Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- What is Candida Anyway?
- What Causes Candida Overgrowth?
- Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth
- The Candida Diet
- People Get Better on the Candida Diet (but they don't heal)
- 3 Reasons Why the Candida Diet Doesn't Work
- Anti-Candida Diet Shortfall
- Undigested food matter nourishes pathogenic yeast
- One Great Tip
- What is the Best Diet for Candida?
- References and More Information
Thinking of going on the Candida Diet to heal your gut and stop sugar and carb cravings?
While this may seem like a logical idea at first, be warned that it likely won’t heal you over the long term. The article below explains why as well as my personal experience with it.
What is Candida Anyway?
Candida is a term that refers to a large family of yeasts, or one-celled fungi. Under normal circumstances, these organisms harmlessly inhabit the tissues of humans. This is because a balanced intestinal tract from mouth to colon contains a preponderance of beneficial bacteria that keep Candida in check.
When not enough beneficial bacteria are present in given body tissue to keep pathogenic yeasts under control, it transforms from a harmless state into an invasive species. In this rapidly growing state, Candida puts out long stringy hyphae or “roots”. They have the ability to embed and penetrate through the gut wall and eventually cause leaky gut.
Candida overgrowth can occur in many tissues of the body. Well-known examples are oral candidiasis known as thrush, the scalp as dandruff, and vaginal yeast infections.
What Causes Candida Overgrowth?
Candida is an opportunistic pathogen that can rapidly take over when a person is under a course of antibiotics. Antibiotics decimate beneficial gut flora but have little effect on Candida. This gives this normally harmless yeast the chance to take over dominance of the gut environment very quickly.
Many women don’t realize it, but oral contraceptives imbalance the gut in the same way as antibiotics. Again, this gives pathogenic strains of yeast an open door to take control.
A diet of processed foods high in sugars and simple carbohydrates also encourages Candida overgrowth as yeasts thrive on sugars.
Babies born via C-Section or to mothers who were treated with IV antibiotics during labor are especially vulnerable to the ravages of Candida overgrowth. The reason is that they are not exposed to Mom’s healthy flora from their travels down the birth canal prior to the moment of birth.
Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth
Symptoms of Candida overgrowth are many the most common being fogginess in the morning upon waking (brain fog), digestive complaints of all kinds and a myriad of skin issues.
Many women plagued by yeast infections don’t realize that the source of the problem is actually their diet. Over time, this leads to a pathogenic state in the gut environment. Using drugs and creams to resolve the problem is only a temporary solution when the source of the problem – gut imbalance – is not addressed head-on.
The Candida Diet
My husband and I tried the Candida Diet to resolve gut imbalance that had been exacerbated by our stressful and overworked lifestyle at the time.
It failed miserably.
Why?
Because the Candida Diet goes only part of the way in attempting to resolve gut imbalance by removing all food sources for Candida. It also did not include foods and supplements that help repair the damage to the gut caused by the overgrowth of pathogenic yeast.
For example, the Candida Diet removes sugar from the diet in all forms – even maple syrup and honey. Fresh fruit, however, is allowed.
Candida overgrowth can frequently trigger an allergy to molds and other types of fungi. Hence, beneficial fermented foods including cheese are also eliminated along with any bread and other foods containing yeast.
Other foods excluded from the Candida Diet include vinegar, mushrooms, tea, coffee, dried fruit and any form of fruit juices.
People Get Better on the Candida Diet (but they don’t heal)
The typical scenario for a person who goes on the Candida Diet goes something like this:
- They feel better almost immediately primarily because all the sugar has been removed from their diet.
- They continue on the diet for some time perhaps many months or even a year. Pleased to see that symptoms diminish considerably during that time, they are convinced that the diet has “worked”.
- After a period of time, they try to reintroduce some of the foods that were removed. Sadly, they usually discover that their symptoms come raging back with full force.
- They realize that it is going to be next to impossible to continue the Candida Diet indefinitely. It is simply too hard to give up cheese and any and all sweets forever.
- They get discouraged, give up and stop the Candida Diet for good.
