Candida Diet Plan

A candida diet plan is designed to eliminate candida albicans overgrowth in the digestive tract and colon. If left untreated, this fungus or yeast, along with toxins and parasites, can invade body cells and cause diseases and even death. A candida diet is designed to eliminate certain foods while maximizing the absorption of others. Treatment can vary depending on a person's individual health status.

Foods to Eliminate

There are certain foods you need to limit or avoid when on a candida diet. They include foods that contain gluten or sugar. Gluten can be found in most commercial bread, pasta, cereal, pastries, snacks and milk. Gluten is a protein with a high glycemic index. The candida fungus thrives on both gluten and sugar, so eliminating them is best for your diet plan. Be sure to check the labels on food products before purchasing them at the store. Wheat products have high levels of gluten. Also, do not buy products that contain whey or different sugars such as maltose, glucose, galactose, sucrose, lactose or fructose. Limit your fruit to one or two per day, as they contain sugar. Oats and corn contain some gluten and should be avoided for the first two weeks of your diet.

Foods to Eat

Your anti-fungal diet should consist primarily of foods that are gluten-free. These include most meats, brown rice, potatoes, yams, green beans, peas, raw vegetables, egg whites, most nuts and beans. Raw vegetables have digestive enzymes that can kill excess candida.

There are two main options for your candida diet: You can eat more of the above foods to make up for those you temporarily drop, or you can substitute some of your favorite foods for gluten- and sugar-free products. For example, if you like pasta, there are a number of brown rice pastas on the market (in all varieties). The difference in taste is negligible. Bread lovers can eat brown rice or almond bread. There are also a number of different gluten-free flours that you can use to make your own bread. You can also find sugar- and gluten-free cookies and snacks. Some tasty crackers are made from almonds, pecans and hazelnuts.

Instead of wheat products, you can add certain grains such as quinoa, basmati rice, amaranth, millet, corn flour, buckwheat, kamut and hominy. Many of these are available at health food stores in bulk.

As your condition improves, you can gradually start adding some glutens and sugar back into your diet. However, if you have an autoimmune disease or more serious illness, you should consider staying on the candida diet plan for a longer period of time.

Other Foods

Certain foods have fungus-killing properties. You might try adding a few to your diet. One such food is garlic. It can eliminate excess candida and improve your digestion. Ginger is another food with healing properties that you can use on your food. Yogurt contains probiotics, which are "friendly" bacterial cultures. These cultures can replenish natural bacteria in your digestive tract that was eroded by excess candida. However, you should eat sugar-free yogurt.