Combat Candida

Candida Albicans is just another name for yeast, and this exists naturally in every healthy digestive system. Yeast is ok in it's place but when it begins to take control of the digestive system, the likelihood is that nothing short of nutritional warfare will put it back where it belongs. For this reason it is best to seek the diagnosis and advise of a qualified nutritionist before you set out.

If you dont want to get pushed around by this leggy invader, be prepared for some proper dietary changes. With some time and effort you can get this thing domesticated!

Candida Killers

The strategy
Starve it. Exterminate it. Make sure it never wants to come back

Starve it...
Candida likes: Sugar, honey, syrups, malt etc, yeast, mushrooms, peanuts, pistachios, fruit, fruit juice, dried fruit, refined carbohydrates, processed food, vinegar, some fermented and smoked foods.

You will probably be advised to avoid most of the foods on this list, certainly sugar in all forms, including fruit for anything from 4 weeks to a year. Dont panic. A candida killing diet does not have to be boring, your taste buds just need a bit fine-tuning. Once the initial phase of withdrawal has passed, you will soon start to get a taste for food which is less intensively flavoured. Honestly. An excellent book for recipes and menus is Erica Whites 'Beat Candida Cookbook'. NB: Lemon juice is usually permitted.

If you really must sweeten your food, the best way to do this is with Xylitol. This does seem to be a sweetener with a difference. However, it may be better even to do without this as it may just serve to perpetuate your sugar craving.

Some practitioners recommend certain fermented foods but you should only go for those that contain lactic bacteria (lactobacillus) as these can prevent the development of yeasts e.g sauerkraut, kefir and light miso (e.g Clearspring marukura white miso).

Exterminate it...
Candida dislikes: Grapefruit Seed Extract Caprylic Acid, Garlic, Pau dArco, oregano and coconut oil..

These are your heavy artillery. Take as directed. Usually this involves alternating courses of two or three of these fungus busters after first completing a month on your strict anti-candida diet plan.

Expect to experience some die-back effect when you start to make all these changes. You may feel rough, perhaps worse at times than you did before starting the plan. This is a sign that the candida is dying off and your body is detoxing. For this reason, you may need to make the changes slowly, certainly not all in one go. Your nutritionist will be able to advise in more detail on this

Make sure it doesn’t want to come back...

Arm your immune system.

Your nutritionist may advise you to wait until you have finished your course of anti fungals before embarking on a supplement programme to strengthen your immune system but you can make dietary changes to this end at any time. Getting rid of sugar will help enormously. Eating foods rich in EFA’s (fish, nuts, seeds, avocadoes, olive oil) or supplementing with fish, flax or hemp oil will help. As a rule, fats are only good for you if they are unrefined and uncooked. If you want to cook with fats, use the ones that will not produce nasty trans fats in the process e.g: coconut oil, macadamia nut oil (or butter in moderation. It’s better than using a less stable vegetable oil).

Get plenty of vitamin C and other natural antioxidants, especially from fresh vegetables but, when the time is right, low sugar fruits (such as berries) will be fine. Other helpful antioxidants include Selenium found in Brazil nuts (supplement e.g Bio Selenium) and vitamin E. Propolis is good too and the Bee Health Propolis throat spray a wonderful defence when you get the very first signs of infection in your throat - see full anti-oxidant selection

A very worthy natural food supplement is Spirulina, Blue Green Algae - naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. A brilliant way of getting the extra nutrients you need and supporting your immune system while detoxing on this diet. You would probably benefit from a 6 month course of the powder or tablets.

Take Probiotics and Fructo Oligosaccharides to bolster the good bacterial environment.

The candida will be literally crowded out. This will be a very important part of your recovery.

Repair the damage

It would also be worth considering a course of Glutamine powderespecially if you suspect that the Candida tendril invasion has caused a compromising of your gut wall integrity, resulting in leaky gut syndrome. Glutamine helps to repair and strengthen the gut lining.

Stay healthy

If you maintain a healthy internal environment, that nasty form of candida is unlikely to return. This means that you will be eating health giving food and that this will be digested well and that your bowel movements will be regular and easy. If waste is not moving through your system easily it will stagnate, providing an attractive environment for candida. Don’t look first to laxatives, but to your diet. Are you getting enough fresh vegetables (at least 5 portions a day)and are you eating enough of it raw? Are you consuming too much wheat or dairy? These are sticky food groups, so reduce them to a functional minimum. Live plain yoghurt is the most useful and least damaging dairy food, it may be ok for you eliminate or reduce all.

Concerned about calcium?

Make sure you are getting enough to drink. Quitting caffeine will only be of benefit to you (when the withdrawal symptoms subside!). Have water on hand to sip throughout the day, it's better than trying to guzzle down huge quantities in one go.

If your digestion really is a problem, food combining can be a great help. I'll write more about this sometime but the basic rule with this is to avoid mixing proteins and carbohydrate foods in one meal. Most vegetables mix well with either of these food groups (except the super starchy ones like potatoes or corn). As soon as you are able to eat fruit again you may well notice that this doesn’t mix well with any other food group (but seems to sit well with natural live yogurt if you need a bit of variety). Here is a typical days eating, the food combined way:

Breakfast
Fresh fruit - when this is appropriate (any type - but melons digest at a super fast pace, so may need to be eaten alone). If fruit isn't an option yet, cereal with rice or oat milk is a good combination.

Lunch
Chicken, fish or tofu with fresh raw mixed vegetables. Seeds may be eaten too as these mix well with proteins or carbohydrates

Evening meal
Brown rice, potato, corn, beans pulses or bread with vegetables. Nuts should be classed as a protein food but can mix with either protein or carbs when eaten in moderation and Wheat free pastas.

And don't forget your snacks (as if you would!)

So what can I have?

Milk substitutes: Alpro unsweetened}, calcium enriched soya (without maltodextrin or any sweetener, unsweetened rice milk – e.g Rice Dream (this is naturally high in fast releasing carbohydrates, so must be used in some moderation), Oatley oat milk

Wheat and bread substitutes: Sprouted {wheat and rye bread is easier to digest e.g. Sunnyvale range. Biona buckwheat, millet and rice bread. Nairn’s Oatcakes, Rice cakes, corn cakesand unsweetened Soda bread which can be can be made at home. Wheat free pasta can give many meal options for quick and easy, but "safe" food.

Cereal: Just look out for the hidden sugars and dried fruit content. Try to vary grains and avoid too much wheat. Oats (or a mixture of oats, jumbo oats, oat groats and oatbran) are great. Pearl barley can be soaked overnight for a nice porridge alternative too.

Spreads: Tahini, cashew, hazel, brazil and almond nut butters, Granovia tomato pate, olive pates. All used as a spread or as ingredients for sauces are ideal.

Condiments stocks and sauces: Kallo yeast free stock cubes, Marigold yeast free bouillon (green) – but does contain lactose) Orgran gravy mix, Meridian Free & Easy Cheese sauce mix, San Amvrosia Hummus, Allergycare stuffing mix, orgran all purpose crumbs, Orgran falafel mix

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