3 Reasons Why the Candida Diet Doesn’t Work
The paradox of the Candida Diet is that symptoms greatly diminish. However, the patient doesn’t actually heal from the root cause of the problem which is a breach in the integrity of the gut lining.
Long-term healing is prevented on the Anti-Candida Diet for the following key reasons:
Reason #1: The Candida Diet allows starchy vegetables and tubers like sweet potato, cassava, yams, and arrowroot. Note that some anti-candida diet practitioners recommend caution with these foods, but others do not.
Reason #2: The Candida Diet doesn’t include traditional bone broth. This is an incredibly necessary food for proper healing of gut issues causing Candida in the first place. Healing is quite simply NOT going to occur without it. Any candida diet benefits will be temporary as a result.
Reason #3: More important than the allowance of starch in the Candida Diet, however, is the inclusion of grain-based foods. Some adherents of the Candida Diet include gluten-free grains. Others recommend none at all (in an apparent scramble to mimic diets that actually work to fix the gut like GAPS and to a lesser extent the bone broth diet). The point is, there isn’t uniformity to what is recommended, hence, the protocol’s unreliability for working long-term.
Anti-Candida Diet Shortfall
Even if the Candida Diet is used in conjunction with a gluten-free, casein-free diet, it fails in the majority of instances.
The reason is that disaccharides, or double sugars, are present in many carbohydrates including ALL grains – not just gluten-containing ones. An inflamed, imbalanced gut overridden with Candida is unable to digest double sugar molecules completely. This occurs because the lack of beneficial gut flora has compromised the function of the enterocytes.
According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome and one of the key scientists at the forefront of gut restoration research today, the enterocytes are the cells that reside on the villi of the gut wall and produce the enzyme disaccharidase. This enzyme breaks down the disaccharide molecule into easily absorbed monosaccharide molecules. When the enterocytes are not nourished and strengthened properly by adequate beneficial flora, they become weak and diseased and may even turn cancerous. They do not perform their duties of digesting and absorbing food properly.
Undigested food matter nourishes pathogenic yeast
Weak and diseased enterocytes also have trouble digesting starch molecules. They are very large with hundreds of mono sugars connected in long branchlike strands. People with weak digestion due to Candida overgrowth and messed up enterocytes have a terrible time digesting these complex molecules. The result is a large amount of undigested starch in the gut. The putrefying matter is the perfect food for pathogenic yeasts, bacteria, and fungi like Candida to thrive upon.
Even the starch that manages to get digested results in molecules of maltose, which is — you guessed it — a disaccharide! This maltose also goes undigested due to a lack of the enzyme disaccharidase and becomes additional food for Candida.
Therefore, when one follows the Candida Diet and yet still consumes some grains and starches, food molecules that are not fully digested continue to putrefy and inflame. This provides food for Candida thereby preventing healing even if some improvement is noted from the removal of all sugars.
One Great Tip
We’ve established that the Candida Diet fails miserably in resolving gut imbalance problems for many of the folks who try it. However, it does include and recommend one fantastic herb that is very helpful for keeping Candida under control: Pau d’Arco tea.
What is the Best Diet for Candida?
In conclusion, it is best not to waste your time with the Candida Diet. It doesn’t work in the majority of cases and you will ultimately feel frustrated in your efforts to heal over the long term.
The best diets for healing and sealing the gut wall and permanently rebalancing the gut environment are the GAPS Diet, Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) or the very similar SCD (Specific Carbohydrate) Diet. And the one tip from the Candida Diet to include while you’re on GAPS, AIP or SCD diets? Pau d’Arco tea!
To read more about GAPS, check out this introductory post on healing autoimmune disease effectively. Also, the post The Five Most Common GAPS Diet Mistakes is a review of the most common pitfalls of this approach to gut healing.
References and More Information
Macrobiotic Diet and Extreme Vitamin D Deficiency
Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD
Biofilms: Overlooked Step in Treating Candida
Can Candida Sufferers Drink Kombucha?
How to Take Probiotics
Video: The Best (and Worst) of The Healthy Home Economist
I need help. I am pregnant and dealing with this.
