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Candida Diet Questions

Candida Diet Questions

I received the following questions from a site visitor about the Candida Diet and the probiotic Xtralac. Here’s what Mark had to say:

Hello Cynthia, I have severe Candida and need a little help with my diet.

Can I eat:

Tomatoes?

Chickpeas?

Kidney beans?

Buckwheat flour?

And what can I eat for breakfast because I am a little stuck at the moment. I eat gluten free rice flake porridge, but I don’t suppose that’s allowed.

I just started taking an anti-fungal called Xtralac. It’s like Threelac to kill the Candida and it’s so strong. Now I have a real tightness in my chest, breathing difficulties, extreme fatigue and I get out of breath easy. I have also lost more weight since taking it but not sure why though.

Any help would be great.

Kind Regards Mark

Hi Mark,

You’re not alone; many people struggle to figure out the Candida Diet.

Tomatoes – Tomato is in the nightshade family, and nightshades contain a variety of naturally occurring pesticides, such as alkaloids, lectins, and saponins. They protect the plants from predators and can be problematic when consumed by humans, especially people with Candida. They may need to be eliminated or moderated by people with Candida, food sensitivities, autoimmune disorders, or leaky gut. Additionally, most processed tomato products found in the can or jar are preserved with a manufactured source of citric acid that is derived from yeast, which can destroy healthy bacteria in the gut and encourage yeast overgrowth.

Chickpeas and Kidney Beans – These are legumes, and all legumes are very high in carbs, which means Candida will feast on them. Additionally, legumes contain a variety of anti-nutrients that can contribute to nutritional deficiencies, leaky gut, and autoimmune disorders. They should be avoided.

Buckwheat flour – This flour is better than wheat flour, so if you’re going to make something that requires flour this is a better choice. However, buckwheat is very high carb, so it is going to feed Candida. It should be avoided the majority of the time.

You can find more in-depth information on my Paleolithic Diet page in regard to these issues.

What Can You Eat for Breakfast?

One of the first steps we must take when following the Candida Diet is to disregard old ways of thinking about food. We must let go of the standard way we are accustomed to eating.

Sitting down to a big bowl of cereal is not a good choice regardless of whether it is a bowl of Wheaties or a bowl of rice flake porridge. They are both high in carbs and this will give the yeast a very big and delicious meal to devour and will probably incite a vast amount of Candida symptoms. Not only that, it spikes blood sugar and insulin levels. Rice, in all its forms, should be avoided. Check out my Whole Grain Lie page for more information on these issues.

Breakfast, just like all your meals on this diet, should be very low in carbohydrates. It should be rich in animal protein and contain a moderate amount of low carbohydrate vegetables.

A good breakfast, regardless of whether you have Candida or not, might include the following:

– Eggs with green peppers. Green peppers could be replaced with spinach, hot peppers, broccoli or any other low-carb vegetable you prefer.

– Baked chicken breast and green beans.

– Ground turkey with spinach.

– Ground buffalo with steamed zucchini.

– Beef hamburgers with a salad.

Check out this article and this article for more breakfast ideas.

Should You Take Xtralac?

In regard to the Xtralac, I don’t have personal experience using this particular product and I haven’t had any clients who did so either. However, when I look over its ingredients, I see that it contains Enterococcus faecalis, which can become pathogenic. This ingredient is also contained in Threelac, which I’m not in favor of consuming. I got very sick from Threelac and I’ve talked with lots of other people who have as well. According to researchers at the University of Texas, “Enterococcus faecalis accounts for approximately 5%–8% of hospital-associated bacteremia and approximately 5%–20% of all cases of endocarditis.”

If it makes you that sick, perhaps you should reevaluate whether you should continue taking it. I wouldn’t take it with that kind of symptoms. You can read more about Enterococcus faecalis on my Threelac page.

It is also possible that you’re symptoms are die-off. In myself and the people I’ve talked to who got sick with Threelac, the symptoms are different from what you describe. We had symptoms that seemed to be a bacterial infection. Your symptoms sound like they could possibly be die-off, but I can’t say for sure. However, it’s also important to keep this in mind.

A certain degree of die-off is good and acceptable, however, if you become very sick or incapacitated, then that isn’t good for the body. The liver can only process so many toxins at a time. It can get very overloaded with toxins during die-off. When this happens, it is usually best to cut back on whatever antifungal is causing the situation and go at a slower pace so the body can keep up or switch to a less potent antifungal and work your way up to a more powerful one.

If you need more help with the Candida Diet or have other questions about Candida, I offer consultations by phone. You can learn more about that by looking at my Holistic Counseling page.

