Yahoo Lifestyle This TikTok Viral Diet Promises To Fix Your Gut Issues—But Is It Safe?
If you’re constantly feeling bloated, nauseous, or tend to get recurring yeast infections, it may be a sign to try the Candida diet, a low-sugar, anti-inflammatory diet designed to improve your gut health. The diet purportedly targets Candida (a naturally-occurring fungus in the body) and works to prevent Candida overgrowth, an imbalance that can cause digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, and more.
Anyone can be affected by Candida overgrowth. The most common type is a vaginal yeast infection, which affects 75 percent of people with vaginas at least once in their lifetime, but serious cases of overgrowth that cause infection may impact roughly 25,000 people in the U.S. per year, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Candida is naturally found in your body, but having overgrowth typically refers to an infection of some kind, says Molly Deprenger, RD, is a clinical dietitian with the Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Clinic at Rush University Medical Center. It can be tricky to know if you actually have Candida overgrowth since most health clinics don’t routinely test for it, but you can get a blood test to be sure, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Candida is naturally found in the gut and other parts of the body. But when levels get too high, candida can wreak havoc, says Niket Sonpal, MD, assistant clinical professor at the Touro School of Osteopathic Medicine. It has been linked to conditions like fatigue, oral thrush (marked by white lesions in the mouth), sinus infections, skin infections, UTIs, yeast infections, and digestive issues such as Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), leaky gut, and ulcerative colitis, according to Dr. Sonpal.
Here’s what experts want you to know about trying the Candida diet—and how to know if you have overgrowth in the first place.
Meet the experts: Niket Sonpal, MD, is an assistant clinical professor at the Touro School of Osteopathic Medicine. Bethany Doerfler, RD, is a dietitian at the Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Center. Molly Deprenger, RD, is a clinical dietitian at the Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Clinic at Rush University Medical Center. Laura Purdy, MD, is a family medicine physician and founder of SWELL Medical.
What is the Candida diet?
The Candida diet was developed by health researcher Lisa Richards (who had candida) and naturopathic doctor Eric Wood, ND, per the official website. (Neither responded to requests for comment.) The idea is that treating candida overgrowth requires three elements: probiotics, “natural” antifungals (like berberine and garlic), and, of course, diet. Probiotics are used to reintroduce the "good" bacteria into your system and rebalance your gut, while antifungals kill excessive fungal growth.
The Candida diet itself starts with a “cleanse” that lasts for a few days to a week in order to prepare your body for a new style of eating, per the website. During that time, you can eat non-starchy vegetables, low-sugar fruits, healthy oils, herbs, and spices, and organic eggs.
Following the cleanse, the Candida diet involves eliminating high-sugar fruits like bananas, dates, fruit juices, grapes, mango, and raisins, refined grains, meats and fish, some dairy products, seeds and moldy nuts—essentially, ones that have potential to be higher in mold, like walnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, almonds, and cashews. (FYI: Don’t panic! The FDA allows small amounts of mold in nuts, seeds, and legumes, but it’s not considered a health risk for humans, per Mount Sinai). On the Candida diet, you’ll also eliminate condiments with added sugars, refined and processed vegetable oils, sugars and sugar substitutes, caffeinated or sugary drinks, and alcohol, per the website. Instead, the diet emphasizes non-starchy vegetables, low-sugar fruits, non-glutinous grains, healthy fats, and lean protein.
Signs Of Potential Candida Overgrowth
The best way to determine if you have Candida overgrowth is seeing a doctor. That said, getting tested for Candida probably isn’t a common practice at your doctor’s office, especially since yeast is a normal part of your microbiota, says Bethany Doerfler, RD, a dietitian at the Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Center. But if you’re having symptoms, suspect you have candida overgrowth, and you ask your doctor about it, they’ll probably want to rule out other conditions first—like IBS or pelvic floor dysfunction—before determining that candida overgrowth is the issue, she says.
That said, the signs and symptoms of candida overgrowth can include (but are not limited to) the following, according to Doerfler:
Vaginal yeast infection. Candida overgrowth can also cause vaginal yeast infections or urinary tract infections, which are similarly observed clinically and can be confirmed with lab tests, Deprenger says.
Oral thrush in the mouth and/or esophagus. Symptoms for this include difficulty or pain with swallowing, loss of taste, or cracking of lips. Oral thrush may also be accompanied by cotton mouth and loss of taste, Deprenger says. These conditions can be treated with prescription antifungal medications.
GI symptoms like bloating, cramping, and loose stools. “[Candida overgrowth] can create issues with your gut and digestive issues,” says Laura Purdy, MD, a family medicine physician and founder of SWELL Medical. “When the bacteria is imbalanced, you may experience constipation, diarrhea, and gas,” she says.
Feeling tired or fatigued. Adults with candida overgrowth may also experience being tired, fatigued, or even nauseous, says Dr. Purdy.
