CANDIDA: FOODS TO AVOID AND FOODS YOU CAN EAT!

Foods to Avoid in Stage 1

CATEGORY	FOODS TO AVOID	NOTES
FRUIT	Fresh Fruit Dried Fruit Canned Fruit Fruit Juice	The high sugar content in fruit feeds Candida Fruits like melon may also contain mold A squeeze of lemon is OK In Step 2 you can reintroduce low sugar fruits like apples and berries
AGED CHEESE	Cheeses aged for 6 months or more	Holistic practitioners recommend that Candida sufferers dramatically reduce their dairy intake Candida prevents the body from processing fat properly Only aged cheeses need to be eliminated completely A small amount of Swiss or Mozzarella cheese can be reintroduced in Stage 2
ADDITIVES & PRESERVATIVES	Citric Acid Anything on the list of ingredients that you don't know or can't pronounce!	Citric acid is derived from yeasts Chemicals can disrupt your friendly bacteria and allow the Candida yeast to flourish Citric acid is often found in canned tomatoes Non-organic food like meat or eggs can also contain residual levels of antibiotics and steroids that were used during the farming process
ALCOHOL	Wine Beer Spirits	Alcohol is high in sugar that can feed the growth of the Candida yeast Alcohol also puts stress on your organs and immune system Mixing alcohol and Candida is like opening all your windows in a house fire - you don't want to feed the problem Alcohol can be reintroduced in Stage 3, when the diet starts to work, but in small amounts
CAFFEINE / STIMULANTS	Coffee Tea Energy drinks	Caffeine, sugar and sweetener all kickstart Candida Taurine in energy drinks is another culprit Even decaf tea and coffee are to be avoided, as they contain residual levels of caffeine
GLUTINOUS FOODS	Anything made with wheat, rye, oats or barley, e.g. white bread, rye bread, pasta Spelt products	Some Candida sufferers have high sensitivity to Glutens Give your immune system a break and allow it to focus on the Candida
NUTS	Nuts that are high in mold, e.g. peanuts	Ingesting mold can promote a Candida outbreak Nuts that were cracked a long time ago, for example sliced almonds, also have time to develop mold If you like nuts, stick to freshly cracked or whole ones
MUSHROOMS / MOLDS	Mushrooms Truffles	Candida loves to feed on mold and fungi Leftover food can contain mold that will feed your Candida If you can't buy fresh, keep leftovers frozen and then cook on a high heat in the oven (not the microwave)
CONDIMENTS	Ketchup Mayonnaise Mustard Relish Horseradish Soy sauce Salad dressings	Condiments tend to be high in sugar and can exacerbate your Candida For an alternative salad dressing, try Paul Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing
SUGARS	Sugars Honey Syrup Lactose Sucrose Fructose Chocolate	Condiments tend to be high in sugar and can exacerbate your Candida Stay away from the soft drinks too Read food labels to make sure your food doesn't contain sugar Sweeteners can also make your Candida worse Sugar-free diet coke can feed your Candida as much as a sugary soft drink
VINEGAR	All vinegars, except for Apple Cider Vinegar	Vinegar is made in a yeast culture, depletes the stomach of acids and can also cause inflammation in your gut One particular vinegar, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, can actually be helpful in combating yeast
FATS AND OILS	Peanut oil Cottonseed oil Corn oil Canola oil Soy oil Margarine Shortening	Peanut, Cottonseed, Corn and Canola oil are mold contaminated Most soy beans used in soy oil are GMO (if you really like it that's OK, but make sure you buy organic) Margarine/Shortening contain toxic trans fats

AND HERE ARE FOODS YOU CAN EAT! 

(The most IMPORTANT part!)

CATEGORY	FOODS TO EAT	NOTES
VEGETABLES	Asparagus Avocado Broccoli Brussel sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Collard greens Cucumber Eggplant Garlic (raw) Kale Leeks Okra Onions Peppers Radish Seaweed Spaghetti squash Spinach Summer squash Swiss chard Tomatoes Turnip Zucchini	Vegetables starve the Candida of the sugar and mold diet that feed it They also absorb fungal poisons and carry them out of your body Avoid starchy vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, yams, corn, all squash except zucchini, beets, peas, parsnips and all beans except green beans You should buy your vegetables fresh and eat them raw, steam or grill them. Add a little garlic and onions for flavor as they are especially helpful with Candida
LIVE YOGURT CULTURES	Plain yogurt Probiotics	Live yogurt cultures (or probiotics) help your gut to repopulate itself with good bacteria The live bacteria in the yogurt will crowd out the Candida yeast and restore balance to your system Especially useful after a course of antibiotics, or when a patient is suffering from Candida Yogurt from goat and sheep milk is even better, as they tend to contain fewer chemicals Good bacteria will also produce antifungal enzymes that can help you fight Candida
PROTEINS	Beef Chicken Fish Eggs	Proteins almost completely free of sugars and mold, so they fill you up while restricting the Candida Eat fresh and organic meat if possible - processed meat like lunch meat, bacon and spam, is loaded with dextrose nitrates, sulphates and sugars Smoked or vacuum packed meats are also best avoided Most Atkins recipes will also work reasonably well in a Candida diet
NUTS AND SEEDS	Nuts and seeds that don't contain a high mold content	Nuts are a high protein food that starves Candida and restricts its growth Avoid peanuts and pistachios as they tend to have a higher mold content You can remove mold by soaking the nuts in water Another tip to remove mold - spray the nuts with a diluted grapefruit seed extract solution
NON-GLUTINOUS GRAINS	Buckwheat Millet Amaranth Quinoa Wild and brown rice	Grains contain a high amount of fiber, excellent for keeping the colon clear so Candida doesn't get a chance to multiply. Grains also act like a pipecleaner in your intestine, grabbing nasty toxins like pollutants, chemicals, pesticides and heavy metals on their way through.
HERBS AND SPICES	Basil Black Pepper Cayenne Cilantro Cinnamon Cloves Cumin Curry Dill Garlic Ginger Nutmeg Oregano Paprika Rosemary Tarragon Thyme Turmeric	Contain antioxidants and anti-fungal properties Increase circulation and reduce inflammation Improve digestion and alleviate constipation Most herbs and spices are beneficial in your fight against Candida They're great for livening up food if you're on a limited Candida diet
OILS	Virgin Coconut Oil Olive Oil Sesame Oil Pumpkin seed oil Macadamia Oil Almond Oil Flax Oil Safflower Sunflower Coconut oil Coconut butter Ghee Organic butter	Use cold pressed oils Heating or boiling destroys many of the oils' nutrients
SEASONING	Black Pepper Salt Sea Salt Lemon Juice
HERBAL TEAS	Cinnamon Tea Clove Tea Chamomile Tea Pau D'arco Tea Peppermint Tea Ginger Tea Licorice Tea Lemongrass Tea	All of these herbal teas have antifungal properties If you're missing your morning coffee, try Green Tea instead