Has Anyone Tried the Candida Diet?

Options
RobynLB83
RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been suffering with fatigue, IBS, skin rashes and recurrent yeast infections for YEARS! I'm willing to try anything. My diet has become very restrictive as it is. There are a few DOZEN foods I can eat without digestive issues. I was reading about candida, and now I'm wondering if a Candida Diet might help me. It requires me to give up all sugar, which is one of the last things I can eat. Has anyone with similar issues tried this approach? Did it help? Is this strict of a diet maintainable long term? I've done elimination diets of just eating five or six foods for a week at a time to let my IBS symptoms clear up, but I don't know if I can maintain something like the Candida Diet long term.

Replies

  • ksgetfit
    ksgetfit Posts: 13
    Options
    I had extreme bloating, to where at the end of the day I looked pregnant. Then by the next morning the bloating would go down quite a bit. I'm on my fourth day of doing it and am experiencing major "die off" symptoms, yesterday was the worst, as far as brain fog and overall crankiness. However, on the plus side, my stomach has not been bloating up since I've eliminated sugar, wheat and dairy. This diet is very hard for me because sugar wheat and dairy were the main food groups I would eat from on regular basis.
    Best of luck if you decide to try it!
    p.s. I would take a probiotic to help restore some of the good bacteria in your gut.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    Options
    I've been on a modified version for about a week. (I've still eaten small quantities of bananas and potatoes because I exercise heavily and I need carbs from somewhere). My GI symptoms have been nonexistent and I dropped 5 lbs almost immediately (probably just my depleted glycogen), but I have been very tired (like needing to lay down in the afternoon because I'm so fatigued I can't move). I'm guessing it's the drastic cut in carbs. I've also been sort of nauseous. I will give it another week to see if my energy comes back up.
  • ksgetfit
    ksgetfit Posts: 13
    Options
    I was very tired for a few days too. Fatigue is one of the symptoms of die off, so that's probably what you're experiencing.
    Here's so info on die off:
    A strict Candida elimination diet is no easy task to begin with, but it can be made even harder by something called Candida Die-Off. The point when the die-off symptoms kick in is the time when many people prematurely abandon their Candida diet, so its important to be prepared.

    When yeast cells are rapidly killed, a die-off (or Herxheimer reaction) occurs and metabolic by-products are released into the body. The Candida yeast cells actually release 79 different toxins when they die, including ethanol and acetaldehyde.
    Here's a link to a good Candida site:
    http://www.thecandidadiet.com/what-is-candida-die-off/
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    Options
    I was very tired for a few days too. Fatigue is one of the symptoms of die off, so that's probably what you're experiencing.
    Here's so info on die off:
    A strict Candida elimination diet is no easy task to begin with, but it can be made even harder by something called Candida Die-Off. The point when the die-off symptoms kick in is the time when many people prematurely abandon their Candida diet, so its important to be prepared.

    When yeast cells are rapidly killed, a die-off (or Herxheimer reaction) occurs and metabolic by-products are released into the body. The Candida yeast cells actually release 79 different toxins when they die, including ethanol and acetaldehyde.
    Here's a link to a good Candida site:
    http://www.thecandidadiet.com/what-is-candida-die-off/

    Yeah. I've read about the "die off." I'm a little skeptical of the whole theory, and especially of the "die off" part of it because I haven't really come across any kind of study that supports that, and "die off" sounds a little quacky to me. But what the heck, it's a generally good diet regardless, not that far off from my current diet, and if it helps with my symptoms, I don't really care why or how it works.
  • rhogr000
    rhogr000 Posts: 126
    Options
    I have been suffering with fatigue, IBS, skin rashes and recurrent yeast infections for YEARS! I'm willing to try anything. My diet has become very restrictive as it is. There are a few DOZEN foods I can eat without digestive issues. I was reading about candida, and now I'm wondering if a Candida Diet might help me. It requires me to give up all sugar, which is one of the last things I can eat. Has anyone with similar issues tried this approach? Did it help? Is this strict of a diet maintainable long term? I've done elimination diets of just eating five or six foods for a week at a time to let my IBS symptoms clear up, but I don't know if I can maintain something like the Candida Diet long term.

    Diets that call for you to entirely eliminate an entire food group or other ingredient/nutrient (in this case, sugar) are typically classified as fad diets, and, in turn, are probably unsustainable long-term.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
    Options
    Diets that call for you to entirely eliminate an entire food group or other ingredient/nutrient (in this case, sugar) are typically classified as fad diets, and, in turn, are probably unsustainable long-term.

    Not always.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    Options
    I have been suffering with fatigue, IBS, skin rashes and recurrent yeast infections for YEARS! I'm willing to try anything. My diet has become very restrictive as it is. There are a few DOZEN foods I can eat without digestive issues. I was reading about candida, and now I'm wondering if a Candida Diet might help me. It requires me to give up all sugar, which is one of the last things I can eat. Has anyone with similar issues tried this approach? Did it help? Is this strict of a diet maintainable long term? I've done elimination diets of just eating five or six foods for a week at a time to let my IBS symptoms clear up, but I don't know if I can maintain something like the Candida Diet long term.

    Diets that call for you to entirely eliminate an entire food group or other ingredient/nutrient (in this case, sugar) are typically classified as fad diets, and, in turn, are probably unsustainable long-term.

    Okay, but isn't eliminating sucrose (a completely unnecessary and nutritionally empty food) beneficial on its own for a host of other reasons, and why would that not be sustainable? However, yeah, the diet itself is probably more fad than fact. After a little research, it looks like the nausea and fatigue is probably from being in ketosis. I'll stick it out a bit longer, but this is probably another dead end...
  • GrannyGwen1
    GrannyGwen1 Posts: 213 Member
    Options
    Food and Nutrition
    Topic: Has Anyone Tried the Candida Diet?
    BUMP
  • CBell223
    CBell223 Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    I'm guessing you've been to a doctor, but just in case....
    I "self-diagnosed" myself with Candida years ago. Searched out a doctor who treated it (it turns out that was all he treated) and went on the diet. After a complete waste of 5 years, I went to a real doctor and found out what my real problem was and my life changed.
    Since then, my internist and endocrinologist have both told me that Candida is a fad, without much basis in science.
    That's my story/experience. If it helps anyone,,,great. Best of luck to you.
    Carolyn
  • kikih64
    kikih64 Posts: 349 Member
    Options
    I've been seeing a gastroenterologist for about 4 months now...had all the standard GI tests and everything is normal. I still suffer from horrible bloating (I look like I'm about to give birth) and TMI sorry - BM issues, as well as some other random symptoms which if you buy into the Candida overgrowth theory appear to be related. I recently noted that my tongue was a little white too - not sure why I never noticed before, weird. Anyway, I have a call into the doc to see if he'll test me for this. Waiting to hear back.

    I'm thinking even if he says no, or tests are negative it can't hurt to try the diet and take some supplements to see if I feel better. The next thing he wants me to try is gluten free, so that's almost as restrictive anyway.

    I know there hasn't been much scientific proof, and I'd probably feel better cutting out more sugar and refined foods anyway, but I just think there must be something to it if a lot of the alternative and natural health practitioners believe. Mainstream medicine just seems to take a while to catch on, in my opinion.

    Good luck, OP. Here's hoping it works!

Categories