So as for grain substitutes, what about buckwheat? It’s thought to be a grain but actually a seed with high amino acid, antioxidant, and mineral content. Living in Poland grain free is hard enough as it is… Also what about oats and rice? According to metabolic typing I’m a more carb-mixed type so it would be nice to sort out the options 😉
Bwheat is still a starch so it has to be seriously limited
Change your soap to an all natural soap like Grandpas brand pine tar soap or Goats Milk soap. The skin is an organ that absorbs the chemicals from the commercial soaps into the body.
I’m on a paleo-ish diet. I just upped my probiotic, bone broth (your instructions:), and coconut oil intake – voila! Problem solved 😀
How long did it take for you to heal?
I did a diet for this and in 2 week it was gone forever. Its more extreme though. All you do is eat vegetables, red bell paper, lots of water like 15 glasses a day, avoid heat, and lots of garlic. Nothing else. You feel really bad after a few days. And you crave carbos and sugar so badly. But feel worse. Then week passes and just feel weird. And 2 weeks later.
And slowly then go back to eating normal. But avoid extreme sugar for 1 year. Like candy and white bread.
I don’t know how true the candida stuff is but I know what you are saying. A couple of times I ate only raw vegetables for 2 weeks and the end of that I was feeling good. I didn’t try to make raw vegan pizza, or lasagna, and all that other crap. I didn’t try to make the food something it wasn’t I just at it how it was. Friends looked at me weird because I would eat a bell pepper like an apple. As far as the garlic, I would chomp raw cloves and swollow them with water and within days it would really knock out my worst symptoms. Two weeks didnt fix it for me but I do believe at least for the short term this is the best diet
that is disgusting
What does work is the Body Ecology Diet.
The Body Ecology Diet didn’t work for me. For example, I found that douching with apple cider vinega like she recommends really worsened my candida, as well as several other things. I also think that Donna is selling lots of supplements that are not neccessary in her diet. It is more of a money making thing, designed to keep people buying things, rather than curing them permanently. Like you need to buy her starter to ferment vegetables and make kraut. This is nonsense for me. Kraut has been made for hundreds of years just with cabbage, flavors, a little salt and water. I have been making great kraut and fermented vegetables like this for a few years now, no problems. Also, after years of buying her kefir starter I found that I could make even better coconut water kefir just with water grains. I think that a lot of Donna’s recommendations are misleading. And her diet definitely didn’t work for me. it gave me some improvement, but not complete. I really had a good shot at it. I did it religiously for over a year.
What has worked for me the diet and principles contained in the book “Sugar or Sex”. It is a a really effective anti-candida diet with other practices combined. It is more gentle in tone than her book. And there are no expensive supplements you need to get to cure it. I trusted this more, and following it lead me to a complete cure and really truly excellent health.
Thank for the book recommendation.
I am affraid and tired about all these. Please tell me more about my every day diet, if possible, and give some practical advice how to manage my eating-breakfast, lunch etc. I am loosing weight and day after day my body becomes skiny. And what about the book “sugar or sex” who is the author and who the editor.
thank you for your time
maria
Hi Meg,
Thank you so much for your comment regarding your experience with the Body Ecology diet. Im highly interested in learning about your success with making the water kefir with water grains. Could you please share? I did try but it never turned right. It almost seemed as if there wasn’t enough sugar for them to get fed. Perhaps I wasn’t using the right amount of grains per water or I was doing something wrong. The drink has helped me alot but the starter is an extra expense, so any help on the topic is extremely appreciated.
I am sorry, but this website has SO MUCH mis-information. No wonder she didnt get well. PLEASE do not listen to this site, if I had, I would still be sick. I stayed sick longer listening to this.
Please explain, Shannon! I am getting sicker all the time and desperate for some help! I’m trying to find a good sensible diet (and frankly I don’t think GAPS fits that category) to get rid of my candida, and in turn, my allergies, eczema, fatigue, etc. What worked for you??? Please help me!
