Have you ever tried to go on the anti candida diet, and found it unbearable?
You are not alone.
Dealing with candida symptoms is hard as it is; adding a strict candida diet that doesn’t work on top of these discomforts is just too much.
Based on your many requests, in this 5 minutes read, we’ll cover easy actions you can do to make the diet work and improve your health. Especially:
Does the candida diet have to be that strict?
In most cases, the answer is no. The diet has to be healthy, and it has to agree with your body.
The diet has to be reasonable. So you can stay on the plan long enough and have enough energy to support your day to day activities.
Most people do very well on a medium protein, medium fat low carb diet. No need to go zero carbs. No need to eat large amounts of protein either. This means that you will get the majority of your calories from healthy fats and protein rich foods.
Important: Low carb doesn’t mean low calories! Make sure you still get enough calories. Many people who report strong uncontrollable cravings found they didn’t eat enough calories.
Anti Candida Diet Foods To Avoid
The foods you should avoid on the anti candida diet are foods known to feed candida or weaken the immune system. It is much more important to avoid these foods than eating antifungal foods that kill candida.
Dr. William G. Crook MD, one of the pioneers known for his research and publications on candida and yeast infections was one of the first doctors who brought this concept in 1983. Many natural health practitioners and candida specialists still follow this guideline even today.
Foods to avoid include:
- High carb foods and beverages: processed foods, alcohol, rice, bread, pasta, etc. This also means you should avoid whole grains. Pseudo-grains such as amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa should be avoided as well. Especially in the initial stage 1.
- Hard to digest foods such as beans and legumes. As in any cleanse, you want to help your body eliminate toxins as quick as possible. So you want to avoid foods that are harder or take a long time to be digested.
- Common allergens: especially dairy, wheat, gluten, soy and peanuts.
Some people are sensitive to eggs. If you are unsure about eggs, avoid them as well.
To learn more, see: Foods to avoid.
Of you suspect you have a leaky gut, you may want to limit additional foods, see: leaky gut diet.
What Can You Eat On A Candida Diet
Candida diet food list focuses on healthy easy to digest foods. The foods you eat have to also agree with your body.
The same food that may benefit some people, can harm others. This applies even to healthy foods that are on the anti candida diet food list.
You have to make sure your body agrees with these foods and that you do not have sensitivities or allergies to them.
Also, we see no reason why you should eat any food that doesn’t taste good to you. Plenty of foods to choose from.
Here are the main foods to eat while on the candida diet, along with our recommendations.
Remember: the anti candida diet is a transitional diet, not diet for life. Once you feel better, you will add more foods.
Non-starchy Vegetables & Greens
Try to always include non-starchy vegetables and greens in your anti candida diet. They are healthy, safe and they can make you feel full. Select non-starchy vegetables and greens that you enjoy and that agree with your body. Some are considered healthier than others. Still, this does not mean you have to eat greens or vegetables that you do not enjoy.
Different greens and vegetables may have different nutrients in them, so try to use variation.
Healthy Fats
If you are asking yourself about calories, the answer is right here.
Most people do very well on a medium protein medium fat low carb anti candida diet. No need to go zero carbs. No need to eat large amounts of protein. This means that you will get the majority of your calories from healthy fats and protein rich foods.
Plant based foods to eat include moderate amounts of avocados and fresh sprouted raw nuts and seeds. Make sure to check that the nuts and seeds are fresh, raw and not roasted or salted. Good examples are almonds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Cashews, peanuts and pistachios are not recommend as they tend to get moldy.
Another great option to consider is coconut butter, which is the meat of the coconut after a grinding process into butter consistency.
Look for raw, organic and ideally stone-ground. Always read the label to see that there’s nothing added.
Coconut butter can really boost things up when it comes to taste and energy.
Example: steamed broccoli or other non-starchy veggies. Just before serving, add 1-2 oz of almonds and 1-2 tablespoons of coconut butter.
