When dealing with a candida overgrowth in the body, the following protocol can work wonders if done correctly and followed strictly.  It’s important to understand that unpleasant symptoms may occur at the beginning of the diet.  These are due to the toxicity that results from the die off bad bacteria.  However, after several days, symptoms typically disappear as the body begins to rid itself of candida and restore balance to the gut.

The Following Protocol is broken down into three phases:

Phase 1: Gut Reconstruction (1 month)

Phase 2: Rebuilding the Body (2 weeks)

Phase 3: Long Term Maintenance Diet (lifetime)

Phase 1 is to be followed for a month and Phase 2 is to be followed for two weeks.  Phase 3 should act as a maintenance diet and should be followed for a lifetime.  We have found that this gives the best overall results.  Also, all foods need to be ORGANIC.  There is absolutely no exception to this rule.

The protocol itself is extremely simple.  However, many give up too early and are unable to reap the full benefits that this diet protocol has to offer.  You owe it to yourself to finally get rid of the candida from your body and start living life to the fullest the way you were designed to!

Below you find a table of the foods to be included in all three phases.  We will go much more in depth into all of these foods below so that you can have a better understanding of why they are part of each phase.

Phase 1: Gut Reconstruction

Phase 1 is the most important part of the entire protocol.  This phase assists in the regeneration of the gut lining that becomes destroyed by a candida overgrowth.  This phase also cuts out all sugars and simple carbohydrates that can possibly feed the candida fungus.  Lastly, it allows the gut lining to properly heal so that the body can begin to absorb and assimilate nutrients.  This results in faster recovery.

Phase 1 Food to Include:

• Grass Fed Bone Broths
• High Quality Animal Products
• Grass Fed Butter ( if tolerated)
• Ghee
• Grass Fed Organ Meats
• Fish Head Soup
• Very Small Amounts Green Vegetables (cooked in butter or coconut oil)
• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
• Small Raw Green Salad
• Extremely Small Amounts of Starches

What about Complex Carbohydrates?

Although complex carbohydrates from plant foods are not necessarily bad, they need to be avoided during phase 1 of the protocol.  This is because candida is an opportunistic fungus which can feed on just about any sugar source even if it’s from complex carbohydrates.  That being said, all carbohydrates break down into sugar in the body.  However, once the gut is healed and candida is put back into its non-pathogenic yeast form, many of these starchy vegetables can be reintroduced into the diet.

What Do I Eat on Phase 1?

As you may have noticed, the phase 1 foods are somewhat limited in what can be consumed.  In fact, this may be a huge shock to some and many may already have doubts in their minds about following the protocol fully.  However, we can assure you that the foods listed above are most nutrient dense and healing foods on the planet.  Without question you could easily and happily survive on the foods above for the rest of your life.  They contain every single vitamin, mineral, and amino acid needed for optimal health.

Below is a small outline of what your meals could consist of daily.  Overtime, if your body allows, you may want to try consuming only 1 or 2 meals a day.  Research has shown that when the body fasts it enters into clean up mode, produces more HGH, and can assist in faster recovery (1). 

Below is simple outline of what your meals should look like while following phase 1 on the protocol.  Also, for more recipe ideas, be sure to check out our Crush Candida Diet Recipe Cook Book!

Breakfast:

1 cup of bone broth
6 oz serving of animal protein
sea salt

Lunch:

small raw green salad
¾ cup of seasonal berries
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
1 cup of bone broth

Dinner:

1 cup of bone broth
12-16 oz of animal protein
small serving of liver
small side salad
olive oil
sea salt

Animal Organs Essential on Phase 1

While following phase 1, it’s imperative that you consume organ meats at least once or twice a week.  This is because animal organs such as heart, liver, kidneys and adrenal glands are extremely building towards the body.  No other food on the planet is as nutrient dense as animal organs.  They contain every single vitamin, mineral, and amino acid needed for repair in the body.

When suffering from a candida overgrowth in the body, the sufferer is in desperate need of intestinal repair.  These foods can help repair the digestive lining and can improve optimal health.  As always, make sure all of your organ meats are organic and grass fed.