Candida Diet Food List
Foods To Eat
Healthy fats, lean protein, low-sugar fruits, non-glutinous grains, and non-starchy vegetables are a key part of the Candida diet, according to the official website. Here are some examples of what to eat:
Beverages: Chicory coffee, filtered water, and herbal teas
Fermented foods: Kefir, olives, sauerkraut, and yogurt
Healthy fats: Flax oil, olive oil, sesame oil, and virgin coconut oil
Herbs, spices, and condiments: Apple cider vinegar, basil, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coconut aminos, dill, garlic, ginger, oregano, paprika, rosemary, salt, thyme, and turmeric
Lean protein: Anchovies, chicken, eggs, herring, sardines, turkey, and wild-caught salmon
Low-sugar fruits: Avocado, lemons, limes, and olives
Low-mold nuts and seeds: Almonds, coconut, flaxseed, hazelnuts, and sunflower seeds
No sugar sweeteners: Erythritol, stevia, and xylitol
Non-glutinous grains: Buckwheat, millet, oat bran, quinoa, and teff
Non-starchy vegetables: Artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, garlic (raw), kale, onions, rutabaga, spinach, tomatoes, and zucchini
Some dairy products: Butter, ghee, kefir, and yogurt, which contain probiotics
Foods To Avoid
Here are some foods to avoid, per the official website:
Alcoholic or sugary drinks: Beer, cider, diet and regular sodas, energy drinks, fruit juices, liquors, spirits, and wine
Caffeinated beverages: Black tea and coffee
Condiments: Barbecue sauce, horseradish, ketchup, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and white vinegar
Glutinous grains: Barley, rye, spelt, wheat
High-sugar fruits: Bananas, dates, fruit juices, grapes, mango, raisins
Processed meats and fish: Processed meats, shellfish, swordfish, and tuna
Moldy nuts and seeds: walnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, almonds, and cashews
Some dairy products: Cheese, cream, milk
Sugar and sugar substitutes: Agave, aspartame, cane sugar, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, and sugar
Potential Benefits Of The Candida Diet
Conditions like IBS, food sensitivities, and other GI conditions can be worsened by inflammation—so, restricting sugar may have some benefits, Deprenger says. If you have an undiscovered gluten sensitivity or a condition like IBS, for instance, trying the candida diet may help you uncover it, she says. The high-protein, low-carb, and low-sugar nature of the diet may also help improve cardiometabolic risk factors and potentially help weight loss, Deprenger says.
By following the Candida diet, you may naturally start to feel better since you’re eliminating FODMAPS, a fancy acronym for foods that can mess with your GI tract. Since following a low-FODMAP diet usually involves limiting foods that contribute to inflammation and GI distress, you’ll probably start eating better and potentially feel better in the process, Doerfler says.
The foods you can have on the Candida diet are pretty healthy overall, says Dr. Purdy. “[The diet] can help your body be healthy, prevent health conditions such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, and be beneficial for weight loss goals, a well-balanced gut, and heart health,” she says.
Potential Risks Of The Candida Diet
Like any diet plan, this one comes with some potential risks. “If the Candida diet is effective for an individual, a side effect could include candida die-off, when candida cells are killed off quickly and endotoxins are released causing an immune response and systemic inflammation,” Deprenger says. Symptoms of candida diet-off can be mild—like a common cold or allergy symptoms—but others can experience nausea, fever, elevated heart rate, and chills, she says. Candida die-off symptoms can usually be relieved with over-the-counter meds like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and antihistamines. Fortunately, symptoms are temporary—they usually run their course and resolve without complications within a few days to a week, but could last longer depending on the severity of your situation.
As with any elimination-based diet, restricting certain foods can deprive you of essential nutrients your body needs. “This diet does limit you from certain foods like dairy, which can have its benefits if you are not specifically dairy intolerant,” says Dr. Purdy. As always, consult with your doctor to go over any questions and concerns and make the right diet choices for your body.
Ultimately, although it’s intended to help you find GI relief, the Candida diet may become restrictive, frustrating, and may not work for everyone, Deprenger says.
Should you try the Candida diet?
If you suspect you have candida overgrowth, experts generally recommend making an appointment with your medical provider. “There are blood tests to evaluate if someone has a systemic fungal infection but those are not typical in our GI patients who present with symptoms of bloating, cramping, and fatigue,” says Doerfler.
Although a short-term elimination diet may help you identify certain foods that trigger unpleasant symptoms, the current “gold standard” for treatment is oral or topical antifungal medications, says Deprenger. “There doesn’t seem to be enough evidence to support a diet-only approach for candida overgrowth,” she says.
Before trying a strict dietary protocol, make an appointment with a gastroenterologist or GI specialist dietitian, Doerfler says. Often, focusing on eating behaviors and diet quality can help improve your symptoms so you don’t have to go eliminating a bunch of foods overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Candida diet work?
The diet may help reduce your chances of yeast overgrowth, but there’s no hard science to back it up. Eliminating simple sugars and carbs (which can be a fuel source for yeast) could help reduce bloating and indigestion, yeast infections, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and gas. However, no formal studies have been done on this exact diet, so there isn’t conclusive evidence to back up any claims that it works, says Doerfler. Ultimately, more research needs to be done to determine the best type of diet for candida, she says.
How long should someone be on the Candida diet for?
You shouldn’t stay on an elimination-based diet for more than four weeks, Deprenger says. During that time, it is important to closely monitor symptom improvement and slowly reintroduce restricted foods (for instance, one new food type per day) to better identify individual triggers. “Individuals may find there are certain elements of the Candida diet that cause improvements and they would likely benefit from continued avoidance of those foods,” but remember, everyone’s body and reaction to foods are unique.
What is the Candida diet cleanse?
Part of the Candida diet involves the Candida cleanse, a detox that supposedly helps “clean out” your intestines, per the website. However, this has not been studied, Doerfler says, and any cleanse is generally unsafe and not recommended. “One protocol for this cleanse recommends drinking only fluids like water and bone broth for a few days (fast) followed by eating mostly vegetables,” she says. “This approach could rev up eating disorders and promote unnecessary restriction.”
To be safe, when embarking on any new diet, always consult with your primary care physician or a registered dietitian first.
Additional reporting by Tianna Soto.
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