The Candida Cleanse Diet

This is the diet I got from my sister,  who got it from her herbalist.  Here is there web site.  Gods Little Garden

I would appreciate it very much if you would leave me a comment and please come back and let me know how you are doing with it.  Please remember, I am not a doctor and claim no medical expertise.  This is the diet I am doing to get rid of my candida.  You are welcom to copy and use this diet.  You may want to check with your doctor before trying this at home.

* Please keep in mind that sweets should be extremely limited.
Candida thrives in a sugary environment, so we want nothing that feeds it to be ingested.  This means  NO SUGAR, or sweet sugary things.  If you break this diet at all or decide to cheat just one time, you have to start all over again!!!  Please understand, only way to beat it is to conquer candida, is by not feeding it. 

The supplements help, but only with the diet will you gain back control of your body from this infection.

Avoid all sugar, (Stevia may be used as a sweetner, since it doesn't feed candida).  No other sweetners may be used.  Avoid all foods with hight fructose corn syrup, tis is just concentrated sugar.  No nutrasweet, splenda or any other artifical sweetner.

No yeast or yeast containing foods such as bread, rolls, etc.     No corn, peanuts, mushrooms or foods containing any of these ingredients.  All these foods have molds and feed candida.  

No cheese, alcohol, chocolate,  fermented food foods, white potatoes, soy sauce or vinegar.

No Grapes or grape products...No bananas, check labels for products sweetened with grape juice.  No juices of any kind.  NO ANTIBIOTICS,  these are the major cause of candida outbreaks.

1.  No fruits of any kind for at least 2-3 weeks.  After that slowly add in fruits such a apples, pears, peaches etc.  No bananas or grapes for at least 3 months.  No citrus fruits for at least 6 weeks.  Then only eat a few of them twice a week.

NOTE;;;;;   I have found that I can not add fruit until my candida is clear because it comes right back.

2.   Drink plenty of chlorine free water.  For the first few weeaks steam distilled water is the best as it helps remove toxins from candida out of the body.  Drink at least 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water a day.  Avoid ingesting water containinng chlorine, this kills good flora in the body.

3.   Eat only wholde grains as close to their natural form as possible.  For the first 3-4 week, eat grains that have a low to no gluten content.  These include brown rice, millet, oats, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa and barley.   After 3-4 more weeks you caan add kamut, spelt and wheat.  Try to get these products organic if possible and eat only in their whole grain forms. 

4.  The following is a list of fiber containing vegetables that are low carbohydrate also.  You may eat them fresh, crozen, cooked or raw.  Eat organic so they won't have chemicals on them that may help yeast to grow.  The following may be eaten for the first 3-4 weeks then slowly add different vegetables.

Asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumbers, dandelion, eggplant, endive, garlic, green pepper, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, okra, onions, parsley, parsnips, radishes, snow peas, soybeans, spinach, string beans, swiss chard, tomates (fresh) and turnips.

5.   The following are okay to eat. Nuts, seeds and unprocessed oils. 

Almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, filberts, flaxseeds, pecans, pumpkin seeds. 

The following oils are okay as long as they are cold pressed and unrefined.  Olive oil, safflower, sunflower, soy and walnut.

6.   Foods you may eat cautiously.  Artichoke, beans, peas and other legumes, beets...red or gold potatoes (baked or broiled), winter, acorn or butternut squash and avacado.

7.   Avoid all processed and smoked meats; including, bacon, ham, hot dogs, corned beef, pastrami and all luncheon meats.  Also avoid  all pickled and smoked meats....NO PORK products.

The following meats are safe to eat...

Oganic and hormone free chicken, turkey, beef, wild game.  Go light on cold water fish and avoid farm raised fish.

8.   No coffee or black tea, these beverages are subject to mold contamination.

9.   Avoid all condiments, sauces and vinegar containing foods, such as.

Mustard, ketchup, worcestershire, Accent (MSG) steak, barbecue, chili, shrimp and soy sauces.  No sauerkraut, horseradish an tammari.  Vinegar containing foods such as mayonnaise and salad dressings.  You may use lemon juice as a substitute for vinegar in salad dressings.