Phase 1 and the Purpose of Bone Broth

Consuming bone broth with each meal during phase 1 is vital for optimal recovery and proper digestion of food.  Bone Broth naturally attracts digestive juices and can help improve digestion dramatically.  This will ensure you are receiving the nourishment your body so desperately needs.

Bone Broth is also an excellent source of electrolytes.  The electrolytes found in bone broth can help hydrate the body and improve mineral composition of the body.  They also help assist in several different biological functions in the body.

Bone Broth and Histamine

Bone broth is an incredibly nourishing food that can help supercharge health.  However, bone broth is particular high in the compound histamine.  Typically, histamine is not an issue for most and can be properly broken down in the body. 

With that said, there are some individuals who struggle with high histamine foods and react poorly to them.  Symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, rash, anxiety, hyperactivity, headache, and nausea sometimes results in individuals after consuming high histamine foods.

There is still much debate on to what causes histamine intolerance.  Some believe it’s because the body does not produce enough of histamine degrading enzyme (DAO) due to genetic factors.  Others believe it’s because the gut is imbalanced and is already overwhelmed with histamine producing bacteria.  Whatever the reason may be, if you’re reacting poorly to high histamine foods DO NOT CONSUME THEM.  Simply remove them from the diet and allow further healing to take place.  Then slowly reintroduce them into the diet.  Even with good gut health there is a possibility that your body may not do well with high histamine foods.  As a result, you may have to avoid such foods or only consume them in small amounts.

Phase 2: Rebuilding the Body

Once the duration of phase 1 has been completed (1 month), different types of plant foods can slowly be reintroduced into the diet.  As always, these foods are low in sugar.  However, animal protein should still make up the base of your diet and everything else should be supplemental.  At this point the gut has been given the opportunity to heal and now should be able to properly handle different types of plant foods in moderation.

Phase 2 Foods to Include:

• Homemade Fermented Vegetables
• Water and Milk Kefir
• Eggs
• Raw Organic Dairy Products (if well tolerated)
• Steam green vegetables
• Sourdough Breads
• Sea Vegetables
• Small Amounts of Fruit
• Small Amounts of Raw Honey and Maple Syrup

What About Starches?

At this point in the protocol we can begin to add in food items such as small amounts of organic fruits, steamed vegetables, and sourdough breads/homemade breads, raw honey, and maple syrup.  However, foods such as potatoes, rice, sweet potatoes, yams, and squashes should be avoided until phase 3 of the protocol.  Small amounts may not hurt any, but you should gauge your body for either positive or negative feedback when doing so.

Fermented Foods and Probiotics

Fermented foods make an excellent addition to Phase 2 of the protocol.  This is because fermented foods naturally contain both prebiotics and probiotics.  In fact, it’s been shown that fermented foods contain over 6 billion live microorganisms which can help improve the integrity of the gut.

Research has shown that probiotics can help improve several different digestive symptoms such as IBS, Crohn’s, and ulcerative colitis (2).  Also, one study found that fermented foods helped improve mental health issues such as depression (3).

For best results, we recommend you make your own fermented foods at home.  When making fermented vegetables, we have found that this home ferment kit works perfect.  For those no interested in making fermented foods at home, most health food stores will carry fermented vegetables.  Just make sure they are always raw and not pasteurized.  Pasteurization kills the bacteria in the fermented products making them useless.

Fermented Foods and Histamine

Fermented foods are an excellent food option for most and have been used for centuries by numerous cultures around the world.  However, when first starting Phase 1 of the protocol, it’s not recommend that fermented foods be consumed.  This is because there is a possibility that that it could feed candida in the body.

Once the gut has properly healed, candida levels have lowered, and you finish phase 1, fermented foods can be slowly introduced into the diet.  Just like bone broth; fermented foods are high in histamine.  If you have issues with bone broth, there is a possibility you may struggle with fermented foods.  If this is the case avoid such fermented foods.  Also, you may find that some fermented foods you do well with and other you do not.  You simply need to test the waters and see what works best for you. 

For those with histamine issues, but would still like to get the benefits of probiotics, there are several different brands of low histamine probiotics.  Although we like to keep things as natural as possible, this can be a good way to help rebuild the bacteria in the gut and re-balance the microbiome. 

The Benefits of Sourdough Breads

Homemade sourdough breads can be great for phase 2 of the protocol and can be a great option for those who still crave bread in their life.  Making sourdough bread is extremely easy and has been done for centuries in order to make bread more nutritious.

