If you have ever had a problem with yeast, then you know how difficult it can be to get rid of it. The anti-Candida diet is designed to rid the body of the effects and the presence of this type of bacteria.

What Is Candida?

The proper name is Candida albicans. It is yeast that can be a problem in the digestive system. When antibiotics are taken for various infections, they can rob the body of the good bacterial flora that is present. In the absence of the good flora, destructive and unwanted bacteria have a chance to grow and flourish.

Candida can be found in different areas of the body. For one you can find it in yeast infections in the vagina, mouth and under nail beds – any place that is warm and dark is a perfect breeding ground for yeast.

The Diet

Getting rid of a yeast infection can be a vicious cycle. Constant yeast infections in the body can signify a systemic condition. It can affect the health of your immune system. An anti-Candida diet can help to rid the body of the yeast.

The diet is designed to take away the food for the yeast. Thinking of yeast that one would use to make bread rise, warm water helps give the yeast a perfect environment and the sugar activates it.

To get rid of yeast in the body, removing the sugar is the basic idea of the diet. But, there are other places that sugar exists besides simply in the form that we see in the kitchen. Read the labels. Any food ending in “-ose” is a sugar in disguise and not what you want to eat on any diet designed to rid the body of yeast.

What Not to Eat

We have already discussed avoiding sugar in its many forms. Another crucial place where you find sugars is in starchy foods. In the body, these carbohydrates break down into simple sugars. Any sugar is going to keep the Candida infection alive in the body. Avoid refined pastas, potatoes, white bread and anything made with white flour.

Some dairy products can hide sugars. If you like yogurt, be aware that flavored kinds can contain sugar and sabotage your efforts. Go for plain yogurts and those that contain bifidus regularis, acidophilus and other probiotic substances. These are good bacteria that will fight to regain their spot in the intestinal tract.

What to Eat

There are plenty of other foods that can tip the scales back in favor of the good bacteria in your body. Eat plenty of vegetables, lean meat, omega-3 fatty acids, and slightly sweetened fruit (bananas, pears and apples).

Drink plenty of water. Water removes toxins from the body. Taking a multivitamin can help rebuild the immune system along with the foods you are choosing to rebuild the bacterial flora.

An anti-Candida diet can be followed for as long as you need to, until you are sure that your immune system is back on track.