Our Candida Control Diet:
Approved Foods

Meat and Eggs – In general all types of meats and eggs are fine while on this diet. Follow the guidelines in Choosing Healthy Food to get the highest quality meats and eggs.

Fish - Most kinds of fish are fine while on this diet as well, though high mercury content fish should be avoided in general. Always stick to free caught fish, never farm raised. Eat tuna, halibut, and swordfish in strict moderation as all contain a lot of mercury. Free caught salmon is a fabulously healthy fish and low in mercury. Alaskan Salmon is always a safe bet, since farm raising salmon is illegal in Alaska.

Raw Nuts - Raw nuts are solid nutrition and, eaten in moderation, most nuts won't nourish the growth of yeast and other microbes. Roasted nuts, on the other hand, are very poor quality foods. Roasting oxidizes the fat in nuts, rendering it toxic. Pistachios and peanuts (most of which are roasted) need to be avoided entirely on this diet since both nourish fungi.

Oils - Coconut and olive oil are the two best oils to consume while on this diet. Both are anti-microbial, and coconut oil especially is toxic to fungi. Organic butter, conumed in moderation, is fine as well.

Beans – You want to be sure to eat plenty of beans while on this diet to maintain carbohydrate intake, which will keep your energy levels up and your immune system functioning at a high level. The best choices are black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, red beans, and pinto beans. Avoid lentils and mung beans for the first two to three weeks, as they convert to sugar too rapidly in the blood.

Spices – Many spices kill microbes, and adding spices to most, or all of your meals, can actually increase the efficacy of this program. The best antimicrobial spices are cinnamon, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Chili powders and curry spices (the hotter the better) usually contain these ingredients, as well as other anti-microbial spices, and should be used liberally.

Above Ground Vegetables - Fill your diet with above ground veggies including peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, cucumber, greens, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, and spinach. Be sure to include onions and scallions as well, as both are antimicrobial. Tomatoes should be limited due to their higher sugar content. Starchy veggies such as butternut squash, leeks, parsnips, corn, peas, snow peas, and pumpkin are off the menu for a month or so. The one major exception is carrots- you want to eat 4 to 6 good sized carrots (8-10 inches, as thick as the knuckle of your thumb or thicker at the top) per day during your first few weeks on this diet, as carrots have anti fungal properties. If 4 to 6 carrots is too much, try making carrot juice.

In addition, you can’t eat any kind of mushrooms, as mushrooms are fungus, and other fungi can live on some of the nutrients in mushrooms.

Foods to Avoid

Sugar in all forms (see notes above)
Artificial Sweeteners
Most Grains (wheat, rice, barley, etc… oats are usually OK, and are best eaten in the morning)
Fermented products like ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, relish, BBQ sauce, capers, green olives, and all types of vinegar except apple cider vinegar
Dairy – (Plain yogurt is OK with cinnamon. Most cheeses are Ok as well, hard cheeses and goat's cheses are best)
Sugary Fruits (Fruits other than berries and green apples)
Soda, including diet soda
Yeast Products (many foods contain “Yeast Extract”- be alert)
Processed food in general.

Again, we want to emphasize that what we’re providing here is a guide only, and is meant to help you figure out whether or not you might have a problem with Candida overgrowth, and, if you do, control the symptoms. We actually feel like we’re out on a limb even providing this tutorial. Dealing with Candida is a matter for health professionals. This is complicated by the fact that most doctors don’t give a whole lot of credit to the idea of Candidiasis (It is well documented in diabetics and AIDS patients, who’s very high blood sugar and suppressed immunity, respectively, cause such massive overgrowth that it can’t be missed). But Candidiasis is so common and causes so many issues that we felt we had to address it. We can’t emphasize strongly enough that trying to get rid of Candida overgrowth on your own is probably a recipe for disaster. Most people who do try just end up making themselves worse. If you think you may have Candidiasis, just follow the program above, and if you start feeling better, there's a reasonable chance that you are dealing with a candida overgroowth probelm. At this point, it's best to seek out an expereinced holistic practitioner in yoru area.