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11/12/2015

Candida Diet - Purpose and Guidelines

The primary purpose of the Candida Diet is to deprive the yeast of the foods that make it multiply. When you cut off its food source then it cannot thrive. When it does not thrive, then you decrease the amount of unwelcome, troublesome and sometimes debilitating symptoms you will experience. Used in combination with antifungals and probiotics, it gives the body a fighting chance at restoring balance and harmony.

Candida's major source of food is sugar. Therefore the most important thing to remove from the diet is refined sugar. First and foremost we're talking about white refined sugar, powdered sugar and brown sugar. These type of sugars are a favorite meal of the yeasty beast and make it proliferate wildly because they are so refined and lack nutritional value. They are also contributing factors in the development of other serious health problems like hypoglycemia, obesity, type II diabetes, anxiety and depression.

However, there are many types of sugar, and they must eliminated as well. Maple sugar, date sugar, dextrose, maltose, lactose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, honey, molasses, organic cane sugar, or organic cane syrup or juice, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, barley malt, fruit juice, and agave are some of the other names for sugar

Some health conscious people may be surprised that organic sugar, syrup and juice are in this list as well as brown rice syrup, barley malt, fruit juice and agave, because these sweeteners are considered by many to be healthy. Each of these options do contain nutritional value and are broken down in the body into sugar at a slower rate than refined white sugar, so their impact on Candida and other health conditions like hypoglycemia and type II diabetes is less severe.

The more refined the sugar is, the quicker it is absorbed in the body, and the easier it is for the Candida to consume. Therefore foods that take longer to digest and convert into sugar have a less powerful impact on Candida. They are definitely a healthier choice, however Candida doesn't really care what you call it. It prefers foods that are in their simplest most refined forms like white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar or even organic sugar, but sugar is sugar in it's eyes and it will be happy to feast on whatever form you provide it.

From time to time, even when you're following the Candida diet, you may want to indulge in something sweet, and when you do so, barley malt, fruit juice sweetened, maple syrup, brown rice syrup and agave are definitely the choices you want to stick with, however indulgences should really be limited to special occasions and events. I recommend agave because it has the least negative impact on both Candida and blood sugar control.

Unfortunately yeast will even be happy to devour natural sugar that is found fruit, so this too must be restricted while following the Candida Diet. Some fruits are quite high in sugar while others have less. Blueberries, raspberries, pears, blackberries and strawberries have the least amount of sugar and may not aggravate Candida too much. On the other hand grapes, raisons, dates, organs and bananas all have very high levels of sugar and cause proliferation for a lot of people. While apples, peaches, melons and apricots are in the medium sugar range.

In addition to that, all starches and carbohydrates are converted into sugar in the gastrointestinal system. Foods that are highly processed and refined break down very rapidly into sugar and give the yeast a very potent meal that makes it multiply very quickly. So all foods created from white flour and all simple carbohydrates should be eliminated, as well as alcohol, caffeine and yeast.

Even complex carbohydrates like whole grains, yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes and beans must be restricted because they too are broken down into sugar. Even though they are rich in fiber and nutrients they are still a prime food source for Candida when eaten in high quantities.

So what the heck should you eat, you ask? Well, the Candida diet that is most effective is comprised of wholesome foods like chicken, buffalo, beef, turkey or even ostrich and lamb, low carbohydrate vegetables and a very small serving of complex carbohydrates. You may also include yogurt, seeds, nuts, butter, eggs and healthy oils like safflower, sunflower or olive.

Many people find the Candida diet to be extremely difficult to stick with. It requires a serious commitment to yourself and your health, determination, self-discipline and the willingness to forgive yourself and start over. You will not always be able to be perfect and can expect to fall off the wagon now and then. It is part of the process. The key is not to allow a setback to become a reason to completely abandon your diet. Just brush yourself off and start over again. As you begin to reduce symptoms, feel better and make progress with the diet it will inspire motivation to keep going and eventually it gets easier.

Although the Candida diet is the most crucial step in eradicating yeast overgrowth, it is not the only one. Candida is a very complex and difficult condition with many different facets. It is most effective when followed in conjunction with a natural antifungals and probiotics. Other factors like balancing the bodies ph level, improving colon functioning, identifying nutritional deficiencies, managing stress and reducing environmental toxins are very important as well.
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