Additionally, I have a great little PDF handbook called Candida Secrets that will provide you with a broad overview of all the facets related to yeast overgrowth and the best way to approach treatment. Inside this book, you’ll also find a coupon for a discount on your initial phone consultation if you still need further assistance, and it comes with recipes and meal plans.

You can also take a look at my new book on Candida, which is available in paperback. It is more comprehensive and covers issues like SIBO, parasites, sympathetic dominance, adrenal fatigue, and more.

26 thoughts on “Candida Diet Questions”

  1. Actually the ingredients of Threelac and Xtralac are diffrent. Threelac has Enterococcus Faecalis whereas Xtralac uses Enterococcus Faecium. Enterococcus Faecium is the much better understood and researched of these two ingredients and I do not think its saftey is really in question.

  2. Hie,

    Is it possible to rid yourself of the fungus without taking any antifungal preparation?-Like through probiotics, the diet and perhaps exercise.

  3. Hi Kevin,

    Although diet, probiotics and exercise can help reduce symptoms of Candida overgrowth drastically, it usually isn’t possible to eliminate it completely without also using antifungals.

    Some people who have a very mild case, may be able to do so, but not most people.

    Best
    Cynthia

  4. Hello, thanks for sharing this information.

    I’m a male with candida and would really appreciate your advice on:

    OATS, I make my own porridge from oats, nuts, berries and coconut milk and eat this every night before bed. If I don’t, I get very hungry and have trouble getting to sleep. I’m naturally slim with a fast metabolism. I have tried eating protein instead – such as egg or just the nuts etc but nuts by themselves are not filling and the eggs were too heavy I found. I can’t eat dairy so it doesn’t leave me with many choices!

    1. Hi Mathew,

      Well in my opinion that is way too high in carbohydrates. It contains all the foods that Candida loves. An effective Candida diet eliminates almost all carbohydrates and consists of meat and vegetables.

      If I ate that before going to bed I would be awake all night with Candida symptoms like anxiety, heart pounding and hyperactivity in my brain. Then I’d fell like crap in the morning.

      Typically a meal like that is a prime source of food for Candida. All those carbohydrates break down into sugar in the body and feed yeast. As a general rule, most people would be symptomatic with a meal that high in carbohydrates.

      However, everyone is different. The level of yeast overgrowth, the strain of Candida, the gut integrity, metabolism, digestion, genetics etc. will all impact how one responds to foods. Some people can eat more carbohydrates than others.

      You gauge what you should eat and shouldn’t eat by how your body responds to each food or foods. If you don’t have an increase in symptoms when you eat that many carbohydrates, then perhaps your body can process it. If you’re not noticing an improvement in Candida, then adjustments would have to be made.

      I eat meat, like chicken breast, buffalo patty, ground beef or turkey and steamed vegetables before I go to bed. This helps me sleep and keeps my blood sugar stable.

  5. Hi there, Another candida sufferer here. Didn’t know what was going on for the past year – gyming everyday and not knowing what was going on – not losing a pound, severe bloating and wind, constant fatigue, headaches, etc. Went to a nutropatth/kineologist and she told me I’m riddled with Candida! Taking an anti fungal suplement now but I was hoping you could review my diet that I have concurred to beat the candida

    Breakfast: 2 eggs and cup of hot water with lemon

    Snack: Soya Yoghurt and green tea

    Lunch: Tuna and 50g brown rice salad (cucumber, tomatoes, onion, grated garlic and grated ginger) tblsp olive oil or balsamic vinegar

    3pm: cup of fennel tea

    Dinner: Meat/chicken/fish with brocolli, asparagus and peppers.

    8pm: fennel tea

    How does this sound?? Any advice would really help! Regards – Caroline

    1. Hi Caroline,

      The diet should consist primarily of meat and low carb vegetables. Meat should be the largest portion of the meal. Eggs are good too. However, eggs shouldn’t be eaten every day or you may develop a food sensitivity to them. You can eat chicken breast, turkey, buffalo, beef etc. with steamed vegetables for breakfast.

      Each meal should consist of meat and vegetables. A small amount of fruit, nuts and seeds are acceptable, if tolerated.

      You can read this page for more on Candida breakfast foods.

      Soy should not be part of the diet, it has naturally occurring substances that are destructive to the pancreas, GI tract, and thyroid. It disrupts digestion and inhibits absorption of nutrients. It’s also high in phytoestrogens which upsets the level of estrogen in the body, leading to or aggravating estrogen dominance.

