Candida Albicans

yes! i am way too familiar with candida ugh. the best thing i found was avoiding sugar, which is what the candida feeds off. also getting lots of good quality probiotics is extremely helpful because it puts healthy bacteria into your system to help fight off the bad bacteria. i have read a ton of books on different candida diets and the one that helped me the most was the body ecology diet.

http://bodyecology.com/aboutbed.php

feel free to ask me more questions if you want! )

Candida is a fungus. Usually referred to as a yeast because of its morphology or shape. Candida is ubiquitous and a normal part of human's natural flora. It usually does not cause a problem, however sometimes if there is a disruption in the balance of our flora, Candida can over flourish and start to become a problem-the most common complaints being itching, irritation and smell. Depending on the location there are different ways to treat it.
On the skin, typically keeping the location dry and using a topical antifungal for a short time is usually enough. For vaginal candidiasis, or a yeast infection, there are several over the counter antifungal regimens that work well. If there is a change in the vaginal flora, and a decrease in the bacteria that help to keep it acidic(a decrease in lactobacillus and an overgrowth of Gardnerella called Bacterial Vaginosis or BV), then Candida can start to grow out of control. Going to your doctor, they can check for BV and prescribe an antibiotic to correct it.

For systemic candida, you want to avoid antibiotics. It kills the good and the bad bacteria in your system.

yikes! taking antibiotics is not a good idea when you have candida as it can make candida worse because antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria, but they kill the good bacteria too. the good bacteria is what helps keep the candida under control. if you take any medication for candida, it should be anti-fungal medication. but you'll still have to change your diet, especially if you're talking about intestinal or systemic candida overgrowth. the yeast connection is also a very good book to check out.

http://www.yeastconnection.com/

Here is some information about the Candida diet................

Let me fore warn you that doing this diet will kill off the Candida, but the die off can make you feel violently ill...............

You may also want to start taking probiotics too.

The Candida Diet

Some alternative practitioners use diet to address Candida overgrowth. For example, Dr. Crook recommends people with Candida overgrowth follow certain diet guidelines:

Avoid sugar. According to Dr. Crook, sugar promotes the growth of yeast. The total carbohydrate intake per day is often limited. For example, during the initial two to three weeks on the diet, the carbohydrate intake may be restricted to less than 60 grams per day, depending on age, health, activity level, and the extent of food sensitivities. Low-carbohydrate foods such as meat, chicken, turkey, shellfish, non-starchy vegetables, and certain nuts are emphasized instead. As symptoms subside, the carbohydrate total of the diet is often gradually increased.

Avoid foods containing any type of yeast. This includes fermented foods such as bread made with yeast, cheese, tomato paste, mushrooms, and beer. Although Dr. Crook believed that people with Candida overgrowth would also be allergic to other fungi, not all practitioners believe this restriction is necessary.

The length of time on a Candida diet depends on the length of time one has had symptoms and the severity of the symptoms. The general level of health is another important factor to alternative practitioners when recommending a treatment plan.

People who do respond to the diet often report that it takes a minimum of four weeks before any improvement is noticeable. For many, it may take months. Once there is sufficient improvement in symptoms, practitioners suggest slowly reintroducing foods from the restricted list back into the diet.