The vagina and the digestive tract both have a type of yeast present in them known as Candida albicans. The beneficial probiotics bacteria and the immune system are in charge of regulating the Candida levels. Candida overgrowth can cause a number of conditions and might even complicate the symptoms. Some of the conditions that are caused by high levels of Candida include vaginitis, chronic fatigue, yeast infections (thrush), depression, migraines, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue and weight gain. A Candida diet can help you in controlling the Candida levels in the body.
What Is Candida Diet?
Basic Information
Since Candida overgrowth is usually fueled by certain dietary choices, using a Candida diet is thought by some alternative practitioners as a great means to address it. Eating refined and highly processed foods and food items that contain various sugar forms are among the dietary factors that give rise to Candida overgrowth. The following is a list for foods that should / shouldn't be included in Candida diet.
Foods Should Be Included in Candida Diet
Artichokes | Asparagus | Avocado | Broccoli | Butter | Cabbage |
Cauliflower | Celery | Zucchini | Cucumber | Eggplant | Turnips |
Endive | Garlic | Green beans | Kale | Kefir | Kimchi |
Leeks | Lettuce | Okra | Onions | Peppers | Radishes |
Sauerkraut | Seaweed | Snow peas | Spinach | Swiss chard | Tomatoes |
Eggs (free-range) | Collard greens | Stevia (for sweetening) | Yogurt (unpasteurized and unflavored) | Nuts and seeds (other than cashews and peanuts) | Meat (free-range beef, poultry, lamb, and pork) |
Chicken, turkey and other poultry (free-range and organic) | Coffee or tea without sweetening | Dairy that is full-fat, organic, and preferably raw | Fish (wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, halibut, mackerel, shellfish and other fish) | Grains (non-glutinous types such as buckwheat, millet, amaranth, and quinoa) | Oils, healthy choices: olive, coconut, sesame, flax, sunflower, and butter oil |
Foods Should Be Avoided in Candida Diet
All forms of sugar including honey, agave nectar, sucrose and fructose molasses
Aged cheese
Mushrooms
Vinegar products
Fish
Processed meats
Dried, fresh or canned fruit
All types of glutinous grains
Starchy vegetables
Oil made from soy, peanut and corn
Sweetened beverages
Scientific Evidence
There is scarcely any scientific evidence available that can prove Candida overgrowth is suffered by many people or that a Candida cleanse diet can help in addressing it.
There was one study performed on the use of nystatin, an antifungal drug in 116 people suffering from Candida overgrowth. The treatment which was carried out for a period of 4 months did improve the symptoms. People who avoided yeast and dietary sugar showed even greater improvement in their symptoms than others.
Another study performed using the same drug in 42 women did not show any improvement in the symptoms.
Contradictions on Candida Diet
Not Eliminate the Reason for the Problem
Having a leaky gut and poor digestion are at the heart of the Candida overgrowth problem. When the microvilli get damaged because of the undigested food particles, the production of disaccharides in the body halts giving rise to poor digestion and a leaky gut. Both of these issues can be handled by avoiding grains. However, since the Candidate diet does not stop the person suffering from Candida overgrowth to consume gluten-free grains, it is highly unlikely to improve the symptoms.
Systemic Candida Overgrowth
Leaving out natural sugars from the diet as is the case in Candida diet can cause even more Candida issues for the sufferers. With the natural sugars not being fed to the Candida, it becomes starved and starts travelling upwards in the intestine in search of sugar. It would not hold back from projecting filaments in to the intestinal wall and unless it is stopped by white blood cells, it can become systemic once it reaches the blood stream.
Hormone Imbalance and Metabolism Issues
Completely giving up on the sugars as is suggested by the Candida diet can create a hormonal imbalance by increasing the stress hormones and slow down the metabolism by affecting the thyroid glands. When a person totally stops consuming carbohydrates and sugars, his adrenal glands get exhausted by the stress hormones. You might get your weight down and have bursts of energy in the start due to a sugar-free diet but soon you will start gaining weight and feeling fatigued.
How to Get Rid of Candida in Other Methods
Keep on changing your underwear after every few days. Taking the basic precautions can help in clearing up the mild Candida infections. So, change your underwear every day until the infection goes away.
Avoid sex. Condoms, lubes and the natural bacteria of your partner can kick start and even aggravate the infection. So avoid sex until the infection clears up and you identify the cause of the infection.
Include yogurt in your diet. Consume yogurts that have active cultures present in them as they can eliminate weak Candida infections with ease.
Drink as much water as you can. Since water is a natural cleanser which takes away toxins from the body and helps in expelling Candida, drinking at least 2 liters of water each day is necessary.
Make use of antifungal cream. Applying antifungal cream, ointment or taking an antifungal tablet for three days might do the trick. The drugs that commonly used for treating fungal problems include Terazol, Lotrimin and Gynazle. All these medications are available in both OTC and prescription form.
Warning
If using a medication does not work and end up aggravating the symptoms then consulting a doctor becomes necessary. If you have a weak immune system then you must contact your doctor immediately if any new symptom emerges. The doctor would diagnose the problem simply by having a look at the skin. He might take a skin sample for testing too.
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