The Candida Diet: What it is & How I'm doing it

*I am not a doctor. These are my opinions.*

I've been curious about Candida for years. It's a word that gets thrown around in the health & wellness community often, but is never fully explained. And if you try googling it, you get a slew of confusing information that doesn't really add up. 

This summer, I decided it was time to do my own research, and figure this out for myself. So I picked up Dr. Ann Boroch's Book "The Candida Cure" and dove in.

Upon completing the book (and purchasing her Candida Cure Cookbook) I started the diet, and began posting about it all over my instagram. 

Since then, I've received a few questions about the diet, so lets hit them here:

What is Candida?

Candida is yeast/fungus that naturally lives in all our bodies and is completely harmless when our gut is in optimal health (aka Gastrointestinal Tract aka GI Tract). The yeast is intended to exist in harmony with the other bacteria in your GI tract, on your mucous membranes, and on your skin. However, when your gut is out of balance, this harmony breaks down and Candida breaks out. Candida is what's called an "opportunistic pathogen" meaning that it will spread through your body, find any areas of weakness, and grow. Since we all have our own individual areas of weakness, Candida will present differently from one person to the next. 

For example: Lets say you have a history of depression and your friend has a history of psoriasis. You both could have the same amount of overgrowth, yet yours would show up as a bout of depression and theirs would show up as a breakout on their skin. 

Isn't Candida just another name for a Yeast Infection?

No, nope, no.

That said, if you have, or recently had, a yeast infection, you can be sure that you have Candida overgrowth (AKA Candidiasis).  Same goes for Athlete's Foot and Toe Fungus. 

Candida is misunderstood, and is only related with yeast infections because that is typically the only time you hear the term pop up (in the western world, anyway).

That said, there are a multitude of symptoms that indicate you may have Candidiasis. 

Symptoms of Candidiasis

• Weight Gain, Obesity
• Increased Belly Fat
• High Carbs-, Sugar-, and/or Alcohol-Cravings
• Cravings for dairy and sour foods
• Indigestion, acid reflux
• Bloating, gas
• IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
• Hypoglycemia
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Oral thrush
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• PMS
• Headaches, Migraines
• Sleep Problems
• Night Sweats
• Lack of Concentration
• Mood Swings
• Increased Irritability
• High Anxiety
• Memory Problems
• Brain Fog, Confusion
• Sense of Floating
• Depression
• Chronic Fatigue
• Muscle Weakness
• Irregular Heartbeat
• Cold Hands & Feet
• Allergies
• Acne
• Eczema
• Dandruff
• Frequent Infections
• Asthma, Persistent Cough
• Itching, Runny Nose/Sinus Inflammation
• Ear Pain/Itching
• Chronic Joint Pain
• Fungal Infections (yeast infection, athletes foot, toe fungus)

Wait, that's like every symptom.  How do I know for sure if I have it?

A. Yes, it is like, every symptom. Candidiasis is believed to be at the root of most diseases, and these smaller symptoms are simply indicators and warning signs. While many of us have just gotten used to our daily aches, pains, and anxieties, we don't have to live this way! 

B. Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure that you do or do not have it. There aren't any tests you can take, and the only way to know, is to do the candida cleanse and see if you feel better. 

In my opinion, nearly everyone living in the western world (and probably beyond) suffers from this. 

Where does this overgrowth of Candida come from? 

Yeast overgrowth is simply a result of microbial imbalances in your gut. So the question really is, how do our guts get so out of balance? Here's how:

• Diets high in refined sugars
• Diets high in carbohydrates (namely the processed ones)
• Diets high in dairy
• Diets high in Alcohol
• Diets high in processed foods
• Antibiotics*
• Steroids
• Birth control Pills
• Estrogen replacement Therapy
• Heavy Metals (we ingest a lot more than you might think)
• and of course, Chronic Stress.

*Antibiotics in particular are a huge culprit, and really deserve their own category when discussing gut health. This is because Antibiotics (while hugely useful when you are in dire need) kill both good and bad bacteria in your GI tract. It's so much so, that it can take only one prescription (say, during childhood even) to disrupt your gut and set off this "fire" in your body. Over time, lifestyle choices like, drinking too much or eating a few too many sweets, only fuel the situation. And even if you have miraculously avoided taking antibiotics at any point in your life, I'll bet you've eaten animal products, like meat or poultry, that came from animals which were pumped full of antibiotics during their very short life. Unless you only eat antibiotic- andy hormone-free animal products, then your gut has been exposed. 

I know for me that I had many antibiotics as a child (for things like strep throat and a number of ear infections) and a few years back, as an adult, I went through a series of antibiotics and steroids, which caused my health to decline overall.

Ok so maybe you think you have this...

If you're ready to make a big commitment and really fight to better your health, then the Candida Cleanse is a great choice for you. 

For me, I have had so many bouts of long-lasting colds, periods of depression, and overall pain-causing inflammation in my body, that has gone on for far too long. So I decided I was ready to make the change, not matter what it took. 