10.  For the first 3-4 weeks avoid all the following.   Edible fungi, mushrooms, morels and truffles.  No melons, watermelons, honeydews and cantaloupes.  No dried and candied fruits such as raisins, apricots, dates, prounes, figs and pineapple.

11.  No yeast breads, rolls, cakes or pastries of any kind.  If you must bake, use aluminum free baking powder as a leavening agent.

A last word about DIE OFF REACTIONS.  Die offs occcur as a result of the candida being killed or dieing.  When the yeast dies, it releases toxins into the blood stream.  Symptoms of yeast die off can vary with each person and may include.....fatigue, depression, aching, irrability and abdominal pain. 

You may have these or other symptoms, there are no set rules as to what you will experience in a die off.  The symptoms will usually disappear and will be less as more of the yeast is destroyed.

The worse thing you can give your body in regard to the Candida Diet and in regard to health in general is sugar. It weakens the immune system and gives yeast a spectacular feast.

Sugar is Candida's favorite food. If you remove nothing else from your diet, it must be sugar.

You may think that you don't eat much sugar, but you eat sugar unknowingly many times a day, because sugar is added to almost every food on the market in the traditional store and is even common place in the health food stores. The health food stores usually carry items that contain organic sugar, but sugar is sugar when it comes to Candida and immune function.

To remove sugar from your diet you must read labels very carefully. All forms of sugar should be removed from the diet.

Forms of Sugar

-Beet Sugar
-Maple Sugar
-Date Sugar
-Organic Cane Syrup
-Organic Cane Juice
-Organic Cane Sugar
-Dextrose
-Maltose
-Lactose
-Maltodextrin
-Fructose
-High Fructose Corn Syrup
-Brown Sugar
-Powdered Sugar
-Honey -Molasses

Now granted, if you really must eat sugar, organic sugar is definitely a better choice, because it doesn't have pesticides in it and it hasn't been stripped of its nutritional value, unlike refined white sugar. But in regard to Candida, sugar is sugar. It doesn't distinguish between organic or inorganic. It will be quite happy to eat either one of them and proliferate equally.


The Candida Diet Basics


These Candida diet basics are essential to be successful in reducing or eliminating symptoms.

-No sugar
-No alcohol
-No wheat
-No yeast
-No caffeine -No preservatives and additives
-No refined and processed foods
-No moldy foods
-No dairy (except yogurt and butter)
Cheese and milk contain lactose (milk sugar) which the yeast will feed on.
(some people can do small amounts of cottage cheese)
-Low in Carbohydrates


Foods to Eat

-Low Carbs
-High in Protein and Vegetables
-Small amounts of complex carbohydrates

The basic and most successful anti Candida diet should consist of meat, low carbohydrate vegetables, a very small amount of complex carbohydrates. It may also contain yogurt and eggs.

Meats to Include

-buffalo (is lower in fat and cholesterol than chicken or turkey)
-chicken
-beef
-turkey
-lamb
-ostrich
-fish.( be careful because fish is contaminated with mercury and other pollutants)
-No processed meats like lunch meat, spam, etc.

Low Carb Vegetables to Include

-cabbage
-kale
-lettuce
-cucumbers
-zucchinis
-cauliflower
-green beans
-spinach
-any green leafy vegetable is low in carbohydrates
-onions
-garlic
-green peppers
-avocados (are excellent because they are also very good for stabilizing -blood sugar)

High Carb Foods to Avoid or Eat Sparingly

-potatoes
-carrots
-sweet potatoes
-yams
-corn
-beans
-winter squash

Grains

For most people, grains should be avoided or eaten in very small amounts when following the Candida diet as they are highly allergenic and high in carbohydrates. Some people do fairly well with grains, while others can't eat any at all.