Add Himalayan pink salt to taste. In 5 minutes, you turned a boring meal into an exciting experience.
Protein Foods
Protein sources for the anti candida diet typically include high quality wild fish, organic eggs and meat. Plant based vegan options are also possible. You can get enough protein from eating raw seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and hemp seeds.
A few important comments about animal proteins:
- Make sure the meat you eat wasn’t treated with antibiotics, hormones or other chemicals.
- Fish: wild small fish only such as wild Alaskan salmon (sockeye), flounder and others.
Watch for the mercury content. - Always include leafy greens with the meal. This can help with digestion.
- You do not have to eat meat or other animal proteins every day.
- Some people have hard time digesting animal proteins. Common symptoms are usually feeling tired after eating them.
- Animal proteins may cause constipation. If this is you, stop eating animal proteins for a week and see how this make you feel.
Anti Candida Diet & Fruits
Fruits on the candida diet are controversial since they have sugar that still can feed candida.
If fresh fruits agree with your body, and you feel great (and not hungry!) after eating them, you can still include low sugar fruits as a part of your candida diet. Fresh whole berries, fresh grapefruit or apples can be ideal as an anti candida breakfast. A bowl of fresh ripe berries is sweet, hydrating, full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals with natural cleansing properties.
Cinnamon apples is another very popular option and easy to make anti candida diet recipe for breakfast.
You may want to keep an eye on the portion size and how your body responds, and keep serving size for around 20 grams of carbs.
How To Eat Fruits
We know this sounds funny. Many people however, do not know how to properly eat fruits:
- Only eat fresh & ripe fruits. Unripe fruits are known to cause many issues and should not be eaten.
- Eat fruits by themselves on an empty stomach. Do not mix with other foods.
- Fruits pass the stomach very quickly compared to other foods. They only break down in the small intestine.
- This means that if the stomach isn’t empty, the fruits can stay trapped in the stomach by the previous meal and start to rot very quickly.
- Do not mix different type of fruits. Different fruits tend to have different digestion times and can interfere which each other digestion.
Antifungal Foods
Antifungal foods and spices on the anti candida diet should be introduced gradually. You want to learn how your body responds to them. This is very important in order to minimize the risk of getting a healing crisis or a detox reaction. Some of these foods have very strong antifungal properties. Always start with a small serving size, one food at a time and see how you feel.
Common examples: coconut oil, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon.
- To see the complete list, see: antifungal foods & spices.
- For the complete list of foods to eat while on the anti candida diet, see: candida diet grocery list.
Anti Candida Diet Supplements
- Enzymes:
Adjusting to the anti candida diet usually takes time, especially with foods your body may not be used to.
Taking full spectrum digestive enzyme with your meals can help with this transition and improve the digestion and nutrients absorption from the foods you eat. In our candida protocol, we use Dr. Edward Group Veganzyme. - Probiotics supplements:
These supplements work by populating the intestines with beneficial organisms that can help to promote healthy gut flora. This is shown to be very beneficial when you have candida yeast issues. - Probiotic foods are an option, although they are not recommended during the initial anti candida diet.
Low stability, quality issues, and contamination risks are the main reasons. Especially with store-bought fermented foods.
In our natural candida cleanse protocol, we use candida targeted probiotics (Latero-Flora) that are specifically designed to naturally balance candida yeast overgrowth.
To learn more, see Probiotics for Candida. - Antifungals:
Antifungal supplements are not always needed for candida.
Something to consider before you go for these strongest candida killers.
To learn more about the candida supplements we use in our candida cleanse protocol, see: candida supplements.
Anti Candida Recipes
Candida recipes should not be boring. If you need inspiration, we welcome you to check out our candida recipes main page.
We have spent long hours, days and weeks in testing & tasting to make sure you will enjoy the best of both worlds: powerful healthy cleansing anti candida diet recipes that are actually very healthy for your body, as well as the gourmet flavor everyone talks about.