      Grains should not be part of the diet, or at least very restricted. Especially wheat and others with gluten. They destroy the GI tract and feed Candida. However a little brown rice now and then is not too bad. But it shouldn’t be eaten every day.

      If tuna weren’t contaminated with mercury it would be healthy. However, most fish, including tuna have very high levels of mercury. Mercury in the body aggravates the Candida condition.

      Vinegar should be avoided, it aggravates Candida.

      The diet I recommend is a slightly modified version of the Paleolithic diet. I encourage you to read more about it.

      Nothing wrong with herbal tea, but caffeine should be avoided.

      Best
      Cynthia

  6. Hi Cynthia,

    I’m a vegetarian, (I don’t eat fish either) and finding the candida free diet really hard because I feel tired easily. Any tips on some more stodgy-type foods to make me feel full and of energy? (I do eat potatoes, but try to avoid not eating them everyday)

    I assume quorn is not ok to eat because it is made of mushroom protein.

    Any suggestions appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Alex

  7. I’m a vegetarian and I’m finding that the beans that I love (anything high in carbs) gives me that awful rosacea feeling, so I’m guessing its fueling the candida (I knew I had rosacea before the candida issue, long before). Any resources out there for vegetarians wanting a low carb, high protein diet? I do eat eggs (have my own pet chickens!)

    1. Admin - Cynthia Perkins

      No it is not. A low fat diet is the worse thing you can do for yourself. Calorie counting is useless. The key is to return to the diet that the human body is supposed to have, which is high in animal protein and non-starchy vegetables, a small amount of nuts, seeds and fruit, and a healthy intake of fat. The Paleolithic diet is the diet I recommend. You can learn more on these pages

      https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/paleolithic-diet/

      https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/good-carbs-bad-carbs/

      https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/insulin-resistance-symptoms/

      https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/creating-healthy-diet-plan/

      Cynthia

  8. Hi Cynthia,

    “Enterococcus Faecalis – an opportunistic pathogen. Found in Threelac. I got very sick from Threelac and I’ve talked with lots of other people who have as well. I developed a bacterial infection and my Candida flared terribly.”

    I found this info. in your article interesting because I too feel I got and intestinal infection from taking Threelac four years ago.
    What did you do to get rid of yours. I’m seeing a gastroenterologist but no answer yet.
    Thanks, Becky O.

  9. Howdy! I too am struggling with eradicating candida while at the same time dealing with lupus. I have been juicing for a few months now… Mostly greens, celery, cukes, parsley, ginger, Granny Smith apples and a few carrots. I am worried now maybe this juice is toying with my blood sugar and thus candida?! I would sooo appreciate your input ! Thank you dearly

    1. Admin - Cynthia Perkins

      Hi Ann,
      Juice with apples and carrots is high in sugar. Yes, indeed, it will feed Candida and affect blood sugar. The diet should consist primarily of animal protein and fat and a moderate amount of low-starch vegetables. This will not only help Candida, but Lupus as well. Diet is in detail on the following page.

      https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/candida-overgrowth-diet/

      Best
      Cynthia

  10. Nadine Nuchovich

    Hi,

    I was wondering what the thoughts are on eating rice? Particularly red or black rice vs white or brown?

    Thanks,
    Nadine

    1. Admin - Cynthia Perkins

      All rice is high in carbs and feeds candida. Does not matter what color it is. All rice should be avoided.

  11. Trying to paleo and avoid dairy due to Candida isssues.
    Suprised to get adverse reaction almost immediately to Blue Diamond Almond-_Coconut Milk, including dizziness, sinus pressure, brain fog.
    Why is this not safe? It is dairy free / paleo safe… I seem to do fine eating almonds whole/plain.
    Which ingredients may be causing this Issue?
    -Almonds
    -Coconutmilk
    -Calcium Carbonate
    -Natural Flavors
    -Potassium Citrate
    -Sunflower Lechithin
    -Gellan Gum
    -Vitamin A Palmitate
    -Vitamin D2
    -D-Alpha-Tocopherol

    1. Admin - Cynthia Perkins

      Hi Sven,
      Nuts feed Candida, it could be that the whole nut is not as problematic for you as the milk of the nut combined with the coconut milk. Also, as far as the ingredients, natural flavors could stand for anything, so that could be sugar or some other kind of substance.

      Also, you may want to look into whether you have SIBO in addition to Candida. Gellan gum, coconut, and nuts feed SIBO. You can learn more on the following page.

      https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/sibo-101-a-comprehensive-guide-to-small-intestinal-bacterial-overgrowth/

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