Is designed to starve the yeast, which thrives on sugar and simple carbs. The diet emphasizes lean protein, healthy fats, and leafy, cruciferous vegetables.
Foods to Eat on the Candida Diet
- Wild fish& seafood
- Grass-fed beef
- Pasture-raised poultry, including chicken
- Eggs
- Quinoa
- Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts-limited as they can be gas givers by nature.)
- Leafy greens ( steamed/sautéed kale, chard, spinach, collard greens, dandelion)
- Non-starchy vegetables (bok choy, asparagus, zucchini, onions, shallots)
- winter squashes (less sweet is better)
- Spices
- Lemon
- Some kinds of fruit, including tomatoes and berries like strawberries and raspberries.
- Nuts (except cashews)
- Seeds
- Herbs
- Avocado
- Olive oil and olives
- Coconut oil
- Bone broth
- 100% Chocolate
- Water
- Herbal Teas, Rooibos, Green tea
Foods to avoid on an anti-candida diet
- Flour-based foods (pizza, bread, bagels, tortillas)
- Sugars and sweetened foods (ice cream, candy and a many savory foods have sugar added- read the label)
- Vinegar, including apple cider vinegar, which may be reintroduced around week four
- Mushrooms
- Dairy
- Alcohol, particularly beer, Champagne, and hard ciders, which are fermented or made with yeast and wine which is high in sugars.
- Fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, which may be reintroduced around week four)
- Legumes (black and red beans, garbanzo, peanuts)
- white potato
- corn, peas
Surprised to see fermented foods listed?
Here is why:
Fermented foods are prepared using either alcohol or lacto-fermentation processes in which bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms break down the sugar and starch in food and convert it into lactic acid. The problem is that this is hardly a clean and neat process. While good bacteria or probiotics are present, bad bacteria and yeast are also present during the fermentation process.
If you have Candida, I recommend eliminating fermented foods that feed Candida and replace them with whole, nutrient-dense foods.
A 7-Day Sample Meal Plan for the Candida Diet
Day 1
Breakfast Smoothie (see above)
alternatively: Acorn squash (or Eggs) with spinach sautéed in coconut oil
Brunch steamed baby kale and spinach toped with sunflower seeds and sweet potato cubes
Lunch Shredded turkey breast on a bed of greens with a lemon-olive oil vinaigrette
Dinner Salmon, quinoa and zucchini
Day 2
Breakfast Smoothie
or Frittata Delicata squash with asparagus and cherry tomatoes
Brunch nut&seed bread (as seen @Nectarine grove bakery in Encinitas), smoked salmon on avocado topped with cucumber
Lunch Creamy chicken salad wrapped in steamed collard greens
Dinner Shrimp with asian stir-fry veggies (a TJ’s hack)
Day 3
Breakfast scrambled egg whites with steamed rainbow chard
Brunch tortilla (coconut based) wrap filled with salmon, asparagus, steamed collard green and drizzled with mustard cilantro dressing
Lunch sautéed Kale in olive oil, topped with olives, sliced almonds, and roasted veggies
Dinner Meatballs over zucchini noodles with pasta sauce
Dessert : chocolate/avocado or young coconut meat mousse (puree avocado/coconut meat with cacao powder, dash salt, cayenne and stevia or plenty cinnamon)
Day 4
Breakfast nut-based pancakes with berries
Brunch Avo/chocolate mousse (because you made plenty;>)
Lunch Piece of veggie frittata, topped with Tuna-salad
Dinner Chicken satay and crudites dipped in spicy almond-butter sauce
Day 5
Breakfast Smoothie
Brunch sweet potato&steamed Swiss chard topped with Sacha Inchi (Imlak’esh brand) or Salmon
Lunch Tuna niçoise salad
Dinner Roasted skin-on chicken, sautéed peppers, onions, and kombucha squash
Day 6
Breakfast smoothie
Brunch (egg or) Red Kuri squash scramble with veggies
Lunch Chicken/vegetable soup
Dinner Zucchini boats stuffed with ground turkey and topped with tomato sauce
Day 7
Breakfast smoothie
Brunch Avocado omelet with salsa
Lunch Turkey patties with a side of sautéed broccoli and cherry tomatoes on spaghetti squash
Dinner Baked cod with green beans and quinoa
Mix and match the order of meals. The smoothie can be your last and lightest meal of the day, as to prepare for rest and repair, aka sleep.
Have a cup of bone broth before bed.
Its all in the sauce
Mix in blender
Dressing#1:
garlic cloves
parsley
water
Meyer lemon juice
almond butter
dash salt
Dressing#2:
Cilantro
Avocado
Dijon Mustard (no sugar added)
water
Dressing #3:
olive oil
pomegranate powder
Sacha inchi
water