I’ve been suffering from a very severe form of psoriasis/eczema for around 6 years. I’ve has every diagnosis and treatment under the sun. From creams, pills, Humira shots …. everything! I’ve been so sick with severe oozing rashes from head to toe including MRSA a couple times, severe asthma, brain fog and severe dizziness, lethargy, confusion, pain in all my joints and muscles. I’ve felt like I’ve been close to dying many times, a few times I’ve been taken to the ER because my symptoms we’re so severe. To this point, nothing has helped me BUT going on a very strict Candida type diet of ONLY…. Clean meats, eggs, vegetables, nuts and seeds. I didn’t eat any fruits,grains, starches, alcohols, No peanuts or other nuts that are prone to molds. I took many supplements like: CandGone drops and oregano oil, caprylic acid, probiotics, Thorne Formula SF722. I stuck very closely to this diet and in 2 weeks I noticed the rash on my legs started clearing up a little. By the end of 6 weeks, which is how long I stuck to this diet, I was COMPLETELY CLEAR OF ALL RASHES!!! For the first time in 6 years, I had my skin back and I didn’t have to be covered from head to toe with bandaids, and clothing. (It’s summer now and I’m so grateful I can wear shorts now! ) Anyhow, once I stopped the diet, I kinda went a little crazy thinking I beat this horrible candida monster. So I started eating some naughty things like bread, sweets and starches and an occasional alcoholic beverage. BAD IDEA!! My hands are now covered in severe oozing rashes again and my dizziness has returned. So I’m now back on the my own version of the Candida diet again. I’ve been on it for only 4 days and am already seeing an improvement in my rash, less oozing. This time i’m including things that will also heal my gut like real apple cider vinegar with the mother in it, I’m allowing myself some fruit since I have an abundance of producing fruit trees right now and they are nutrient dense and healing to the gut, tiny bits of honey since it is also healing to the gut. This is a very difficult diet to be on but in the end it’s really worth it because I don’t feel like a leper and I feel much better overall. Hopefully this time I will get it right. Doing the candida cleanse with gut health in mind, hopefully this is the winning combination. I recommend sticking very strictly to it, don’t cheat. But if you do, like I did once in a while, just get right back on it and be strict again. It really does work! I have alot of empathy for those who suffer from these symptoms, you feel so helpless when everything you try doesn’t work and doctors are just fine sending you home with creams or pills and forgetting about you. Good Luck, I hope it works for you.
I have been using a yeast cleanse type diet for over 12 years to control Lupus, sjogrens syndrome & borderline anti-phospholipid disease (all auto-immune) from http://www.knowthecause.com
What needs to be dealt with first and foremost to eventually get rid of the yeast overgrowth is to find out the level of Copper in the body.
@Chris that’s the problem with the Candida Diet .. you can never go off of it and eat normally again. This is because it treats symptoms and not the cause of the problem.
I agree, Sarah. I heard about Doug Kaufmann’s “advice” years ago and just shook my head and wondered how you ever get better with THAT diet! You don’t. It’s just like modern allopathic medicine – you may think it’s working because you feel better for the moment, but long-term you aren’t doing much more than hiding the symptoms until later. To me, that’s not a fix.
Everyone is different – and I’d just like to say that the diet has totally worked for me. On my diet, I stayed away from fruit – something you ate – and also stayed away from potatoes etc. I then went on a maintenance diet that was refined sugar free, gluten-free, and organic. Three years later, I’ve not had a re-occurrence of the problem. Also, to the best of my knowledge, Candida can be bought on several ways – and not just what you describe in your article. So people… don’t despair… maybe this diet will work for you. Thanks for allowing me to share this info. Respect. http://www.wholeapproach.com/diet/
Yes, there are other factors that come into play as well. My husband had to have his amalgams removed before he could completely kick Candida as the constant mercury vapor from the amalgams suppresses immunity. From a strictly diet perspective though, the Candida Diet just doesn’t work and GAPS is a much more effective protocol.
I see this all the time in my practice! I personally struggled with candida overgrowth for a long, long time and tried the anti-candida diet with no long-term success, exactly as you described. I also had amalgams, but candida and mercury have an interesting relationship- candida does feed off the mercury, but it also has a slightly protective mechanism for us in the short-term. It’s beneficial to address BOTH at the same time.
