Candida is a yeast that is the most common root cause of fungal infections in the world. While it normally lives happily in your body, any type of overgrowth can cause a variety of problems. Here’s the low down on what candida is, how you know if you have a candida overgrowth problem, and what dietary strategies you can use to help reverse this.
What is Candida?
Candida is a broad genus of yeast that lives in the human body. It’s actually the most common cause of fungal infections worldwide. It loves warm, dark places, which is why it’s commonly found in the intestines and other mucous membranes. This yeast belongs to what is known as your mycobiome. The mycobiome is a diverse fungal community within the gut microbiome. It actually forms when you are a fetus and is influenced by your mother’s diet, environment, and how you are born. Past infancy, the mycobiome changes based on your diet, lifestyle and environment. This fungal community plays an important role in maintaining your overall health. It has protective benefits from infectious and inflammatory diseases, but can also be the breeding ground for opportunistic pathogens and drive gut and metabolic-associated diseases.
Candida is a very broad genus of yeast that has over 200 different species and is one of the primary colonizing fungi in humans. Candida can protect against diseases, but if the immune system isn’t working properly, candida can multiply and take over.
What is a Candida Overgrowth?
Candida overgrowth is not a medical diagnosis. Rather, it’s a term that describes high levels of candida relative to the rest of the mycobiome. There are many reasons why this yeast grows in abundance, some of which include:
- Compromised immune system
- Taking antibiotics or corticosteroids
- Chemotherapy
- Diabetes
- Pregnancy
- Oral contraceptives
Some of the signs and symptoms of an overgrowth include:
- Genital or vaginal itching or discharge
- Burning during urination
- Sugar cravings
- Skin rashes
- whitish/yellowish plaque on tongue
- Thrush
- Diarrhea
Diagnosing candida can be tricky. The most reliable test is doing a fungal culture and tissue histopathology through a blood sample. Some practitioners use stool samples to test for candida, but those tests are unreliable as sometimes the yeast won’t show up in the stool.Â
Nutrition for Candida
Surprisingly enough, there is not a consensus in the research for an effective candida elimination diet. That being said, there have been a few small studies with positive results when combining antifungals and diet. Most practitioners believe that some form of an elimination diet will help with treatment. There is agreement that the following are options for eliminations:
1) High carbohydrate foods
Yeast feed on sugar and need it to thrive. So limiting sugar theoretically makes sense. High carbohydrate foods include:
- All added sugars, including natural sweeteners
- Refined grains
- Corn and corn products
- Starchy vegetables
- Dried fruit
- Fruit juice and fresh fruit (fresh fruit can be limited)
2) Yeast containing foods
This avoids more yeast being introduced into the system. Yeast containing foods include things like:
- Bread
- Alcohol
- Vinegars (except raw apple cider vinegar)
- Soy sauce, tempeh, miso
- Fermented vegetables
3) Molds
Foods with a high chance of mold contamination are also considered as eliminations. These include:
- Processed foods
- Peanuts, peanut butter, pistachios, cashews
- Pickled or fermented foods in brine or vinegar
- Mushrooms
- Aged or moldy cheese
- Processed, cured and/or smoked meats
As with all elimination diets, these foods should be avoided for only 2-4 weeks. If symptoms do not resolve, then something else is going on or the diet needs to be tweaked.
What Else Helps with Candida Overgrowth?
There are a few other things you can add in to help eradicate candida.Â
Sacchromyces boulardii
This is a probiotic, non-pathogenic, non-colonizing yeast that is not a normal part of the microbiota. However, this strain is very effective at supporting the immune system and lowering inflammation. It can decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines, inhibit candida growth and can disrupt the candida biofilm.
Herbs and botanicals
There are a handful of herbs and botanicals that can be used as anti-fungals. Some of which include:
- Garlic
- Curcumin
- Thyme oil
- Oregano oil
- Berberine
- Silymarin (milk thistle)
Suspecting a candida overgrowth is not something to ignore. If you need help, please reach out to a qualified practitioner to help you get to the root cause. For anything dietary related, please contact me or follow me on my socials (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) for more tips and tricks to live better with your autoimmune or inflammatory condition.
