Don’t Let Die-Off Get the Better of You on an Anti-Candida Diet

Dieting to lose weight is never easy. Cutting out your favorite foods and counting calories is mentally and emotionally taxing. But what if you have to follow a strict diet plan for health reasons? While it may sound easier, it is in fact far worse for some, especially in the case of the anti-candida diet due to an unpleasant reaction called ‘die-off’. That is why it is crucially important to follow a step by step plan which has been carefully formulated by a health care practitioner in order to manage or preferably avoid this reaction.

Essentially the anti-candida diet is a major detoxification process. The length of time that candida has been left unchecked and the severity of symptoms experienced will determine how a person will react on a candida-busting plan. But its not all doom and gloom because there are several ways to deal with what is known as a ‘die-off’ reaction on an anti-candida diet.

Die-off or Herxhiemer reaction occurs when pathogenic micro-organisms begin to die off in large numbers when the candida yeast is starved of the foods it thrives on such as sugar and fermented products. The endotoxins that are released need to be processed by the body’s elimination channels like the lymph and liver.

Often people with severe candidiasis have weakened immune systems which compromises the body’s ability to manage this reaction effectively. It is therefore absolutely vital to support the lymph, liver and other channels of elimination to minimize this reaction.

So many people give up on the diet when they experience this die-off reaction because they feel worse than when they started and believe that the diet isn’t working. In fact, it’s quite the opposite because it is a sign that the yeast is losing the battle!

In some cases candida die-off can cause diarrhoea or constipation. Constipation must be avoided in order to prevent reabsorption of toxins from the bowel into the bloodstream, so drinking plenty of water and taking as much vitamin C as your bowels can tolerate before you experience a loose motion, will correct this.

One to two teaspoons of psyllium husks stirred into a glass of water and drunk quickly is also an excellent way to avoid constipation. To support the liver a herbal supplement containing silymarin, or milk thistle is highly recommended. Coffee made from dandelion root which stimulates the production of bile, the substance which carries toxins out of the liver, will also help to support the liver in its detoxification efforts.

So, rather like a weight-reducing diet, the anti-candida diet requires preparedness; a good dose of commitment and determination to succeed.

After all, the benefits of winning the battle of the bulge, or candida as it were, are enormous when you can once again claim back that intense feeling of vitality and wellness that comes with being candida-free!