You may have just heard about the Candida diet and you’re not really sure if it’s right for you. There are a few things that can tell you if you are a candidate and if so, how long you can expect to be on the diet. Some people have compared it to the Atkins’s diet, and although it’s not the same, it does have some striking similarities. One big similarity is the use of low-carb vegetables to incur the benefits and another thing both diets have in common is the shocking weight loss that often accompanies the diet.
You should always remember that the Atkins’s diet is usually done as a weight loss diet and the Candida diet is usually done to make the body more healthy, but they work in similar ways and both exclude sugar.
Do You Crave a Lot of Sugar and Carbohydrates?
Candida overload is very much like a sugar addiction. In essence, when you eat sugar, the yeast in your body loves it. It loves it so much, that it sends out a message to you to eat more. You try to be good, you walk by the cookie aisle but then the vending machine at work calls your name and you give in. Every day that you go without breads and sweets, your body gets a little stronger. The challenge is just to make it through those few days, and then the cravings get easier to bear.
If any of the following sounds familiar, you may be an ideal candidate for the Candida diet:
- A yeast infection that did not appear following a bout with antibiotics
- A yeast infection that did not go away with one treatment
- A yeast infection that appeared outside the area it would traditionally be associated with
- Weight gain, unexplained exhaustion, puffiness, PMS symptoms all month
- Irritability and insomnia
When You Should Not Depend on the Candida Diet
You should also keep in mind that a yeast infection can present virtually anywhere on your body. When it appears in your mouth, breast or in the mouth of a baby who is being breastfed, it is usually called thrush, but it is typically an oral yeast infection. If that occurs, it will be very painful for both you and the baby, and will make feeding exceptionally painful. If you or your baby develop symptoms of an oral yeast infection, or one that is related to nursing, you need to seek medical attention immediately for both of you. Sometimes when a baby has a yeast infection, it can be traded back and forth between the mother and the child, and may manifest with a fever. If left untreated, it can lead to other problems as well.
Waiting for the Candida diet to have an effect on you will cause needless suffering for both of you. It could also result in dehydration for the baby, because thrush makes it painful to swallow. Even babies who exclusively drink formula, or only drink from bottles can get this type of yeast infection, it usually appears like milk or formula in the mouth of the baby that does not rinse away.
The other time that it may not be appropriate to depend on the Candida diet would be if your immune system is compromised in some way, from chemotherapy, HIV, AIDS, cancer or another serious health concern. You may still be able to benefit from the Candida diet, but before you depend on it or change any of your medical regime, you should get the approval from a Physician who is familiar with your medical needs and situation.
What Else to Do…and What Not to Do
The biggest rule of dieting is to drink as much water as possible. However, it’s almost more important to stay hydrated on this diet as it is the rest of the time, because you are literally helping your body to flush out the rest of the yeast overflow from your body. Adequate and appropriate amounts of water are crucial to encouraging your body to heal itself.
If you aren’t a big fan of water, you can add some vegetable juice and Stevia to make it a little easier. You don’t want to use one of the artificially sweetened packets of sugar-free powder packets. The artificial sweeteners are likely to make your body start craving sweet, sugar and carbohydrates. Many people have also said that it’s easier to keep drinking water if it is served ice-cold from the refrigerator and already in a reusable water bottle.
If you think you’ll benefit, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Thousands of women all over the world have stepped off of the yeast infection circle, and you can be next.