The quality of your health depends upon many pieces that not only include the health of your bodily systems, but also include healthy diet, exercise, and spirituality.

Diet. Treatment of Candida centers on reversing the imbalance of intestinal flora. This involves:

• Adjusting the diet so the Candida yeast is deprived of and cannot feed upon sugar or simple carbohydrates.
• Adding “friendly” bacteria (probiotics) into the diet so that the “good bugs” have a chance to re-establish dominance.
• Recovering from the nutritional deficiencies caused by the Candida overgrowth.²

Dietary recommendations for Candida include:

• Add ground flax meal to your diet to promote digestive regularity.
• Add saturated fats to your diet that have antimicrobial properties such as organic extra virgin coconut oil.³
• Increase your omega-3 essential fatty acids by selecting ground flax meal, wild-caught salmon, minimal-mercury albacore tuna, fish oil, avocados, and sprouted walnuts.⁴
• Add nutrient-dense and unprocessed foods such as sprouted nuts and seeds to your diet.  
• Eat plain, organic, unpasteurized yogurt with no added sugar twice a day (unless you are allergic to dairy). Yogurt is highly beneficial because it contains probiotics (“friendly” bacteria). Check the label for “live, active cultures.” The “friendly” bacteria in yogurt can also fend off the bad bacteria in your mouth and reduce bad breath, gingivitis, and plaque.⁵
• Eat at least one crushed garlic clove per day, or take a quality supplement that contains stabilized allicin. The act of crushing garlic releases allicin, a substance that has antimicrobial and antifungal properties.⁶
• Drink purified water throughout the day.

Foods to AVOID include:

• All simple or refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, crackers, etc.) – Read more about good carbs and bad carbs.
• All foods containing refined sugar or synthetic sugar-substitutes such as aspartame, Splenda^®, etc.^7,8 Choose a natural sweetener like Xylosweet instead.
• Alcoholic beverages in excess since they hinder the functioning of the immune and digestive systems
• Fermented foods such as cheese and wine
• Excessive caffeine intake – While moderate amounts of caffeine may be beneficial, excessive consumption can disrupt the body’s systems, causing insomnia and digestive irregularity (constipation or diarrhea).
• Fungi such as mushrooms
• Carbonated soft drinks that alter blood pH levels
• All fruits and fruit juices
• Pickled foods
• Bottom crawlers such as oysters, clams, and lobster that may contain toxic levels of mercury
• Deep-sea fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish that may contain toxic levels of mercury. Choose minimal-mercury albacore tuna instead.  
• Farm-raised fish that contain PCBs and not enough omega-3 essential fatty acids, due to their land-based diets. Choose wild-caught salmon instead.
• Yeast and wheat products (breads, crackers, pasta, etc.) that contain gluten
• Sodium nitrite found in processed foods such as hot dogs, lunch meats, and bacon
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) found in many foods as a flavor enhancer
• Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) found in many processed foods, deep-fried foods, fast food, and junk food – Read more about good fats and bad fats.

Exercise. Walking helps move the bowels and promotes a healthy digestive system. A daily 20-minute walk in sunlight is a free, easy exercise that boosts healthy body system functions. Walking is particularly helpful as a starting exercise for those who have been sedentary for a long period of time, and need to just get started.

Other tips for Candida sufferers

• If you have silver fillings, get an evaluation from a mercury-free dentist who specializes in the safe removal of mercury amalgam fillings. Mercury in the body damages immune cells, which then lose their ability to ward off invaders like Candida.⁹ Find a mercury-free dentist in your area now!
• If you need help covering the costs of getting your "silver" fillings removed safely, the Jigsaw Health Foundation may be able to assist you. Read more about the Jigsaw Health Foundation.

1. Candida Overview
2. Common symptoms of candida
3. Common causes of candida
4. Help me choose a natural and alternative treatment for candida
5. Conventional or prescription medications used in the treatment of candida
6. Cited Sources and Additional Reading for candida