If you’ve been feeling overtly fatigued, have been suffering from constant headaches, recurring yeast infections and bowel problems, it could all be related to your digestive health. One such digestive problem is candida overgrowth where an overgrowth of this type of fungus can create havoc in your system. Curious to know more? Read on.
 

What is it?

What is it?

Candida is nothing but a pathogen that grows when there is a disruption in the balance of microorganisms in your gut. You must understand that the balance of gut flora is extremely important for your immunity levels and digestion. This balance is lost when we take extreme stress because tension raises your blood sugar and weakens your immune system. This problem can also be a result of an unhealthy high-sugar diet taken for too long since it has the power to disrupt your digestion to a great extent thereby causing candida overgrowth. Moreover, this problem can also occur due to strong antibiotics. While antibiotics kill bacteria in your body, the problem is that not all the bacteria in your body are harmful. Many of them help in digestion and building immunity. In the absence of these, the opportunistic fungus finds its way in your gut. Since there are lesser nutrients and good bacteria in your gut, these find space to easily multiply and cause an overgrowth.

 

What you can eat on the candida diet

What you can eat on the candida diet

Since the fungus basically feeds on what you eat, consuming non-starchy foods is the ideal thing to do. So go for spinach, kale, bok choy—all of which have several nutrients. Green veggies also contain folate, which is hugely beneficial for your gut. You can also go for healthy fats like coconut, olive, and avocado oil that are healing for the gut. Go for fermented foods like dosas, appams, dhoklas, yogurt, kefir, sour cream, buttermilk and beer. Make sure you consume foods with garlic and onion because they have anti-fungal properties that have the power to attack candida.

 

What to avoid on the candida diet

What to avoid on the candida diet

One of the best solutions to candida is avoiding sugar in all its forms since it feeds candida to a great extent. Grains too contain sugar and must be avoided. This is because they also contain gluten, which can damage the gut. Moreover, fruits contain sugar too, which directly helps the growth of candida in your body.