-rice
-wheat
-oats
-barley
-spelt
-rye

Alternate Grains
-Kamut
-Quinoa


Dairy and Eggs

-Yogurt is good because it contains healthy bacteria.

-Cheese or cottage cheese may be eaten once in a while.
-Eggs are a good protein and no carbs.

Beans

Beans are a good source of protein, however they are also high in carbohydrates, so should be eliminated or reduced for most people. Some people do okay on them while others can't eat them at all.

-lima
-pinto
-navy
-split pea
-black,etc.

Nuts

Some people can include nuts, while other's can't. Nuts are very good for you, so if you can include them in your diet, you should. However in the beginning phase of the Candida diet they are best avoided or reduced.

Nuts are moldy. Some of them are also high carbohydrate.

Cashews are high in carbohydrates.

Macadamia, Almond, Walnut, Peanut, Hazelnut are lower in carbohydrates.


Fruits

Most people need to cut down on fruit intake drastically while following the Candida diet. This is because fruit is high in natural sugar. Some fruits are higher in sugar than others.

Some people can eat fruit freely and other people can't eat it at all. On the other hand, some people can only eat fruit that is lower in sugar.


Fruit High in Sugar
-Oranges (very moldy as well)
-Bananas
-Dates

Fruit Medium level of sugar
-Apples
-Apricots
-Peaches
-Melons (also very moldy)


Fruit Low in sugar
-Strawberries
-Blueberries
-Raspberries
-Blackberries
-Pears


Special Occasions and Treats

* Please keep in mind that sweets should be extremely limited.

I've found that it's much easier to stay on the Candida diet if you allow yourself treats from time to time, so you don't feel deprived. I allow myself to have something sweet, yet healthy about once a week.

There may also be special occasions and holidays when you would like to indulge in something tasty and delicious.

More than likely you will experience cravings from time to time that are uncontrollable and you must have something sweet.

For any of these occurrences it's best to indulge in healthy sweets that aren't damaging to the immune system and won't make the Candida proliferate to the same extent as sugar.

Make your own dessert or buy some at the health food store that are sweetened with these sugar alternatives:

-fruit juice sweetened
-barley malt
-maple syrup
-rice syryp
-agave
-stevia

All of these alternatives are a whole food, rather than a simple sugar, so they will contain nutritional value and will break down in the body slower than simple sugars. They also won't skyrocket the blood sugar levels.

Stevia is a fantastic herbal sweetener. It does not feed the Candida and it does not upset the blood sugar. However Stevia can be difficult to use and takes a little getting used to.

Agave is another good source that is fairly new on the market. I've just started learning about it in the last couple years. It will feed Candida, but it is much less offensive. It also does not give you the spike in blood sugar that refined sweeteners do. I actually find agave to be better for the blood sugar than any of the other alternative sweeteners.


Candida Diet Phases
There are 3 phases in the Candida diet. We'll call them, Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced.

Beginning
In the beginning phase you must be much stricter with adherence and your choices will be more limited.

Intermediate
In time, you'll see some improvement in your symptoms and as that happens you can bring back more complex carbohydrates and fruit etc. You can be less strict with adherence.

Advanced
If you've made a lot of progress in reducing Candida symptoms, then you may move into a Candida diet that consists of more complex carbohydrates and even less strict guidelines.

It's also common for individuals to alternate back and forth between phases. For example: You may have reached a point where your symptoms are really under control and you have a lot more food choices and can tolerate quite a bit of carbohydrate and then a set back occurs and you have to go back to the beginning phase again for a period of time.

A setback can occur in response to stress, hormones, you've overdone the sweets on a holiday, you've had the flu or some other illness, you've had to take an antibiotic.


The Candida diet can be very challenging to live with, there's no way to candy coat it. Pun intended.
It also takes time for your body to adjust. Initially you will feel tired and hungry as you adjust to the lower level of carbohydrates and your Candida screams for you to feed it.