Last week I blogged about what I had been learning about Candida (see Is Candida Halting Your Weight Loss?).  It astounded me that so much of what I had been experiencing was tied to this noxious weed of a condition.  So, I wanted to share what I had learnt through my research.

Interestingly, one of the commentors said that her Personal Trainer puts an individual on a Candida diet if their weight loss has stalled.  Makes sense now!

So, this post is about how to prevent / overcome a candida / yeast overgrowth.

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1.  Eat Well

Candida wants to party in an environment where there is a steady supply of sugar / carbohydrates, not just the obvious add it to your coffee sugar, but the hidden stuff in processed foods and the natural sugars / carbs found in foods like fruit, fruit juices and root vegetables.

So, a diet rich in protein (meat, fish, chicken, eggs, seeds and nuts), vegetables (avoiding root vegies, peas, corn, all beans except green beans, all squash except zuchini and mushrooms – hey they’re a fungi!) and healthy cold pressed oils (olive, sesame, coconut, almonds, flaxseed, safflower, sunflower …).  Oh, and forget the carbs in the form of rice, pasta and bread for a while until the Candida is under control – just gives the Candida more fuel.  Vinegar, salad dressings with vinegar and aged cheeses aren’t going to help either.

Once you starve the Candida of the fuel it needs to keep going, it will start to die off.  This is the not nice part – in the process of dying they will release their toxic by-product into your body and so you will initially feel worse (like for the first couple of weeks).

My mistake is that in the first couple of days I feel really good and then drop my guard a bit and some of the ‘fuel’ creeps in to my diet (or sprints through the door), creating a bit of a yoyo effect – not good for my body.  For it to work, you’ve got to stick with it.

Another tip – if you’re moving to a higher protein / lower carb diet make sure you take something to keep the pipes moving, like psyllium husks.  I use a natural product called Intestinal Formula 2 from a herbal pharmacy in the UK (let me know if  you’re interested and I’ll pass on details).

For more info on diet have a read at The Candida Diet

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2.  Exercise

Exercise helps with keeping things moving through your pipes!  But, it also has the benefit of helping to bring back into balance the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain (remember, Candida breakdown affects the work of the neurotransmitter Dopamine….. anxiety, depression, foggy brain etc result). The result is an improved mood and feeling better overall …… getting the endorphins happening too.

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3.  Re-balance the Bacteria

Supplement your diet with a good source of probiotics (I’m using FiveLac and a Mercola Probiotic supplement at the moment) as this will help bring things back into balance and eventually will outnumber the Candida (which is as it should be).  Cultured and fermented foods, like natto, also contain sources of good bacteria.

Another site that has good information and is set up well is Candida Support

4.  Stress

Candida is metaphysically linked to an overactive mind, so another thing to help overcome it is dealing with sources of stress, things that throw your mind into overdrive.  Deal with the triggers and find strategies that help to manage the stress, like walking or swimming, meditation etc.

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5.  Deal with Emotional Eating Issues

This is a biggie!  Because Candida thrives on sugar, food cravings for sweet things happen all the time, because the Candida wants its fuel.  So, if you have an emotional eating type response, if you’ve got Candida, bet you go for sweet or highly processed things.  Dealing with emotional eating issues is huge and challenging.  Awareness is great, but something like hypnosis or Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping or meridian tapping) might help.  I’m yet to seriously do tapping, but that for me is my next port of call – I’m thinking of making a video of myself doing it so people could tap along with me.  Let me know if you’re interested.

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6.  Avoid Exposure to Chemicals and Medications

According to Dr Mercola, antibiotics, corticosteroids and birth control pills all need to be avoided.  Also, chemical sensitivities and allergic reactions are common in people with yeast overgrowth, so avoid paints, household cleaners, perfumes and scents if they inflame symptoms.

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7.  Other Helpers

Because your digestive system is getting hammered in this process, taking some digestive enzymes might provide some support – I started out on them, but don’t feel I need them at the moment.  Herbs that can help balance intestinal bacteria and fight the yeast growth include Caprylic acid, Pau D’Arco, Oregano oil, Black Walnut, Grapefruit seed extract, Garlic (fresh and crushed is good) and Beta-carotene.  A pro-biotic I am about to start taking mentions to stop taking these while you are taking it – I’m not sure why, but will do some more research.