What foods make yeast infections worse

Foods That Cause Yeast Infections What to Eat and Avoid

Causes of Yeast Infections

There are several reasons in addition to foods why yeast infections occur:

• Overgrowth of fungus in humid or warm conditions,
• Having a weak immune system,
• Taking antibiotics.

Taking antibiotics causes a decrease in the levels of the healthy bacteria you have in your body, which creates an imbalance in your yeast levels.

So, while they can treat other conditions you might have, taking antibiotics creates conditions where a yeast infection can be seen.

Foods With Yeast

Many foods that contain yeast are among the ones we reach for daily. Most of them are among our favorites and hard for us to cut on.

If you are curious about which foods contain high levels of yeast, here is a list to guide you:

Leavened baked goods:Foods like bread, biscuits, croissants, muffins, and other baked goods.

Some cereals: Certain cereals are made with malt and fermented barley made with yeast. You can find this in ingredients like malt extract or malt syrup.

Candies

Hard Ciders, Beer, and Malt Liquor: While these types of alcohol are known to be high in yeast, all kinds of alcohol have different yeast levels.

While the level of their yeast may vary, the alcohol that is said to have the lowest percentage of yeast is known to be vodka.

Kombucha: A refreshing, condensed-like tea, kombucha is a fermented beverage containing yeast. Yeast is actually what gives its distinct density to it.

Soy sauce, Miso

Grapes and Berries

Foods That Cause Yeast Infections

Below are foods that cause yeast infections, and avoiding them may be beneficial.

If you want to lower your risk of getting a yeast infection, stay away from these foods as much as you can:

Foods high in sugar:Sugar is part of the candida diet, promoting fungus overgrowth. Candy, chocolate, ice cream and syrup, and fructose-rich foods like pomegranates, raisins, prunes, and bananas can be counted among foods high in sugar.

Refined carbohydrates:White bread (eating white bread can also aggravate the existing yeast infection), tortillas, and pasta.

Alcohol:Wine, rum, gin, whiskey, vodka, beer, and every other type of alcohol there is. Alcohol also comes with high sugar content and consequently further triggers yeast growth. Therefore, reducing your alcohol intake can help you a lot when trying to avoid yeast infections.

Saturated fats:Foods like processed meat, butter, cheese, and full-fat dairy.

Foods That Prevent Yeast Infections

While you better avoid eating foods to lower your risk of yeast infection, some foods will help you keep your yeast level balanced.

Here are foods to eat that will help you prevent getting a yeast infection:

Omega 3 and omega-6 fatty acid-rich foods: Nuts, salmon, tuna.

Probiotics: Probiotics help you restore beneficial bacteria in your system. Aside from being very good for us in preventing yeast overgrowth in our gut and mouth, probiotics were found to help combat fungal overgrowth in the vagina.

Garlic: Although some stay away because of the socially unacceptable breath it might cause, garlic is among the foods you can eat to avoid yeast infections.

Coconut oil: Can be used both orally and topically.

Turmeric

Apple cider vinegar: Loved by many and used as a weight-loss supplement when added to your drinking water, vinegar can help treat your yeast infections if you add it to your bathwater.

Effective Diet for Yeast Infections

Your food choices can have a significant role in you getting a yeast infection. But there are tips you can implement to your lifestyle to make the most out of what the nature and food industry offer you.

Cutting Down on Foods That Cause Yeast Infection

If youd want to choose the best for you and do your best to prevent getting a yeast infection, these are the foods to avoid with yeast infections:

• Foods that contain simple sugar
• Fermented foods or drinks
• Rice and white flour

Avoiding these foods helps you keep your yeast levels in check.

If you feel like a lifestyle without these foods would be hard to maintain, not forcing yourself to cut them out entirely but consuming them all in moderate to little doses will also help immensely.

There are always benefits to moderating things, and abstinence can put psychological pressure on you, making it hard to keep up with. Good thing you dont have to do that. Practicing moderation will be helpful enough.

To avoid yeast infections, increasing your intake of fats and healthy proteins will also help a lotpart ways with starchy fruits and vegetables. There are numerous food alternatives to the ones weve listed as to be avoided here that will leave you satisfied and healthy.

What you put in your body affects your health. And to have a healthy body, we should make healthy and beneficial dietary choices.

When it comes to vaginal health, some foods can be super beneficial. Eating these over the rest can help promote a healthy vagina:

Yogurt: With its bacteria content, yogurt helps you keep yeast infections at bay. It keeps your vaginal pH level balanced, shooing away lousy odor, itchiness, and dryness.

Broccoli: This super green helps you avoid even ovarian cancer. Rich in antioxidants, broccoli should be one of your primary food choices to reinstall your vaginal health.

Fish: Rich in Omega-3, fish, can help you prevent endometriosis, which is a condition that affects the health of your ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Eggs: Most people suffering from poor vaginal health were lacking in the Vitamin D department. Rich in Vitamin D, eggs, especially egg whites, should have their place in your diet.

