What Is An Anti-Candida Diet?

If you’ve ever had a problem with yeast then you know how difficult it can be to get rid of. The anti-Candida diet is designed to rid the body of the effects and the presence of this type of bacteria.

What Is Candida?

Mixed Candida species growing on ChromID Candida 2 Agar - detail (Photo credit: Nathan Reading)

The proper name is Candida albicans. It is yeast that can be a problem in the digestive system. When antibiotics are taken for various infections, they can rob the body of the good bacterial flora that are present. In the absence of the good flora, destructive and unwanted bacteria have a chance to grow and flourish.

Candida can be found in different areas of the body. For one you can find it in yeast infections in the vagina, mouth and under nail beds – any place that is warm and dark is a perfect breeding ground for yeast. Candida exists in all of us to some extent, and in small colonies causes no problems. However, when the body is off balance, for example, from taking antibiotics or other medications that disrupt the bacterial balance of the body, an overgrowth of candida can cause problems such as thrush, yeast infections, lowered immune function, and more.

The Diet

Getting rid of a yeast infection can be a vicious cycle. Constant yeast infections in the body can signify a systemic condition. It can affect the health of your immune system. An anti-Candida diet can help to rid the body of the yeast.

The diet is designed to take away the food for the yeast. Thinking of yeast that one would use to make bread rise - warm water helps give the yeast a perfect environment and the sugar activates it.

To get rid of yeast in the body, removing the sugar is the basic idea of the diet. But, there are other places that sugar exists besides simply in the form that we see on the kitchen table. Read the labels. Any food ending in “-ose” is a sugar in disguise and not what you want to eat on any diet designed to rid the body of yeast.

What about natural sugar, such as in fruit? While fruits contain many healthful antioxidants and vitamins, during your anti-candida diet you will want to avoid all sources of sugar - even fruit.

Sugary Pastry (Photo credit: nathanmac87)

What Not to Eat

We have already discussed avoiding sugar in its many forms. Another crucial place where you find sugars is in starchy foods. In the body, these carbohydrates break down into simple sugars. Any sugar is going to keep the Candida infection alive in the body. Avoid refined pastas, potatoes, white bread and anything made with white flour. Basically avoiding all highly processed foods will go a long way towards ridding your body of candida.

Some dairy products can hide sugars. If you like yogurt, be aware that flavored kinds can contain sugar and sabotage your efforts. Go for plain yogurts and those that contain bifidus regularis, acidophilus and other probiotic substances. These are good bacteria that will fight to regain their spot in the intestinal kingdom.

What to Eat

There are plenty of foods left that can tip the scales back in favor of the good bacteria in your body. Eat lots of vegetables, healthy grass-fed meats, omega-3 fatty acids, and garlic.

Drink plenty of water. Water removes toxins from the body. Taking a multivitamin can help rebuild the immune system along with the foods you are choosing to rebuild the bacterial flora. And if you don't eat yogurt, you should take a good daily probiotic supplement every day - even after you are done with your diet, to maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria in your body.

An anti-Candida diet can be followed for as long as you need to, until you are sure that your immune system is back on track. But typically if you are careful and do not eat ANY sugar, 30 days should be about the right amount of time to restore balance to your system.


Supplements That Fight Candida:

   

Natural Remedies for Yeast Infections

It can be a woman’s worst nightmare. They come but don’t want to leave. We are talking about yeast infections. They can occur anywhere, but most commonly in the genital region - and yes, men can get them too! If they plague you, here are some remedies that you might want to try.

Natural remedies are one of the best ways to cure a condition without all of the potential side effects. Modern medicine can be helpful but sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. Home-made remedies use everyday items that can get the job done just as well if not better, and they won’t cost you a lot of money.

Candidiasis (Photo credit: Pulmonary Pathology)

Now back to yeast infections. These are mostly found in the vaginal region. The infection in question is caused by “candida albicans.”

