The Candida Diet Rules

The yeast fungus candida causes several types of medical problems, including yeast infections (either vaginal or in folds of the body) and oral thrush. However, candida is also implicated in unexplained symptoms such as chronic fatigue, headaches or mood swings. More and more people have claimed victory over those symptoms by following the Candida Diet to reduce the amount of yeast in their systems.

Stages

There are three stages to the Candida Diet. The first is an internal cleanse. Most proponents of the diet recommend getting colonic irrigation to rinse out the extra yeast from your lower digestive tract, but you can also do a juice and water fast combined with twice-daily doses of psyllium (a fiber supplement). Any type of fast should be done under the consultation and supervision of your health care provider.

The second stage of the diet eliminates candida-friendly foods entirely and follows an herbal regimen using therapeutic doses of garlic, cloves, black walnut and goldenseal, among others, to attack and kill internal yeasts.

The third and final stage involves reintroducing small amounts of restricted foods back into the diet and replacing healthy bacteria and yeasts in your system using probiotic bacteria, such as those found in live-culture yogurts.

Foods to Avoid

There is a lengthy list of foods to avoid and eliminate on the Candida Diet. In later stages, most practitioners allow themselves limited amounts of these foods, but in the beginning, you should avoid dairy products of all kinds (especially aged cheeses), alcohol, all sugars (including white and brown sugar, honey, molasses and fruit sugars), all foods that contain gluten (found in wheat, rye, oats or barley), starchy vegetable such as carrots or potatoes, fungus foods such as mushrooms, vinegars (except apple cider vinegar), condiments that may contain hidden sugars, and the preservative citric acid.

Allowed Foods

Although the list of "avoid" foods seems restrictive, there are actually foods that the Candida Diet encourages you to eat. These include vegetables that are thought to inhibit yeast growth, meat proteins, non-gluten grains and algae. In fact, the diet resembles the Atkins Diet or South Beach Diet in terms of preferred foods.

Encouraged vegetables include onions, cabbage, peppers, radishes, spinach, okra, kale and celery---all served raw or lightly steamed with some some butter and salt to flavor them. Proteins allowed include beef, chicken, fish and eggs from the highest quality sources available to you. Millet and rice are examples of non-gluten grains. Algae such as spirulina or chlorella are available as a powder, supplement, or in some areas, fresh, and can be added to other foods for flavor and nutrition.