Citrus fruits (oranges, limes, etc.): With their heavy doses of Vitamin C content, citrus fruits can help you lower the risks of recurrent vaginitis. It can reduce their occurrence by half, thanks to their ascorbic acid.

How Does the Wrong Diet Lead To Yeast Infections?

There are many things a bad diet can lead to, and with the wrong diet, your chances of getting yeast infections can multiply. Yeast infections can easily be treated with over-the-counter or prescription antifungal medications, but being cautious about your food choices can also help.

If you notice that your yeast infections are recurring and ask yourself, why do I keep getting yeast infections every month? this might indicate that your diet includes food that doesnt go well with keeping a balanced yeast level for your body. It also may result from your iron deficiency, which can be called anemia.

Yeast thrives in warmth and humidity as well. If you have a very poor diet that causes you to fall under the obese category, you might suffer from excess skin that creates folds between which yeast can settle. As a result, yeast infections can be among many health conditions someone overweight people have to deal with.

If you frequently suffer from yeast infections, you might be overboard with foods promoting yeast overgrowth. Reducing sugar, taking probiotics, and increasing the yogurt you eat can help tremendously. A well-balanced diet can help you avoid yeast infections and other health problems that can lower your overall quality of life.

If you eat foods that contain high levels of sugar, or if you have diabetes, sticking to a healthy diet can help a lot to lower your risk of having yeast infections.

In addition, a probiotic diet and taking probiotic supplements would be highly recommended to those, especially who are on birth pills or antibiotics.

However, a diet as specific as a candida diet is not seen as a must. Any diet that will help you balance your candida levels can be practiced, like managing candida overgrowth.

Regardless of your food choices, if you have yeast infection symptoms like burning, white, clumpy vaginal discharge, itching, or redness, the best thing to do is consult a medical professional. There is no reason to worry, though, as yeast infections are highly treatable with a prescription or over-the-counter medications.

Top Five Foods to Avoid When Treating Candida Overgrowth

Some foods can cause yeast to thrive as they provide the grounds for them to overgrow. If you want to treat Candida Albicans, the top five foods to cause yeast infection can be counted as follows:

Sugar: Processed sugars, including the brown and white ones, are a huge no-no to avoiding yeast overgrowth. Honey, agave, maple syrup, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, malt Lets forget about them all. You can also count other products like packaged seasonings, coffee creamers, and packaged soups among potential sources of sugar.

Simple carbohydrates: White flour and white rice is directly recognized as simple sugar by our metabolism. If you want to avoid yeast overgrowth, crackers, pasta, noodles, and chips should all become a thing of the past.

Yeast: Foods with high levels of yeast can multiply the amount you already have in your body. Staying away from alcohol, fermented products, and almost all types of bread would be highly appreciated by your body. It will thank you.

Mold: Foods with high mold content can contribute to the growth of Candida. From today on, lets stay away from pickled, smoked, or dried meats; cheese, especially the molded ones like Brie or Camembert; pistachios and peanuts; bottled, jarred, or canned fruits and dried fruits.

Mushrooms: Mushrooms are the fungus that we eat. To prevent fungal overgrowth, dont add fungus to your bodily fungusFungus+fungus=way too much fungus to manage.

9 Foods to Avoid if You Have Candida

Candida or yeast overgrowth is an incredibly common condition among those with autoimmune disease, gut issues, fatigue, brain fog, and other chronic health problems.

It occurs when Candida, a form of fungus that lives in your digestive tract, colonizes your gut, overpowering the good bacteria that usually keep it in check. This wreaks havoc on your gut, causing it to become leaky and leading to a huge variety of symptoms, including digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, recurring fungal infections, skin problems, seasonal allergies, and mood swings.

If youre experiencing any of these symptoms, take the short quiz below to determine if Candida overgrowth is the culprit.

Many factors, including medications like antibiotics¹ and birth control, toxins, and stress contribute to Candida, yet diet is often the biggest factor. A diet full of inflammatory, sugary, and processed foods creates the perfect conditions for yeast to thrive and multiply. Although I recommend adding in yeast-fighting supplements there is another key step to fight Candida overgrowth. You must eliminate foods that feed Candida and replace them with whole, nutrient-dense foods. It is one of the most important steps in beating Candida and healing your gut.

Foods that Feed Candida

Whether you have an active Candida overgrowth, youve recently overcome Candida overgrowth, or youre trying to prevent it, here are nine important foods to ditch.

1. Sugar and Sweeteners

This one is a bit of a no-brainer because sugar affects your entire body due to its inflammatory effect on the body, and inflammation is at the root of nearly every chronic illness. Sugar especially affects Candida overgrowth as yeast feeds on sugar. That being said, you will want to cut out all sugar and sweeteners. The key here is avoiding not just the obvious sources such as sodas, candy, cakes, and cookies, but also the sugar lurking in unexpected places, including salad dressings, low-fat packaged foods, protein bars, and more. Make sure to carefully check all of your food labels for hidden sources of sugar while following an anti-Candida diet.

