Obesity and the inability to lose weight has become a modern day epidemic.  Millions of Americans each year struggle to loose unwanted belly fat despite following a “healthy” diet.   In fact, research conducted in 2015 found that around 93 million adults suffered from obesity (1).

For some, overeating is the main cause of their inability to lose weight and maintain a healthy body mass index.  However, there are others who follow a healthy diet, cut calories, exercise, and do all the right things the weight loss experts tell them but they still cannot lose weight.   This is mainly because the gut microbiome is in a state of dsybosis, and the body is suffering from bacterial and fungal overgrowth’s such as candida.

When this happens, most will go back to their old eating habits and give up hope.  This can lead to a viscous cycle of yo yo dieting and can have long term detrimental effects on health.  Luckily, by re-balancing the gut flora, reducing fungal overgrowth’s such as candida, and eating the correct nutrient dense foods, weight loss can become effortless.

What is Candida?

We’ve covered candida extensively already, so if you haven’t already, be sure to check out our candida home page for full information on the subject.  However, for the sake of time, we will quickly summarize what candida is and how it can affect weight loss.

Candida is a pathogenic fungus that can take over the gut when the conditions are right.  It’s important to understand that everyone has small amounts of candida in the body and it is necessary for optimal health.  However, candida has the ability to morph into a pathogenic fungus which can cause all sorts of problems in the body; the inability to lose weight being one of them.

Sugar and high carbohydrate foods are the biggest culprits when it comes to candida overgrowth in the body.  This is because the primary fuel source of candida is sugar.  Without high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates, candida cannot replicate and is forced to return into its non-pathogenic yeast form.

Candida, Hormones, and Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, hormones play an extremely important.  Typically when an individual is struggling to lose weight, imbalanced hormones often part of the issue.  The most common hormonal issue in those struggling to lose weight is thyroid disorders.

The thyroid is a small gland that is extremely important and is needed for proper production of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).  When the thyroid is healthy, it releases proper amounts of TSH and metabolism remains high.  However, when the thyroid becomes sluggish, it does not release the proper amounts of TSH and metabolism inevitable becomes sluggish.  This can lead to a reduced ability to lose weight and cause symptoms such as low energy levels and fatigue.

In fact, research has shown that candida can have a negative effect on the thyroid and those with a candida infection are more at risk of developing thyroid cancer (2).  The best way to protect your thyroid is to make sure you are obtaining enough iodine daily and to follow a nutrient dense diet. 

Diets full of animal foods such as organs and bone broths, natural sugar such as raw honey, sea salt, and small amounts of vegetable foods can be great for protecting the thyroid and getting it to function properly.  Also, small amounts sea vegetables daily can provide the body with more than enough iodine. 

The Worst Foods for Weight Loss

Since the inability to lose weight is typically due to a bacterial or fungal overgrowth such as candida, all foods that feed candida need to be eliminated.  Many may struggle in the beginning when first removing these foods from their diet.  However, overtime, the body will feel much better and will run much more efficiently.  Below is a small list of foods that should be avoided if you’re struggling to lose weight.

• Processed Foods
• High Carbohydrate Foods
• Sugar
• Sugary Fruits
• Soda
• Fruit Juice
• Desserts

The foods listed above are extremely high in sugar and will effectively feed the candida fungus in the body.  This will make weight loss almost impossible, even if you are eating low calories. 

For those interested in following a powerful nutrient dense diet, we highly recommend you check out our candida diet protocol page.  We’ve done all the hard work for you and have laid out an easy to follow protocol that is broken down into three phases.   This protocol was designed to eliminate candida and get the body running at peak performance again.

Foods for Weight Loss that don’t feed Candida

At this point you are probably thinking what you can eat that won’t feed candida!  Luckily, there are several different foods that are more suited for the human body.  Unlike sugar, these foods will not feed candida.  In fact, if we look into nature, we can see that high sugar and high carbohydrate foods were never part of the design. 

Interestingly, the most abundant food in nature is animal foods.  It’s for this reason that animal foods were a staple in early Native Americans living off the land and of our ancestors.  These foods are extremely nourishing to the body on both the physical and cellular level.  They provide every single nutrient needed for survival and optimal health.  They’re also free from plant toxins and anti-nutrients which can inflame the gut and cause nutritional deficiencies in the body.  Also, animal foods contain no sugar and will not feed pathogenic yeast and fungus in the body.

As mentioned before, animal foods are the most abundant food in nature and the most nutrient dense.  It’s for this reason that following a diet based around high quality animal foods is highly recommended for anyone dealing with both weight loss issues and candida. The following foods are highly recommended for anyone dealing with candida overgrowth in the body and struggling to lose weight.

• Grass-Fed Organic Animal Organs (liver, kidney, heart)
• Organic Grass-Fed Animals
• Pastured Eggs
• Raw Honey
• Raw Cheeses (if well tolerated)
• Low Carbohydrate Vegetables
• Seasonal Non-Hybridized Fruits
• Milk and Water Kefir
• Small Amounts of Nuts and Seeds
• Real Maple Syrup

You may have noticed that both raw honey and maple syrup were included on this list.  Although they both are fairly high in sugar, they are also both extremely high in anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.  In small amounts, these two foods can help an individual deal with cravings and provides nourishment to the body unlike white sugar.

Fruits, Weight Loss, and Candida

How many times have you heard before that fruits are healthy and should be eaten for both weight loss and optimal health?  However, many fail to recognize that modern day fruit is extremely high in sugar and no longer contains any of its bitter and sour constituents.  These bitter and sour flavors are what give fruit its medicinal value.  It’s for this reason that you will never find big, sugary, and sweet fruits growing naturally in the wild.

All wild fruit is naturally low in sugar, contains seeds, and is not overly sweet.  Also, it should be noted that fruit is a seasonal item and not something that was to be consumed year round.  Unlike animal foods which were always available, fruits only appear for a few months out the year.  If we use this observation and what we know of past tribes who lived off the land, we come to the conclusion that fruits should only make up an extremely small part of the diet.

Also, as mentioned before, modern day fruit contains far too much sugar.  The example we like to use is the banana.  Wild bananas are very small, contain high amounts of seeds, can reproduce on its own, and it’s not overly sweet.  Unfortunately, we see the complete opposite when we look at modern day bananas.

As a rule of thumb, always consume fruits that are in season, that contain seed, and that have not been overly hybridized.

The Best Recipes for Candida and Weight Loss

Many are under the misconception that only boring meals can be consumed when trying to lose weight and get rid of candida.  Luckily, this cannot be further from the truth.  We have put together an amazing candida recipe book with over 20 different delicious recipes which are great for both candida and weight loss.

These recipes use traditional foods and are all very low in sugar.  These recipes are designed to boost nutrition in the body and give it what it needs in order to repair.  These recipes are also excellent for the gut and can help improve the health and integrity of the microbiome.  This all can make weight loss much easier and more effective!