Battle a Yeast Infection with Food

Use This Healthy Diet to Fight Candida

Aug 11, 2009

Yeast infections can often be resistant to over-the-counter remedies. Another weapon in the anti-yeast arsenal is diet. Starve the yeast away without starving yourself!

Yeast infections are a type of fungal infection, usually a form of Candida. The itching can be unbearable, and while most yeast infections can be treated with over-the-counter remedies such as Tolnaftate, Clotrimazole and Monistat, not all yeast infections surrender so easily. More serious yeast infections can spread over the skin to cover areas the size of a dinner plate, and the skin may ooze a clear or yellowish discharge. Some types of fungal infection can spread to other areas in the body, causing a condition called "thrush" in the mouth, for example.

Yeast Infections are Common

Because yeast infections are so common, general practitioners see a lot of people with this type of problem, but do not see the severe cases as often, and may downplay the severity of the really bad infections. They may not sympathize with the person who has had to wear adult diapers for weeks on end to protect their clothes from the oozing. Because doctors are not very keen to prescribe things involving steroids, they may not offer the very effective remedy of a relatively inexpensive steroidal cream such as betamethasone dipropionate. It is okay to suggest this remedy to the doctor; then they will usually write out the prescription. Sometimes it is necessary for people to take matters into their own hands.

Homeopathic Help

It is also wise to try some simple homeopathic diet rules to help combat the yeast. Do an Internet search for "candida diet" to get started. There are quite a few web pages dedicated to the subject, and for the most part, the web pages are in agreement as to what foods to avoid completely. There is disagreement about what foods can be added back into the diet and when, but common sense will help the reader to decide if they are ready to risk adding a controversial item to their diet.

Starve the Yeast!

Fortunately, the basics on which foods to avoid are clear. What will happen to the yeast infection? The yeast fungus - living, reproducing things – are hungry for simple sugars. The patient's goal is to starve the yeast! This article does not claim that diet alone will completely get rid of the yeast infection; some infections are so serious that steroidal creams and prescription pills will be required to fight the battle. But the anti-yeast diet is a very healthy diet, can help the patient fight the battle against yeast, and may prevent recurrence of the infection. The diet will have additional benefits for the patient such as weight loss, colon cleansing, high-fiber digestion improvement, and in a few weeks, a lessened desire for sweets in general.

Avoid Sugar and White Flour

Simple sugars are found in sugar and sugar-like products such as honey and molasses, white flour and many other refined grain flours, anything made with vinegar, and most already-processed foods like TV dinners and frozen meals. Because most sauces are thickened with white flour or cornstarch, they can be full of sugars. To provide the complete list of foods to avoid here would make for a very long article. Links will be provided to some more detailed websites.

So what sort of foods should be eaten on the candida diet? Vegetables to eat include asparagus, bell peppers, brussels sprouts and all types of cabbage, broccoli, celery, eggplant, all types of lettuce, onion, pumpkin, kale, spinach, all summer squashes, tomatoes, turnip greens, and even rhubarb. Meats to eat include beef, liver, poultry, bison (buffalo), lamb, and occasionally pork or sausage. Try to find grass fed or organic meat products without antibiotics injected. Seafood of all kinds is good especially if it is wild, because the mercury level in farmed fish is high. Be careful of shellfish because of contaminant levels.

Many other foods can be enjoyed, such as real butter, fresh (not dried) berries, green apples, avocado, lemons and limes, certain legumes, fresh vegetable juices, and more!

For a sugar substitute, use Stevia or Xylitol. Stevia is found in most supermarkets; one brand name is Truvia. Both these sweeteners can be used in cooking. For example, rhubarb cooked with Stevia turns out great! There are many types of spices, fats and oils, and nuts and seeds on the okay list. An excellent website with a really detailed list is coming up.

Informative Websites

Here are websites used for source material, with plenty of detailed information on the Candida diet food list:

The copyright of the article Battle a Yeast Infection with Food in Homeopathy is owned by Charlotte Walters. Permission to republish Battle a Yeast Infection with Food in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.