2. Wine and Beer

Hopefully, youre limiting alcohol already, and it is particularly important to cut out beer and wine while getting your yeast in check. Wine is not only fermented (meaning it is made from yeast), it is also high in sugar. And beer, which is also fermented, contains gluten. All of these factors contribute to Candida.

In addition, alcohol can worsen leaky gut, which is one of the most dangerous impacts of yeast overgrowth. It leads to so many other symptoms and health problems as the Candida leaks into your bloodstream in addition to the inflammatory molecules from what you consume. Alcohol also suppresses your immune system, and a strong immune system is needed to not only fight off invaders in your body, but also to keep your yeast population under control.

3. Dried Fruit and Fruit Juices

Although fruits can be part of an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich diet, they are high in sugar and still feed Candida. Dried fruit and fruit juice can be major culprits of yeast overgrowth, especially if you like to snack. They may seem like healthy options, however, theyre not. In addition to natural fruit sugars (which is still sugar, even though its natural!), dried fruit and fruit juice are usually full of added sugars as well. If you find you have a problem with Candida overgrowth, try cutting out all dried fruit and fruit juice. You can still enjoy up to one cup of delicious whole fruits per day!

4. Gluten and Grains

As you know, gluten is highly inflammatory. Its also a grain, and all grains are broken down into simple sugars during the digestive process, which can feed Candida. Thats why I recommend avoiding them entirely (particularly if you have an autoimmune disease) or limiting your intake of them. Ive included some specific tips on exactly how much to limit grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables below.

5. Beans and Other Legumes

Even though beans and legumes provide a great plant protein, they are starchy and feed Candida². Legumes can also be inflammatory to many people because they contain agglutinins. Like grains, legumes can also be difficult for your body to digest, meaning there is more partially digested food in your gut. An overabundance of partially digested food in the intestinal tract provides feeds bacterial overgrowth. I recommend minimizing legumes or eliminating them altogether.

6. Starchy Vegetables

Like fruit, this is one that sneaks by many people. Certain starchy vegetables including acorn squash, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash are considered good sources of carbohydrates. However, once eaten, they are broken down into the sugars that feed Candida³. Focus on eating plenty of leafy greens, and other tasty veggies like Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus.

While following an anti-Candida diet, I advise keeping your combined consumption of grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables to one cup per day.

7. GMO Foods

Glyphosate, the herbicide used on GM crops, is a potent chemical that can attack the bacteria in your gut. The good bacteria that help with digestion and keeping the bad bacteria in check are more likely to be susceptible to glyphosate. While the bad bacteria, including strains that cause salmonella and botulism, are highly resistant to glyphosate⁴. Eating GMO foods can decrease your healthy bacteria and increase the bad bacteria, not only fueling Candida overgrowth, but also contributing to leaky gut, and inflammation.

8. Fermented Foods

This is a hotly debated topic, but I believe that anyone with Candida overgrowth should avoid fermented foods until their yeast population is under control. The prebiotics produced during the fermentation process feed also feeds bad bacteria and yeast. Fermented foods themselves may be high in bad bacteria and yeast! I recommend killing Candida first and then using fermented foods to help restore the good bacteria.

9. Dairy

Dairy does not directly feed Candida, yet it is a highly inflammatory food. Inflammation damages your gut lining, which is already leaky due to an overgrowth of Candida. This allows the yeast to continue escaping into your bloodstream, along with toxins, microbes, and other particles.

Once all of these foreign particles enter your bloodstream, they trigger a fresh wave of inflammation as your immune system tries to neutralize the threats. Until your leaky gut heals, the particles just keep on coming, and this constant level of inflammation can eventually lead to an autoimmune disease.

Do you think you have Candida overgrowth?

BackContinue

Foods That Fight Candida Overgrowth

Ditching the nine foods above will go a long way in starving the yeast so that your good bacteria can restore your guts healthy balance⁵. You can also stock up on the foods that kill Candida to help your body combat the yeast overgrowth. Some of the top foods to help fight Candida include:

• coconut oil
• garlic
• apple cider vinegar
• cruciferous vegetables
• ginger
• olive oil
• cloves
• cinnamon
• wild salmon
• lemon juice

Supplements to Help Eliminate Candida Overgrowth

While adopting a low-carb and anti-inflammatory diet is key to beating Candida overgrowth, diet alone can take up to six months to restore your guts natural balance. Thats why I recommend adding in yeast-fighting supplements while following an anti-Candida diet.

The supplements I use in my clinic are Caprylic Acid and Candifense. Caprylic acid is a naturally occurring fatty acid that comes from coconut oil. Caprylic acid is known for its antiviral and antifungal activity. Candifense also contains a combination of plant-based enzymes that break down the cell walls of Candida and the enzymes in it discourage yeast overgrowth in the gut. Candifense is a safe, effective, and gentle approach to maintaining a healthy balance of microflora throughout the digestive tract.

I also recommend taking a high-quality probiotic to restore your population of good bacteria. These friendly bacteria strains will prevent a future Candida problem and are essential for supporting a healthy gut and immune system.