The Dangers of Candida
The excessive growth of Candida Albicans yeast in the dietary tract can cause fatigue, headache, mood swing, sinus congestion, depression, lack of concentration, and an intense sweet craving. If left unchecked, the extra yeast can penetrate the intestinal wall, which can lead to an allergic reaction to Candida.
What Causes Candida to Grow?
There are several factors that can lead to excessive Candida Albicans growth. Frequent use of oral contraceptives, antacids, steroids, or antibiotics are a definite cause. Additionally, a high sugar diet, diabetes, smoking, or pregnancy can also lead to excess candida growth.
How to Follow the Candida Diet?
Probably the biggest step to following the Candida Diet is to avoid sugar. Sugars will feed the yeast, and one of the easiest ways to keep it in check is to deprive it of fuel to grow. Because of that, your carbohydrates will need to be limited as they are essentially simple sugars. As your symptoms subside, you will be able to slowly increase the amount of carbohydrates that you are able to consume, but it is advisable to stick to low-carb foods like meat, shellfish, non-starchy vegetables, and chicken. Additionally, you will want to avoid foods that are high in yeast like bread, cheese, mushrooms, and beer.
How Long Should I be on the Candida Diet?
There is no set answer to how long anyone needs to stay on the Candida Diet. A lot of it depends on how long you've been experiencing the symptoms and how bad they have been. Additionally, your overall health is another factor that you need to take into account when looking at how long you should adhere to the diet. Typically it will take at least four weeks before you notice any improvement, but often it will take a couple of months to really see a major change.
Before you begin the Candida Diet or any other diets, it is imperative that you seek advice from a health professional.