Now that I'm about a week in, I will say that this diet is not for the half-hearted. You have to be all-in, and committed to your why, or else you won't make it. And for those of you who aren't sure that you're all-in (after I detail the diet below) I am including a sort of "candida-light" diet, that you may try instead. No judgement here, friends. You need to do what's right for you, and what feels manageable in your life, today. 

The Candida Diet 

The whole idea here is to starve the yeast, so you will be cutting some things (like, most fruits) that are otherwise healthy, but you can't have simply because they fuel the yeast-fire. Keep in mind that this is only 90 days and not a lifetime. In the same breath, it is important to note that because you are starving the yeast, its really, really important that you do not cheat. Every time you cheat, you are feeding the yeast, and taking two steps back on all the hard work you put in. While we can't be perfect all the time, it's important to keep this in mind when you are deciding if you want to taste that bit of cake, or not. 

I recently had to pass up on THIS cake! SMH. #committed

The Diet:

Length: 90 Days

What you Can't eat: 

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Gluten
• Dairy
• Yeast
• Sugar (including most fruits) 
• Fermented Foods (yes, these are usually fabulous for your gut, but they fuel fire, once the fire is in motion, so you have to cut them during this time)
• Selected Animal Protein: Bacon, Hot Dogs, Pork, Processed meats, sausage, canned seafood
• Grains: Essentially anything processed or with gluten, ie: Breads, Ceareals, Corn, Crackers, Oats, White Flour, Whole wheat
• Vegetables: Corn, Mushrooms, Potatoes, Peas
• Nuts and Seeds: Cashes, Peanuts (Peanut Butter), Pistachios
• Oils: Canola, corn, peanut, soy oil, etc. 
• Dairy: Essentially all dairy
• Fruits: Nearly All fruits, will list the ones you can have on "what you can eat" list
• Condiments: Jams, Jellies, Ketchup, etc (use your best judgement).. all vinegars exceptt raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and unsweetened rice vinegar

What you Can eat:

• Animal Protein: Beef, Bison, Lamb (no more than 4oz serving per week), Chicken, Duck, Turkey, Eggs, Fish, Turkey Bacon*
• *All Animal Protein must be hormone- and antibiotic-free
• Grains: Brown Rice, Brown Rice Cakes and Crackers, Brown Rice GF Pasta (limit 1x/week), Quinoa, wild rice, Some breads (gluten-, yeast-, sugar-, and dairy free
• Vegetables: All vegetables except Corn, Mushrooms, Potatoes, Peas. Endless amounts, except limit any sweet potatoes, yams, or squash to 3x/week
• Beans and Legumes: Allowed, but limited to 2x/week max
• Nuts and Seeds: All except Cashews, Peanuts, and Pistachios
• Oils: (Cold Pressed Only) Coconut, Olive, Avocado, etc.
• Dairy: Limited amounts of Butter and Ghee are allowed (hormone- and antibiotic-free)
• Fruits: Green Apples, Avocado, Blackberries, Blubetties, Cranberries, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, olives, raspberris, strawberries, coconut flesh - Limit to approx 1 serving or 1 cup per day (except for avocado and olives)
• Condiments: Apple Cider Vinegar, Braggs Liquid Aminos, Coconut Aminos, Fresh Herbs, Kelp Flakes, Spices, 
• Beverages: Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar Drinks, Herbal Teas, White Tea (caffeinated is ok, only with white tea), Unsweetend almond, coconut, and hemp milk. 
• Sweeteners: Stevia, Xylitol
• Misc: Cacao Powder, Dill Pickles (made without vinegar), Gums/mints (sweetened with stevia or xylitol), Salsa (without sugar or vinegar) 

More than anything, this diet is intended to be heavily plant based. So if you decide to just eat Quinoa and Green apples for 90 days, you aren;t going to see results. Below is what your diet should look like, overall: 

• 60% Vegetables
• 20% Animal Protein
• 15% GF Whole Grains
• 5%  Fruit, Nuts, Seeds, Beans (1-2x/wk max)

The book "The Candida Cure" by Dr. Ann Boroch, dives even further into the food lists, as well as some other tidbits about the diet, that are helpful to read if you're getting serious about this. In addition, there is a series of vitamins that are recommended to take while you are doing the diet, which will help sort of supercharge your whole experience. I'm not going to list them all here, but again if you are serious about this, please give her book a read, so you may gain a thorough understanding of the cleanse.

Lauren's Candida-Light Diet

Please note that the suggestion below is something that will not kill off your candida, but it will cut down on inflammation, which should leave you feeling similar benefits.

Length: 30 Days

What you Can't Eat: 

• Gluten
• Processed Sugar (all fruits are allowed)
• Alcohol
• Dairy (except for some antibiotic- and hormone- free butter and/or ghee)

What you Can Eat:

Everything else! 

If you have questions, please leave them in the comments below! Or if you don't want to post publicly, feel free to DM me on Instagram @ByLaurenTaylor

Wishing you good great health,

Lauren