, like candy; cakes; chocolate; honey; cookies; and ice cream and any foods with artificial or crystallized sugars.
You should also limit your intake of dried fruit as well. Not that they aren’t healthy they are but on an anti Candida diet we need to be extremely careful not to consume anything that has even the tiniest smidgen of sugar in it.
White bread; white rice; white pasta are all unacceptable processed foods
I am so sorry if I have just listed all of you favourites but hey! What do you want, the treats or an Anti Candida Diet.
Now for what you have been waiting for, the list of things you can eat and drink.
Top of the list is water!
Yes, water! I make sure I drink at least 3 litres or 6 pints of mineral water every 24 hours. My wife drinks about half of that amount. Water not only assists in flushing out your kidneys but it forms an essential part of your anti Candida diet by helping with your digestion. The quicker the food can pass through you, the less chance it has to ferment and build up the toxins in your system.
Any food or drinks specifically made for a diabetic diet can be taken because they will contain no sugar. Kosher foods are also generally free of additives and as long as they don’t contain much sugar they can also be included in your anti Candida diet.
Anything (genuinely) labelled as ‘Herbal’ or ‘Organic’ should be fine as, like kosher food; it should be free of additives and unnecessary sugar and salt. For a human body to function properly it needs all the necessary vitamins and minerals that are still present in your food. Homeopathic remedies are also on the “very good to take” list.
You are free to use Apple Cider Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar as salad dressing; if you can get Organic, so much the better. Essential oils, high in omega-3 may be used for dressings or cooking. These include extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, fish oil, primrose oil, borage oil and almond oil but NOT corn oil or peanut oil. You should try to include 1 tablespoon of these good oils each day as part of your anti Candida diet.
Almond or hazelnut butters are great, if you can find them. You may also consume nuts such as Almonds; Brazil Nuts and Hazelnuts. Ginger is great too, provided it’s not crystallized. These are incredibly good for the skin as well and can be considered “Super Foods”.
You should be eating whole grains moderately. Dairy products are also OK in moderation. Fresh fruit is acceptable as long as there is no sugar added to it. High fibre foods like pulses are excellent for your condition; mung beans, green peas, black beans and lentils are all good. You may also eat sprouted pulses but only if you sprouted them yourself.
Please avoid canned beans like the plague, as they usually contain sugar and additives. If you can only get hold of canned beans, make sure you wash them in many changes of water to remove all the sugars, sauces and useless chemicals.
Yogurt is also very healthy, especially if it is organic and unpasteurized. Two to three servings each day is recommended. Yogurt contains acidophilus which is a powerful agent in the battle against yeast infection.
OK, so much for the veg and yogurt options, what about the meat and fish, I hear you say.
Well the good news is that fresh meat or fish are fine for your anti Candida diet but there are a few exclusions. The big exception is meat that has been fed antibiotics and chemicals to bulk up growth, such as battery caged chickens, barn reared pork and beef that has that nasty red dye that you see on some supermarket shelves.
The best way to avoid these chemicals if you can’t know the farm the meat came from, is to consume organic meat or gamey meats like buffalo, deer (venison) or ostrich. Just about all fish and seafood are good for you, especially the oily fish like mackerel, herring or salmon and trout, tuna and swordfish, all very good sources of omega 3 oils.
That just about covers the basic outline of the foodstuffs for your anti Candida diet but there are a couple more fundamental things that you need to take on board namely; stress, exercise and mind-set.
Try to alleviate stress as much as possible from your life. When you become stressed, your body released sugars into your blood. Exercise is just as important as diet in your efforts to cleanse your body and it is even more valuable if you can exercise outside in the sunlight. If you embrace the anti Candida diet and take more exercise, you may also loose some weight; if you wish to.
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Mind-set is a little more difficult to define. If you can’t do an absolute change and adopt everything in the anti Candida diet in an instant; just remember all things in moderation. Every journey always starts with a single step and even taking small steps can have a profound impact on your health.
