Candida Diet Guidelines

Foods to include and foods to avoid

The best candida diet guidelines, if followed carefully, will use a combination of foods to avoid and foods to include and the resulting candida diet food list will help prevent and cure this yeast like disease.  

Candida is usually caused by a poor diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, as the sugar promotes the growth of the candida fungus.  High intakes of antibiotics, hormonal medications and contraceptive pills can also be contributing factors.

Anti Candida Diet

The principal objective should be to avoid candida friendly foods:

• Yeast
• Sugar
• Fermented foods
• Dairy (lactose to be exact)
• Alcohol

Candida Foods To Avoid

The following candida diet guidelines contains a list of foods that should be eliminated at least during the initial stages of a treatment program.  The aim is to starve the candida.

• All forms of sugar including honey, jams, pickles, preserved fruits, fruit juices, sweets and chocolate
• All refined white flour products such as cakes, pastries, pasta, biscuits or refined cereals containing sugar and all white bread products.  Refined carbohydrates add to the sugar load
• Food and drinks containing artificial sweeteners, flavourings, monosodium glutamate and preservatives
• Alcohol, tea and coffee 
• Meat or fish products that have been smoked or pickled
• Fruit, because of its high natural sugar content, at least for the first month
• Yeast based foods such as yeasted bread, yeast spreads like marmite, gravy mixes, mushrooms, soya sauce, vinegar, alcohol and cheese
• Milk, as lactose (the sugar found in milk) encourages candida growth
• Foods containing moulds such as cheese and mushrooms
• Stimulants such as coffee, tea and cigarettes because of their sugar releasing effects.

Candida Diet Guidelines: Foods To Include

Olive oil - added to salads for example.  Olive oil contains a fatty acid that has anti-fungal properties

• Garlic - sliced finely on cooked vegetables or crushed added to salads
• Fresh vegetables, salads and whole grains
• Fish, the oily the better
• Yogurt, preferably a live yogurt made from goat's or sheep's milk
• Fruit, increase intake gradually depending on your tolerance

Other Factors That Effect Candida

• Tea Tree Oil - for fungal infections on fingernails, tea tree oil is naturally antiseptic and anti-fungal.
• Wear cotton underwear and avoid tight fitting trousers, perfumed soaps deodorants and wipes.

The main symptoms of candida to look out for are:

• Recurrent or persistent thrush, cystitis, vaginitis or anal itching
• Athlete's foot, fungal mail or skin infections
• Food intolerances, cravings for sugar and other stimulants
• Bad breath, indigestion, constipation, wind, IBS, anal itching, intestinal gas and bloating
• Joint and muscle numbness, tingling, weakness and fatigue
• Weakened immune system leading to frequent infections
• Fatigue, poor memory and lethargy
• Hyperactivity in children
• Weight gain

There are anti-fungal antibiotics available that can be prescribed by a doctor or health practitioner but these will only treat the symptoms and not the cause and therefore will only be a short-term cure.  The above candida diet guidelines will help to treat the cause.

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