I’ve also found compromised digestion (starting with low hydrochloric acid production, usually secondary to blood sugar handling problems- this low HCL is also related to low zinc) in ALL my clients with candida overgrowth. Parasites are also usually present, for the same reason- no HCL to protect the gut, and then it’s a field day in there for them with all the dysbiosis.
What finally DID work for me (and my husband) and the protocol I use with my clients now, is a combination of the GAPS diet (or a derivative of), an herbal-based supplement regimen, digestive support, zinc, reseeding the gut with good bacteria (through supplementation and food), and a few other components including lifestyle modifications (water filters, no antibiotics in food, etc).
It is EXTREMELY effective because it addresses the root cause- the imbalance in the gut- and it’s fairly fast- as compared to the anti-candida diet which just goes on and on forever with little results (that don’t last). It also ADDRESSES THE SPORES!!!! This can NOT be overstated. You must, must, must address the spores (we do this via herbal supplementation in our protocol, as well as continuing the diet change, etc during this crucial phase)
Candida is a fungus. When a fungus is threatened, it sends up spores, so that the species will survive after the “attack” (like an anti-candida diet). Once the “threat” is over (you’ve stopped the diet), then the spores (which are all over the body now) can grow again and once the overgrowth is there, symptoms will begin again, often with NEW symptoms because the spores have lodged elsewhere in the body. This is why people are often on candida diets for years and years- the spores keep the overgrowth coming back and it’s a vicious cycle. Once I realized this, it was a no-brainer on WHY these various things I’d tried didn’t work long-term.
All my personal experience went into creating our candida protocol. It’s extremely effective and thankfully does not go on for years and years. Getting candida under control was one of the most significant things I did to improve my personal health, after being practically bed-ridden for years. Thank you for sharing this info, Sarah!! Healing the gut is soooo important!
May I ask what type of herbal-based supplement regimen do you use?
I am using ultra inflam X (recommended by my naturopathic doctor) and kolorex.
I wonder if these products works with gaps diet.
I have been spending all my day off making fermented vegetable, drink, bone broth and soup every week…. Hoping my body heal…
This can NOT be overstated. You must, must, must address the spores (we do this via herbal supplementation in our protocol, as well as continuing the diet change, etc during this crucial phase)
PLEASE tell me what herbal supplement need to be used re: the SPORES
Thanks
but that’s exactly what I’m saying, it HAS worked for me, just from a dietary perspective alone, and for many, many other people, which is why your “the candida diet doesn’t work” thesis is so utterly puzzling. It’s clearly worked for MANY MANY people. Jesus, even before the weight loss, my dermatological symptoms of candida were gone WITHIN A WEEK.
I agree
It works for me, too and fruit and grains are NOT allowed on a strict anti candida diet!
Did you actually do any research for this article? Or did you just write whatever came into your head?
No respectable Candida diet plan has fruit, and most of them severely limit grains.
Take a look at Lisa Richards’ Candida treatment program. It works and it’s pretty much the opposite of what you’ve stated in this article!
I agree! I just finished reading the same article and there are NO starchy veggies listed as “helpful” to rid the body of candida nor are grains or grain-like substances stressed as being staples in one’s diet while trying to heal or combat the fungus…..Not really sure what you are talking about when you wrote this article….There are no fruits suggested either until after the first phases….
If the copper imbalance is severe, the problem is much worse and often will not go away until copper metabolism is corrected with a nutritional balancing program. It is not just a matter of “lowering copper”, as many doctors believe. It is more complex. Copper is one of the body’s natural yeast fighters. In fact, copper compounds are used on crops such as copper sulfate, and in swimming pools and hot tubs, at times, to control yeast and fungal growth. Also researchers found that one factor that diminishes copper availability is poorly functioning adrenal glands. This may lead to low ceruloplasmin or low metallothionein. Ceruloplasmin and metallothionein are copper transport proteins. With low adrenal activity, copper may not be properly bound and may therefore become less available to the body. Thus until adrenal activity improves, candida will be difficult to control. When the adrenals and thyoid glandular activity normalizes, often copper imbalance and yeast problems disappear on their own without any need for specific therapy.
