Candida Overgrowth Questionnaire:

Do you experience gas or bloating after meals?

Do you frequently experience itching, especially around the waist line or scalp?

Do you frequently have small, pellet-like stools, as opposed to large, well formed stools?

Do you get yeast infections or urinary tract infections?

Do you have dandruff?

Do you suffer from chronic sinus congestion?

Do you get acid reflux?

Do you suffer from chronic tiredness and/or mild to moderate depression?

Do you frequently have trouble falling asleep at night, and/or wake up very early?

Do you suffer from any autoimmune disease?

These 10 questions are ranked in order of priority. If you answer yes to two of the first four, there’s a very good chance that you do suffer from Candidiasis. If you answer yes to one of teh forst four and two of the next six, it’s probably worth giving the diet suggestions below a try. If you end up feeling a lot better after a few weeks, you should track down a qualified health professional and talk to them about some tests for Candida. Incidentally, even if a lab stool test for Candida comes back negative, you may still have Candida issues. These tests are notoriously inaccurate. So called “clinical diagnosis” (when your health practitioner makes a diagnosis based on your symptoms) is a better bet.

Candida Management Diet

Candida yeast are a type of Fungi, and, as a rule, Fungi thrive off of carbohydrates. As a result, a Candida management diets requires eliminating most carbohydrate based foods (this doesn’t mean you’ll be on a low carb diet!). The only exceptions are “low glycemic” carbohydrates like beans and chick peas. The reason that low glycemic carbohydrates are OK is that they convert to sugars very slowly in your digestive system. Since Candida thrive on sugars, any carbs that convert rapidly to sugars (like pasta, bread, cereals, and snack foods) provide them with fuel to reproduce. Beans and chickpeas convert to sugar so slowly that sugar levels in your blood stay low even while you’re digesting them, keeping Candida at bay.

While on a Candida management diet, it’s especially important to avoid sugar in all forms. Sugar is in most processed food because food manufacturers know how addictive it is, and include it in as many products as possible to keep you buying them. While on this diet you have to be a religious label reader. Look on the ingredient list of everything you buy for sugar, sugar alcohol, glycerine, syrup of any kind, dextrose, maltodextrose, sucrose, or anything else ending in “ose” under the ingredients. “Ose” always means sugar. Also beware of sugar euphemisms like “evaporated cane juice” and of alternative sources of sugar like agave nectar and xylitol. All of these are ways of sneaking sugar into your food. Artificial sweeteners are also off limits on this program because yeast can utilize them for energy. Use KAL Stevia, a natural herbal sweetener, as an alternative.

It's even best to avoid most fruits during the initial two weeks of this diet. Berries and green apples are OK to eat even when first starting this program, as both are low glycemic, meaning they don’t raise blood sugar much, and actually have some anti-fungal properties.

It’s also important to avoid drinking milk, as the sugars will contribute to yeast overgrowth. Yogurt is ok, as long as there is no sugar added.  Choose plain yogurt, and eat it with plenty of cinnamon, which actually inhibits Candida growth. Sweeten plain yogurt with stevia. Try not to eat yogurt without cinnamon while on this program, since without cinnamon yeast can feed off of the sugars in yogurt. Most cheeses are fine, but it's always best to choose raw milk cheese, which is a lot more nutritious. Give goat milk cheeses a try. They’re very tasty and most people digest goat’s milk better than cow’s milk.

Avoid all fermented products like mustard and relish. Tofu and soy products generally (including soy sauce) will also nourish fungi and undermine this diet.

Finally, avoid anything containing yeast or yeast extract such as marmite or bouillon cubes. Yeast are a type of fungus, and fungi can feed off of the bodies of other dead fungi.