When bread undergoes fermentation, many of the anti-nutrients found in all grains get significantly reduced.  Many of these anti-nutrients can irritate the gut lining, cause inflammatory conditions, and inhibit nutrient absorption (4).  Gluten also gets lowered during the fermentation process.

Whenever making your own sourdough bread it’s important that you always choose an ancient grain flour.  This is because most grains on the market today have been hybridized and contain much more gluten.  We personally like einkorn wheat flour; however, any ancient grain flour will work such as rye, barley, spelt, millet, and sorghum.

Phase 3: Maintenance Diet

Phase 3 is all about maintaining and modifying the diet so that it can be followed long term.  At this point, candida levels in the body should be very low and the gut should be in great shape.  As a result, the body is now more equipped to handle different types of foods in moderation.  However, animal proteins should still be the base of your entire diet.  It’s important to understand that plants do not nourish and rebuild the body like animal foods can.  As a result, they should always be secondary to animal foods and should serve as supplemental items.

Phase 3 Foods to Include:

• All Types of Squashes
• Rice
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Yams
• Pumpkin
• Peas
• Corn
• Parsnips
• Local Fruits

How Much Starch Can I Eat While on Phase 3?

Once you have finished the first two phases of the protocol, your gut should be in good condition and should be able to handle starch properly.  It’s important to understand that all of the early Native Americans around the world consumed some form of starch in the diet.  These people were extremely healthy, robust, and free from the degenerative disease we see today.  In fact, Dr. Weston A. Price proved this in his book titled Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

When the gut is balanced, starchy vegetables and tubers typically do not pose a problem. The only time such foods cause problems is when an individual has consumed too many starchy foods in the absence of high quality animal foods.  When this happens, it almost always leads to candida overgrowth in the gut.  As a result, starchy foods can be enjoyed in moderation but always gauge the feedback your body is giving you.

Keeping Stomach Acid Levels High

One of the biggest issues when it comes to candida overgrowth is low stomach acid levels in the body.  When following this protocol, stomach acid should increase naturally.  That’s because diets rich in animal protein require the body to produce more hydrochloric acid in order to properly break it down.

This is important because stomach acid should always have a low PH.  There are numerous types of bacteria, fungus, and yeasts which need an alkaline environment to survive.  In fact, the common H. pylori bacteria will release ammonia in the gut in order to neutralize stomach acid. 

However, if stomach acid levels are good pathogenic bacteria, fungus, and yeast are easily neutralized.  The same goes for candida. Having high stomach acid levels will naturally keep candida in check and can help prevent overgrowth.

Some simple strategies for increasing stomach acid levels are to consume Chinese bitters before meals.  Bitter food stimulates the vagus nerve on the back of the tongue which signals to the brain and gut to produce more stomach acid.  Also, consuming adequate amounts of sea salt with meals can be helpful.  This is because high quality sea salt such as Celtic contains chloride which is needed in the formation of stomach acid

Go Easy On the Fruit

Although fruits are allowed on phase 3 of the protocol, they should not be over consumed.  This is because fruit contain high amounts of sugars which can feed yeast and fungus and can contribute to a candida overgrowth if consumed in excess.

Also, it should be understood that all modern day fruit has been hybridized and contains much more sugar than the original fruits.  This becomes problematic because our bodies are not equipped to handle such high sugar amounts, especially in the form of fructose.

All fruit in nature contains seeds, is very small, is sour, bitter, or slightly sweet, and contains only tiny amounts of sugar.  It’s for this reason that fruits were never a staple in any Native American group living off the land.  Fruits are also seasonal items and are only available for a few months out of the year.

Knowing these facts, we can come to the conclusion that fruits should only be consumed in small amounts and preferably in season.  Also, if possible, try to consume fruits that have not been overly hybridized.  Most types of berries are great seasonal fruits choices.

Wrapping it All Up

Candida is not a death sentence.  In fact, it can naturally run its course once the correct diet is followed.  Once you begin to eat the foods that our bodies were designed for, you will have no desire to go back to the same foods you once ate. 

For those interesting in easy candida friendly recipes, be sure to check out our Crush Candida Recipe Cook Book.