What types of vegetables can I eat on the candida diet?
Loading up on vegetables is a great diet strategy. Vegetables are full of essential vitamins and nutrients and are a great choice for any healthy diet, but are all vegetables the same? Believe it or not, some vegetables may not be suitable for certain types of diets. The candida diet is one of those diets where you have to pay special attention to what kind and how much of certain vegetables you eat. To understand what types and why you should eliminate or reduce certain vegetables, you must first understand what the purpose of the anti-candida diet is.
A candida diet is the cornerstone of treatment for a condition known as candidiasis. Candidiasis is a condition in which Candida albicans, a typically benign type of yeast, becomes an opportunistic organism in the intestinal system. Candida albicans is an innate part of the microflora of the intestinal system, which ideally will work in harmony with “friendly” types of bacteria to keep the body healthy. Unfortunately, external factors such as overuse of antibiotics, steroids, oral contraceptives, stress, and a diet high in processed foods/sugary foods often cause Candida albicans to overgrow. When this happens, an abundance of toxins are released into the body and cause a variety of seemingly unrelated health problems. Symptoms of candidiasis include, but are not limited to, chronic yeast infections, chronic sinus infections, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. The candida diet seeks to cut off the food supply for Candida albicans by eliminating the food that promotes its growth. While the main culprits are sugar, vinegar, fermented foods, sticky grains, and fast-acting carbohydrates, there are other foods that the anti-candida diet guidelines recommend eating in moderation. Complex grains and high-starchy vegetables fall into this category because all of them, although they don’t break down into sugar as quickly as simple carbohydrates, actually do break down into sugar and feed candida. So which vegetables can we eat freely and which should we eat in moderation during the anti-candida diet?
Vegetables for free eating
Bulbous vegetables such as chives, garlic, leeks, onions, chives, shallots, and water chestnuts are great choices for a candida diet. This group of vegetables can be used to add flavor and texture to dishes, and onions and garlic in particular have antifungal properties that help fight Candida albicans. Flowering vegetables such as artichokes, broccoli, broccoli and cauliflower make great side dishes. Use it leafy vegetables such as arugula, brussels sprouts, cabbage, chicory, cabbage, endive, lettuce, kale and spinach to complement main dishes and create delightful salads.
fruit vegetables, which include avocados, cucumbers, eggplants, okra, peppers and pumpkin will help you create delicious dishes without yeast. Legumes such as asparagus, celery, chard, fennel and kohlrabi also have a wide variety of uses in the diet.
Vegetables to eat in moderation
The two types of vegetables you should eat cautiously on the anti-candida diet are root and tuber vegetables. Beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams belong to this group. You can still enjoy these vegetables on the anti-candida diet, but plan your meals so that you don’t overload on these types of vegetables.
For more information on living without yeast following the candida diet visit Yeast Free Living.
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