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Anti-Candida diet

ANTI CANDIDA DIET
By Renata Trister DO

Most of the anti Candida diets recommend removing sugar, starch, alcohol, and refined foods–candida’s preferred food sources. However, cutting all starchy carbs with a very low carb diet may not be the optimal plan, and studies indicate that yeast may actually feed on the ketones that result from a very low carb diet. So cutting all starches and sources of glucose isn’t a great idea. The best diet will depend mostly on you. We each have a gut microbiome as unique as our fingerprint. If you have leaky gut, intestinal inflammation, or malabsorption issues, you may fare well on the specific carbohydrate diet or low FODMAP diet that limits hard-to-break -down starches (see links below for more information). When a compromised digestive tract can’t fully break down these complex starches (grains, potatoes, certain legumes), they ferment, feed yeast, and cause gas and bloating.

There is a 3-part process used to kill candida overgrowth. It involves starving the candida, killing it and reinoculating the gut with good bacteria. Note that you may need to complete this cleanse more than once to completely get rid of it. Plan on 8 weeks.
Starve it.
Eliminate gluten, dairy, refined white sugar, soy, processed foods, corn, and ideally grains (gluten free grains can be excepted) Focus on organic eggs and animal protein + vegetables and good fats. Note that diet alone will not kill the yeast overgrowth! You have to combine diet with herbal protocol.
• Consume high quality, hormone-free protein at each meal from sustainable, antibiotic-free sources: Wild, cold water fish; free-range chicken & turkey; properly prepared legumes (soaked); cage free eggs; beef/bison; lamb
• Eat plenty of fresh vegetables: lightly cooked, sautéed, steamed, and raw. Focus on leafy greens and cooked cruciferous
• Use good quality fats for cooking: olive oil, coconut oil, and ghee. Avoid vegetable oils!
• Drink filtered water (6 – 8 glasses/day to help flush toxins)
• Drink 2-3 cups of Pau d’arco herbal tea daily, and bone broth. Bone broth heals the gut and Pau d’Arco helps kill yeast.
• Add fermented foods such as raw kraut, kefir or kimchi (recipe video link below).
• Take 1-3 tbsp. of coconut oil daily. It’s a powerful yeast killer and boosts metabolism.
• Take 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar in a little water if needed to help digestion and detox. Avoid all other vinegars! Candida feeds on the sugars produced from this type of fermentation.

Foods to Avoid
Aged Cheeses & Dairy Products Conventional dairy contributes to inflammation, and many people are dairy sensitive. Raw dairy is ok occasionally if you’re not sensitive. Fermented dairy (kefir, preferably raw) is ok occasionally if not dairy sensitive, but dairy contributes to dampness in the body.
Additives & Preservatives Anything you can’t pronounce on a food label = trouble.
Conventional Meats & Eggs Use only grass-fed meat products, free-range eggs, and chickens. Non-organic animal proteins contain antibiotics and steroids that contribute to inflammation.
Alcohol Sugar in the alcohol (wine, beer, spirits) is a food source for candida
Over-use of coffee Coffee is acidic, depletes minerals and thins the gut lining. Use green teas and herbal teas.
Fruits The high sugar contents of fruits makes Candida thrive; so stay away from sweet fruits! (Exceptions are berries, lemons, limes low sugar fruits.) You may drink fresh green juice as long as the fruit content is minimal.
Gluten & Grains Avoid anything made from wheat, rye, and barley.
Peanuts Peanuts carry a mold called aflatoxin that contributes to toxins in the body.
Condiments and YEAST in any form Condiments (chutneys, mustards, preserves, ketchup, relishes, vinegar, bottled dressings, etc.) tend to be high in sugars, corn syrup and preservatives. Vinegars feed yeast.

Killing The Candida.
Along with the diet, you’ll need to take herbs to kill off excess candida. You can start the diet and the herbs at the same time. The main antifungal supplements are the following: caprylic acid, pau d’arco, berberine, grapefruit seed extract, zinc, biotin, olive leaf extract and oregano oil. Take the herbs three times daily for at least 6 weeks. If you’ve tried to get rid of candida before unsuccessfully, you may need to rotate between different anti-candida products. Candida builds up a fast resistance to herbs.
Try some stress relief during this phase: meditation, yoga classes, walking, gardening, whatever relaxes and rejuvenates you. You may also use aloe to soothe the gut lining if there is inflammation. A digestive enzyme (Zypan or DiGest from Standard Process are good options) will help you break down food and excess toxins as the candida dies off. Drinking aloe juice is soothing to the gut and helps kill candida.
Warning: some will feel worse before they feel better. People report feeling achy, flu-like symptoms. This could be a reaction to the yeast dying off, which overwhelms detox pathways. This is called a Herxheimer reaction. Liver support tonics and activated charcoal can be used to help rid the body of toxins.
Reinoculation
Reinoculate the gut with good bacteria and starve the remaining candida. This is done with a good quality probiotic along with naturally fermented foods.
Resources:
Books and links on diets Body Ecology, GAPs & FODMAPS:
http://www.ibsdiets.org/
https://www.amazon.com/Body-Ecology-Diet-Recovering-Rebuilding/dp/1401935435/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471109331&sr=1-1&keywords=body+ecology+diet
https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Syndrome-D-D-D-H-D-Schizophrenia/dp/0954852028/ref=pd_sim_14_16?ie=UTF8&dpID=51FRvv%2Bwe-L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR113%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=SJY7A0NK2HZDW31XKYXJ
KIMCHI recipe video link:
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi There is another white kimchi recipe on same site that is very good with easy to find ingredients.