As more and more individuals begin to embark on an anti-candida diet, many are left wondering if nuts are allowed on the diet.

To add confusion to the fire, it seems that candida experts are not all in agreement when it comes to nut consumption.  Some claim that nuts are extremely healthy and should be part of an anti-candida diet.  However, on the other hand, you have the same amount of individuals claiming that nut consumption is disastrous and should be avoided at all costs for anyone dealing with candida.

So, which is it?  Should you consume nuts if you’re following an anti-candida diet?

Luckily, by the end of this post you will learn the pros and cons of consuming nuts.  This will allow you to make a better informed decision as to whether you should be consuming nuts on your candida diet.

The Health Benefits of Nuts

Before we get into whether you should be consuming nuts on a candida diet, let’s first talk about some of the amazing health benefits they offer.

All nuts are a great source of fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.  Nuts are typically a powerhouse of nutrition and can make an excellent addition to any diet.  By weight, nuts are technically one of the most protein rich foods on the planet.

In particular, nuts are a great source of calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, and selenium.  In fact, brazil nuts are one of the highest food sources of selenium in the world.  Research has shown that selenium is critical for maintaining proper function of the thyroid and is often beneficial for those with thyroid disorders such as hypothyroidism (1).

Also, all nuts are extremely low in sugar and carbohydrates making them a good candidate as an anti-candida food.  Likewise, due to their low sugar content, they can be good for anyone looking to keep blood sugar levels in check or on a low carbohydrate diet.

Mycotoxins Present in Peanuts

Here is where things get a little tricky.  Various forms of nuts, such as peanuts, have been shown to contain high levels of mycotoxins, especially in peanut butter.  For those unaware, mycotoxin is a toxic byproduct that is produced by a fungus.

It’s been shown that mycotoxin can cause the onset of serious disease in the body and even death. 

Interestingly, researchers conducted a study by purchasing 11 random peanut butters from several different markets.  They found that 10 out of the 11 (91%) peanut butters were contaminated with high amounts aflatoxins (a form of mycotoxin) (2).

For those dealing with candida overgrowth, this mycotoxin exposure can have disastrous effects on the body.  It will without question increase the amount of toxicity in the body will put high amounts of stress on the body’s elimination systems.

Furthermore, consuming peanut products that are contaminated with mycotoxins will only cause more digestive problems in those with candida.  It’s important to remember that candida is a fungus and consuming products containing mycotoxins will only add to the fungal load in the body.

Nuts and Anti-Nutrients

It should be mentioned that nuts are an extremely high source of anti-nutrients.  We’ve talked a lot about anti-nutrients on this website before, but for those unaware, anti-nutrients are present in all plant foods and is the plants way of protecting itself from predators.

Although, various preparation methods can lower the amount of anti-nutrients present in nuts, they can still be problematic for those with sensitive guts and candida overgrowth.  In particular, most nuts are going to be extremely high in both lectins and phytic acid.

These anti-nutrients have the ability to severely inflame the intestinal lining and can strip away at the protective mucosal lining.  Furthermore, anti-nutrients such as phytic acid have been shown to bind to key minerals in the gut and can contribute to intestinal inflammation (3).

Also, research has shown that lectins have the ability to stimulate mast cells in the body which causes a release in histamine (4).  In our experience, those with candida overgrowth almost always suffer from some form of histamine intolerance due to candida naturally stimulating mast cells in the gut (5).  As a result, consuming lectin rich foods such as nuts can be extremely problematic for individuals dealing with a histamine intolerance due to candida.

Should You Eat Nuts if You Have Candida?

After reading the above information, many may be wondering if nuts should be consumed on a candida diet.  Unfortunately, there is no straight forward answer. 

We know for sure that all forms of peanuts should not be consumed by anyone suffering with a candida overgrowth.  In fact, due to the high amounts of mycotoxins present in peanuts, they should not be consumed by anyone seeking optimal health!

Also, it’s important to understand that even though nuts contain extremely high amounts vitamins and minerals, these nutrients will be bound to anti-nutrients.  This simply means that these vitamin and minerals are unavailable to the body. 

It should be made known that various preparation methods such as cooking, fermenting, soaking, and roasting can make the nutrients in nuts more bioavailable.  These preparation methods also help to lower the amount of anti-nutrients present in nuts.

Consequently, if you’re going to consume nuts on your candida diet, always make sure that they are properly prepared (not raw) and avoid peanuts at all costs.

Focus On Nuts that Grow Above the Ground

If you’re going to consume nuts while on a candida diet, we highly recommend you focus on nuts (and seeds) that grow above the ground.  Nuts that grow below the ground, such as peanuts, are at a higher risk of developing mycotoxin contamination.

As a result, you are going to want to focus on the following nuts (as well as seeds) if you choose to incorporate them into your diet.

• Walnuts
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Brazil Nuts
• Pistachios
• Macadamia Nuts

The Following nuts and seeds will typically be free from high amount of mycotoxin contamination such as that found in peanuts.  Also, as an added bonus, if you choose to consume brazil nuts you will get extremely high amounts of the thyroid protective mineral selenium.  It’s estimated that only 2-3 brazil nuts a day are needed in order to fulfill the body’s daily need for selenium.

Stay Away From Raw Nuts

Despite popular belief, raw nuts are not better for you.  As mentioned before, raw nuts are naturally full of gut irritating anti-nutrients.  Consequently, you are always going to want to make sure they are properly prepared before consuming.

In order to avoid harmful cooking oils that are often used when roasting nuts, buy them raw and then prepare them yourself at home. 

The best way to degrade the anti-nutrients present in nuts is to boil them for several minutes in a salt (sea salt) water solution.  Once complete, strain the nuts and place on a baking sheet in the oven.  Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until all moisture is removed.

Then end result is an extremely gut friendly nut (or seed) that will be significantly lower in anti-nutrients than compared to raw nuts.  It’s preparation methods such as this that has allowed humans to safely consume plant foods, remove their toxins, and make them more digestible.

Don’t Overconsume Nuts and Seeds

Whether you choose to include nuts on your candida diet or not is entirely up to you.  However, if you do in fact choose to include them, be sure to set a limit on how many you eat.  A handful a day is all you need to get the health benefits.

It should be mentioned that nuts, as well as seeds, always served as supplemental items on the human diet.  Typically, humans would have consumed nuts seasonally, in high amounts, and then they would be removed from the diet until next season.  A great example of this is how Native Americans would only consume acorns in late summer/early fall.

That being said, high quality animal foods is what should form the base of any.  In fact, high quality animal foods play an extremely import role in our candida diet protocol.

That being said, always use nuts and seeds as supplemental items and focus on high quality animal foods to provide the bulk of your nourishment.