The following recommendations are by no means complete protocols. Depending on the body’s constitutional weaknesses and reactions, these recommendations can be modified. The key is to stay away from sugar, alcohol, carbohydrates, and dairies as much as possible. At the initial phase, all forms of protein including fish or chicken must be avoided as the main focus is to make candida starve to death.
First Phase—The Candida Cleanse Period (typically one week to 10 days)
- Avoid all grains, especially wheat.
- Avoid all proteins, except coconut milk or almond milk.
- No nuts and all forms of pre-made salad dressings.
- Fruit intake should be minimal.
- Eat steamed organic vegetables as much as one can handle.
- Eat salads made from leafy greens (like romaine lettuce) or bitter greens (like chard) and topped with just a bit of coconut oil and apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice).
- Stay away from starchy vegetables like carrots, radishes, beets, sweet potatoes and white potatoes.
- Drink plenty of pure water, a minimum of 72 ounces per day, to help flush the candida and by-products from the body.
- Use Bentonite Clay to help surround the toxins and efficiently remove them from the body.
- Nutritional supplements such as Grapefruit seed extract, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Garlic extract, Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon, or Oregano will be beneficial.
The Second Phase—The Candida Diet (8 to 10 weeks)
- Re-introduce warm starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, yams, peas, mung beans, lentils, kidney beans, adzuki beans, carrots, beets, corn, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, zucchini, yellow squash, rutabaga and pumpkin.
- One serving a day of grains from quinoa, barley, brown rice, or amaranth.
- Keep eating green leafy vegetables.
- Add cultured dairy, especially kefir. Kimchi, sauerkraut and other fermented foods are also
- Keep staying away from refined carbohydrates and sugars.
- Support the body with Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Milk Thistle, Oregano Oil, Clove Oil, and Grape Seed Extract.
Candida Die-Off Symptoms
If one follows these recommendations, almost everyone will experience candida die-off symptoms. When candidas are being killed off rapidly, they cause metabolic reaction by releasing 70 different toxins into the body. Symptoms of candida die-off include:
- Brain Fog
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Intestinal distress including bloating, gas, constipation and nausea
- Sweating and fever
- Sinus infection
- Skin breakouts (not limited to face)
- Typical flu-like symptoms
These symptoms usually clear up in seven to 10 days.
After all symptoms have subsided, one should continue eating a diet high in protein, high-fiber vegetables, and limit grains, fruits, sugar and high-starch vegetables like white potatoes. Fermented vegetables and kefir are known to help the body stay in balance and keep the candida at bay.