Systemic yeast infections are a hallmark of autoimmune and thyroid disease — the two often go hand in hand with yeast overgrowth or fungal infections. In order to improve your thyroid numbers and immune function, eliminating the yeast in your body — and the foods that feed yeast — is essential.
Anti-candida (ie: yeast) diets vary in severity, but the most important points to remember on any anti-yeast elimination diet are:
- avoid sugars — even natural ones (like honey or maple syrup), high-sugar fruits, and also artificial sweeteners
- avoid anything that is inherently moldy or a mushroom itself (ie: moldy food, mushrooms, truffles, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, old spices)
- avoid vinegar and condiments made with vinegar (mustard, mayo, ketchup)
- avoid food allergens — most commonly gluten and dairy, but also avoid any other allergens you react to
- avoid high starch foods — grains, beans, legumes
- avoid processed meats and low-quality proteins — choose organic, wild-caught, pastured, grass-fed proteins
- avoid refined fats and oils (ie: canola, soy, sunflower)
- add probiotic foods
- avoid chemicals in your food, water, and beauty/hygiene routine
- usually there is an underlying food sensitivity that needs to be addressed. “untreated” food intolerances can and will feed yeast in the body. common examples: gluten intolerance, egg or airy intolerance, oxalate sensitivity, phenol sensitivity, histamine intolerance, etc. so yes, elimination of known allergens is important, but consider which foods you may also be sensitive to and eliminate those.
Keep in mind that going too low-carb can actually slow your thyroid, so a strictly ketogenic diet (no carbs, even in the form of low-sugar fruits and root vegetables) is not ideal or the goal. Candida takes time to eliminate and chances are, if it’s causing you trouble (ie: thyroid or autoimmune symptoms) it’s already pathogenic and will need months or years to get rid of. Be patient and don’t rush the process. Stress can and will give yeast a better opportunity to proliferate. Shorter “cleanses” — where the diet is followed for a month or two — can be useful as well if you don’t feel comfortable committing to a long-term diet upfront.
anti-candida meal ideas:
- B: smoked salmon and fried egg with sauteed zucchini and bell peppers, or cucumber slices
- B: bacon (high quality with no additives) and roasted sweet potato with toppings you like (coconut butter or ghee, caramelized onions and spinach)
- B: sausage (high quality with no additives) and eggs with a low-glycemic fruit and coconut flour bread
- B: chia seed pudding with unsweetened coconut milk, cinnamon, and berries of your choice (or also use coconut butter to make it more rich)
- L: leftover salmon with plantain chips and salsa and guacamole
- L: simple tuna salad (lemon, fresh herbs, water-packed olives, olive oil) over lettuce and veggies
- L: homemade beef chili (meat, veggies, fat, broth, and spices) topped with green onion and zucchini “pasta” if you like
- L: homemade baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant, garlic, onion, pureed with lemon, olive oil, sea salt, and tahini if you like) with veggie chips and roasted chicken
- D: middle eastern meatballs (ground pork, onion, cilantro and basil, curry powder) with roasted beets, and raw vegetable sticks and garlic-hemp seed dipping sauce
- D: grain-free salmon cakes with water-packed olives and roasted red peppers served over a salad, with roasted spaghetti squash
- D: seared scallops or shrimp with roasted carrots, parsnips and onions, served with sauerkraut
- D: lettuce wraps of bacon, roasted chicken, tomato, onion, leftover baba ghanouj on romaine lettuce leaves with sweet potato chips