Tina zanett, ur post is timely. I found out recently that my ceruplasmin is low and my zinc low… I have bad dysbiosis and yeast and other go issues. My adrenals are also shot. What do u recommend to heal adrenals? Also, any dietary advice and macronutrient ratios? i
Christy Shaffer-Belisle we were just talking about this! 😉
thehealthyhomeeconomist – what do you mean by eat “normal” again?
After being exposed to mold and becoming very ill earlier this year, I was put on something called the Candida Diet which does NOT allow fruit, grains, potatoes, or other starches, which makes me wonder where you are getting your information.
A better diet alone often leads to improvement in candida symptoms within a few days to a week. However permanently improving copper balance, eliminating toxic metals and enhancing the oxidation rate take longer, up to several years or even longer. Basically, a lifestyle change is necessary and lots of TLC!
I had a minor case of candida a few years back and found relief by adhering pretty closely to Donna Gates’ Body Ecology diet.
Fantastic! Glad that worked for you 🙂
I have been eating traditionally for a few months now, and the one side effect I have noticed is dandruff. Could this still be from Candida? Is there any way to tell? It’s driving me crazy! I thought perhaps it was a symptom of toxins leaving my body from eating fermented drinks and foods. Is that possible? Just wondering if I really need GAPS. Although I have a history of food and seasonal allergies, so my guess is yes anyway.
I’ve noticed this too! I don’t have any other symptoms, so I don’t think it’s candida.
Glad I’m not the only one Mary! I do sort of have fatigue and low sex drive, but I’m also nursing an 8 month old, so that could certainly be why! 🙂
Yes, you need GAPS. Dandruff is fungus of the scalp.
So there’s no such thing as dry scalp, and flakiness is always a result of candida overgrowth?
Dandruff can sometimes be nothing more than shampoo or conditioner that hasn’t been completely rinsed away. I also think regular, natural skin cell turnover can be to blame — if these dead cells aren’t washed away or removed during regular grooming. Too much shampooing can also dry out the scalp. Yes, fungus can be an explanation, but don’t overlook simpler explanations.
@ Linda: Indeed. Too bad more people don’t look for the simple answers. They make everything SOOOO complicated.
One tip I could give to those who have dandruff and any other skin issues. Order a quality grade Frankincense oil and add a few drops of it to your shampoo, lotions, etc. Great for skin issues. I mix a little with coconut oil and use it on all kinds of skin issues. Never has failed me yet and helps with wrinkles, too. I’ll be 60 next year and no one believes me when I tell them.
Linda, the issue I have is that this really wasn’t a problem for me until I started eating traditionally. I also wash my hair less because I have a baby and just don’t have the time to shower and wash my hair every day. So I find it odd that it’s dried out, although perhaps the actual shampoo is the culprit. I did change that a few months ago as well. I keep meaning to drop shampoo out of my beauty routine anyway, and just start using baking soda, so maybe I should try that and see what happens.
that is strawberry tongue, not the same as candida overgrowth visible in the oral cavity (thrush). it is impossible to have a systemic overgrowth of candida without visible thrush or a vaginal yeast infection.
This is not true I had systematic candida for 4 years, never had thrush and only 1 vaginal infection the whole time. I worked with 3 yeast specialist doctors and am finally well.
Also, check for low stomach acid. Hypochlorhydria. Betaine HCl, working your way up to large numbers of capsules, helps with this. And definitely test for mercury using Andrew Cutler’s protocol.
My 14 year old dd had rampant candida after a 6 month stint of steroids and antibiotic following a chicken pox that chose to settle in the 5th layer of her cornea rendering her blind in that eye. The meds worked but reeked havoc in her intestines and brain. Our nutritinal council was to follow the candida diet including pommegranite juice (to kill the yeast in the brain). The GAPS diet followed this regiment. A year later she sees perfectly and has no candida in her brain or her bowel.
Jamie, I’m so pleased to hear she has recovered. That must have been stressed for you both. I’m sure one good thing has come from it, your daughter will definately be aware of the importance of diet from an early age – something I wish I knew about in my formative years!
That is sooo great!
such a gross pic!