Antifungal food
Coconut oil
Coconut Oil is an incredibly healthy supplement that should be one of your first choices as an antifungal. It contains 3 different fatty acids (Caprylic Acid, Capric Acid, Lauric Acid) that have been found to be effective against Candida. For Candida sufferers, the most important ingredient in coconut oil is caprylic acid. This potent antifungal kills the Candida yeast cells by interfering with their cell walls. Capric acid and lauric acid have a similar effect, creating a powerful combination of antifungal treatments. This also means that the Candida yeast is unlikely to build up resistance to coconut oil, unlike other antifungals which can lose their effectiveness over time. Of course you can take Caprylic Acid capsules and get many of the same benefits as coconut oil. However if you follow the whole food approach and integrate natural coconut products into your diet, that’s even better. Make it a part of your long term diet plan and you will find it has many other health benefits besides its antifungal properties.
Coconut oil as a supplement
Coconut oil is a really easy and cheap antifungal to add to your diet. Just take 1-2 tablespoons of the oil every day to start with. If you don’t experience any Die-Off symptoms you can increase your dose. If you take too much your body will quickly let you know (stomach cramps and diarrhea are the usual symptoms!), but your digestive system can cope with quite large amounts before you see this. You can take up to 7-8 tablespoons per day, but start on a lower does just in case you experience a Die-Off reaction.
Coconut oil is also great for your hair and skin, keeps your cholesterol levels low, boosts your immune system and can provide relief from a variety of other complaints. In addition Many Candida sufferers lose weight while on the Candida diet because of the changes in their eating routine. Coconut oil is high in calories (remember these are ‘good’ calories, not like junk food!). So if you feel like you are losing too much weight, coconut oil is a great way to boost your calorie intake. One tablespoon contains about 120 calories. You can find a good quality virgin coconut oil in our netshop.
Olive- and saffloweroil
Oleicacid is a naturally occuring fatty acid. Oleic acid is found naturally in olive oil and safflower oil with respectively 75 grams and 78 grams/100 gram of the nutrientcontent (don’t buy safflower oil high in linoleic acid as the one you find in most shops). Oleicacid, has significant Candida killing effects. Normally harmless Candida albicans (if in small quantities) can convert, or mutate, into a disruptive mycelial form for several reasons - overuse of antibiotics being a prime example. When this happens, root-like tentacles are formed, which allow the new harmful fungi to penetrate the mucosa (or lining) of the intestinal wall and enter the blood stream. Oleic acid follows the mycelial, rootlike tentacles of Candida albicans to the base of the root and kills it there. Oleic acid also hinders any additional conversion of Candida albicans yeast into its mycelial fungal form. The Candida relatively fast get immune to oleicacid in food, but it is still helping to keep the disease in check. We have some fine oils in our store with a high content of oleicacid. Let olive oil become a natural part of your daily diet. Olive oil also has a reducing effect on bowel cancer and both oils contains Vitamin E, which strengthens your immune system in your fight against Candida.
Garlic
Garlic is a wellknown antifungal that is a simple and easy addition to your Candida treatment plan. In addition to its use as an antifungal, garlic can support your immune system, reduce cholesterol, and help control blood sugar levels. As always, it is better to take two or three antifungals at once to prevent the Candida from adapting, so you can use garlic in addition to other natural antifungals.
One of the key compounds in garlic is ajoene, a proven antifungal that has been shown to be effective against many fungal strains. Ajoene is formed from a compound named allicin and an enzyme named allinase. When these two natural compounds come into contact (by chopping the garlic, crushing it or by other means), they form an antifungal agent named ajoene. Although this has proven antifungal properties, the exact mechanism by which this happens is not clear. As with other antifungals, scientists suspect that it works by disrupting the cells walls of the Candida yeast cells. Garlic products can be found in a number of different forms, in both your supermarket and your health food store. In your supermarket you will find items like fresh garlic cloves, garlic paste, crushed garlic, garlic flakes or garlic powder and they all give good taste to your food. The best is raw garlic, because it has not been heated and therebye has the highest content of vitamins, minerals and Candidakilling substances. A few cloves of garlic a day is ideal. Garlic can be added to many different foods. You can even mince a couple cloves of garlic into a glass of water and drink it with some coconut oil to make it easier on your stomach. Alternatively there are some great garlic supplements that you can use as a part of your daily routine. Garlic has so many health benefits that you can’t go wrong.
Onions
To the onionfamily, in addition to garlic, belongs ordinary onions, red onions, spring onions, leeks, chives etc. Just like garlic, the other members have strong antifungal, anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic properties. In particular, leeks and scallions are ideal food for Candidapatients because they are ”heavy” vegetables that can be consumed in much larger quantities than garlic, so you can get real filled with it. They are also highly nutritious and have powerful antioxidant effects. The sugar content is low in leeks and scallions and the fiber content high, so you need to put them high on your priority list in your Candidadiet. It is not entirely clear why they have antifungal effects, but it may be due to the same substances as in garlic. However overcooking destroys their antifungal effects and it is the raw versions of leeks and scallions that have the best effects. They have a strong taste raw, but just a few minutes of heating, for instance in oliveoil on the pan, will take the worst taste without them losing their antifungalpower, but don’t overcook them. No mather how long you cook them, they are still a really great food in your Candida diet. Leeks and other onions are heavy vegetables with a low sugar-/starchcontent combined with a high fiber content and can also be consumed in large quantities instead of sugar-/starchcontaining products. They will therefore also help you starving out your Candida.