The list of foods you can’t eat is probably easier to go over then the foods you can eat while treating Candida, but let’s start with the simplest answer. You need to avoid anything that is processed or that contains sugar. You need to avoid gluten, chemicals, cheese, chocolate, and carbohydrates. You also can’t have any alcohol at all and you should really avoid dairy at all costs (except yogurt, but I’ll get to that).
That’s pretty limiting, isn’t it?
Ok, so let’s go over what you can eat with Candida.
In terms of vegetables, you need to avoid starches like corn, potatoes, yams, and squash. Aim for non-starchy veggies like asparagus, cabbage, onions, and spinach.
In terms of dairy, you’ll want to avoid most because of the potential for an intolerance or allergy but as long as you are not allergic to casein itself you should definitely incorporate organic or homemade yogurt into your diet. You need the live cultures to help support your digestive health.
While most people lean towards a vegetarian diet, you can have a little bit of meat or fish as long as you are eating organic foods. You can’t have lunchmeat or other processed meats that are full of chemicals and you want to avoid seafood because of chemical contamination; though some sardines or wild-caught salmon may be alright from time to time. Alternative proteins include quinoa and, depending on the candida diet plan you’re following, certain legumes.
Other foods you can have? Look for fresh seasonings, coconut oil, olive oil, almonds, pecans, walnuts, millet, tempeh, sauerkraut (or really any fermented food), and even miso. Just make sure you add each food to your diet one at a time so that you can monitor any reactions related to your Candida overgrowth. Check with the doctor or naturopath monitoring your Candida diet plan if you aren’t sure what to do next!