Bacteria and fungus like to have moist, dark places to hide and grow. When the pH of the vaginal area is off balance, this can favor an environment for bacteria to grow and reproduce. That translates into more problems. Until the balance of vaginal flora is returned to normal, the infection will probably get worse.

Recognizing a yeast infection

How do you know if you even have one? A yeast infection occurs in the vaginal area, and men can get them as well; although symptoms often do not occur for men, they can give them to their sexual partners and pass them back and forth, so if you are a man whose partner has a yeast infection, you should get treated too. Characteristics include:

* Itching in the vaginal region
* Sour odor
* Discharge (looks like cottage cheese)
* Painful intercourse
* Painful urination

Preventing yeast infections

As we said before, bacteria need moisture to grow and multiply. In our daily life, sometimes we do things that can contribute to and make us more at risk for yeast infections. Here are a few tips to lower your risk.

* Wear cotton undergarments – Nylon doesn’t breathe as well and can trap moisture. Cotton allows the genital area to breathe.

* Avoid sitting around with wet clothing – This especially goes for wearing bathing suits around all day after swimming. Eventually you will dry but probably not without irritating the vaginal area.

* Stop douching – The vagina contains natural bacteria that are not harmful because they maintain a neutral pH. Douching reduces the helpful bacteria and can dry out the area, leading to yeast infections.

Yogurt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Natural remedies

* Eat yogurt – This is especially important if your doctor places you on antibiotics. The antibiotics can kill off the good bacteria, leaving the others to thrive. Yogurt contains live cultures to restore balance to the natural flora in the digestive tract as well as the vagina.

* Take acidophilus – This is a probiotic that works the same way as yogurt. It can be taken in pill form or even as an addition in yogurt. For quicker relief, use natural unflavored yogurt as a cream on the affected area to reduce itching.

* Tea tree oil – This is a substance found in nature that has antibiotic and antiseptic properties. It can be used to reduce infection and speed healing when placed on cuts and scrapes. As a suppository, it can help to restore the balance and kill the infection in the vaginal area.

Yeast infections are not pleasant. The itching and burning can be unbearable. Use the above tips and suggestions to keep infections at bay or to cure one that has already started.

Cranberries- The Superfood to Stave Off Bladder Infections

Numerous studies have shown that cranberries may help to fight off urinary tract infections (UTIs). They reduce the power of certain E. coli bacteria to adhere to and penetrate the walls of the bladder.

In about half of the cases of UTIs, the E. coli responsible have special little hairy tips called P fimbria. The bacteria use their fimbria to attach themselves to the bladder so that they can multiply and cause an infection. That's where cranberries--which contain a group of chemicals called proanthocyanidins---come in. They bind to the P fimbria of the E. coli and hinder them so they are unable to sticking to the walls of the bladder. As a result, the E. coli is flushed out in the urine instead of causing an infection. And because cranberries remove rather than kill the bacteria, there’s less of a chance for the E. coli to become resistant.

Dried cranberries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s imperative that those who are prone to UTIs eat cranberries or drink cranberry juice on a daily basis, because once the bacteria are able to adhere to the wall, the infection sets in, and the cranberries can’t help at that point. Juice products sweetened with stevia or other natural sweeteners are probably best, as sugar can actually increase the proliferation of bacteria.

It’s probably best to use cranberry products twice a day if you are prone, as the effects of the cranberries wear off after about 10 hours.

You should also be diligent about drinking lots of fluids in order to flush the bladder out on a regular basis. Citrus fruits and fresh vegetables high in vitamin C are also good, as they help boost the body’s immunity and germ-fighting abilities. Coffee, tea and other caffeinated beverages should be avoided, as well as alcohol. Be sure to complement your diet with plenty of foods rich in vitamin B, such as fortified cereals, lean proteins, asparagus, almonds and bananas, as they all assist the body in the digestive process and converting food to energy, which your body will need if it’s working to fend off a UTI.