Yeast Killing Diet

What is Candida?

This fungus is present in the vast majority of peoples' intestinal tracts. Normally, signs are relatively minor, and since it is kind of stealthy, symptoms are often interpreted to point to other ailments. In some cases it does become readily apparent, with symptoms exhibited in conditions such as thrush (coating back of throat and tongue) or vaginal yeast.

For a healthy individual, the worst that'll come of it is itching and redness, while those with compromised immune systems such as AIDS sufferers and cancer patients may suffer severe, life-threatening problems. According to Dr. William Crook, yeast overgrowth in the gut compromises health on a systemic level and may encourage everything from asthma and psoriasis to digestive tract problems, again depending on overall health.

There are some 150 different flavors of the Candida genus, but only a handful cause infection in humans.

What Causes Yeast To Grow?

Yeast is a relatively simple fungus, thriving off starch (sugar) in a dark, moist place like your gut. If you eat a lot of sugar, you're serving up a banquet for the yeast. Keep the banquet going for months and years, and it should be no surprise that the yeast colony grows fat and happy.

Likewise, there's a lot of competition for "real estate" in your gut, with various good and bad bacteria and yeast strains constantly fighting for territory. Taking antibiotics tends to wipe the slate pretty much clean, including the good guys. So when you resume serving ample food for the yeast, it has an excellent opportunity to bounce back and expand its territory at the expense of others, thus setting the stage for further overgrowth. Some experts argue that this overgrowth tends to trigger further infections, prompting another dose of antibiotics, giving the yeast another opportunity to grow and so the vicious circle continues. Certain steroids and other drugs also encourage yeast growth.

The Yeast Killing Diet

The yeast killing diet is a "back to basics" kind of diet designed to starve the yeast into submission. That means cutting as much starch and sugar out of your diet as humanly possible and avoiding all milk products for at least a month. This initial stage is similar to the Atkins diet in that it translates to lots of protein and fat with little carbs. Remember to drink plenty of water, and you may want to consider herbal cleansing teas that help flush out the dead yeast. No beer.

After that initial sucker-punch to the thriving yeast community in your gut, ease into a more conventional diet that emphasizes natural, unprocessed foods with low sugar/milk content. Spring for salads, lean beef, chicken, fish, raw vegetables and the like; consult with a dietician if you have special nutritional needs or allergies to consider.

Another helpful addition in the war against excess yeast is probiotics. These are capsules filled with living bacteria similar to the beneficial bacteria found in yogurt (in some cases it's even the same type of bacteria, just a more concentrated dose). Remember how antibiotics helped the yeast gain real estate in your gut? These beneficial bacteria strains work the other way around, growing stronger and larger, thus pushing back the yeast. Buy capsules with the highest amounts of bacteria you can find (not the cheapest which is mostly filler) and chug a few capsules per day during the first month, then 1-2 per day going forward. Remember that the bacteria in the capsules are alive; keep them refrigerated and protected from light.

The combination of starving the yeast while aiding their "enemies" should bring rapid results with massive yeast die-off. Some intestinal discomfort may occur during this phase, but should dissipate once the bulk of the yeast is gone.