Are sugar and carbs off-limits on the Candida diet?

by Eric Bakker N.D.

A question I’ve been asked a million times, maybe a billion times or a trillion times, is, “Should I cut out all sugar and carbs on the Candida Diet?”

There is a lot of misinformation about Candida out there.

When people come to my Candida Crusher Channel, I want them to understand that the problem is bigger than Candida. It’s about microbiome imbalance. It’s about several factors that create disharmony in the digestive system.

Remember, if you haven’t had a comprehensive stool analysis, don’t assume a) that you have Candida or b) that cutting out all sugar and carbohydrates is going to fix your health problems.

As I said many times on YouTube, about half the people I’ve seen over all these years didn’t have a Candida problem at all. They had a problem with overgrowth of harmful bacteria, with parasites, or with very low levels of beneficial bacteria.

In my clinic, I’ve always treated people, not diseases. Once I’ve reviewed the stool test results, I’ll work with my client’s diets. The majority of people I see with Candida problems have already cut out most of the junk food in their diet. That makes up about 80% of my Candida clients. About 20% will still sneak a little sugar into their diet. I tend to clamp down on these clients a bit more when it comes to their diet.

My usual message is that I want people to focus on eating fresh food. I’ll have people react in horror while saying, “But fruit causes Candida, don’t you know.” Well, actually, it doesn’t. If you look at my Candida Crusher diet, it has three categories of fruit: low, medium, and high sugar. Some people with Candida can tolerate bananas, watermelons, and grapes without any problem.

So, here’s the thing. There are no fixed rules when it comes to Candida. You have to find the “rules” that fit your situation. Your Candida and gut imbalance is totally different from that belonging to the women here or the man over there.

When it comes to eating fruit, you need to observe your own reactions. What fruit causes gut symptoms? Are you eating fruit from all three categories? Are you eating dried fruit?

I usually recommend green apples as a starting point when it comes to my clients with Candida.

I’ve always found green apples to be compatible with Candida. Even going back to the ’90’s, I’ve found them to be okay for 95% of people. The Granny Smith, or the tart apple, they’re high in malic acid. They’re a very powerful probiotic food. They’re excellent for improving your stomach and pancreatic functions and even better for the colon when it comes to fermentation. But, don’t eat apples with a high sugar content.

Often, I ask clients to drop bananas, pineapple, watermelon, and grapes when they first start the Candida Crusher program. When your gut is imbalanced, it’s best to consume fruit on its own – away from other food.

If you have bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea, I recommend avoiding all forms of manmade sugar. That includes cane sugar and molasses. Avoid honey if it upsets your stomach. If you need something sweet, have an apple, pomegranate, or kiwi.

As for carbs, they vary in their ability to impact the digestive system. Brown rice and quinoa are well tolerated by over 90% of people. Even people with SIBO generally respond well to this combination of carbs. It’s about portion size. Don’t eat a large amount.

The carbs that could cause some problems for people with Candida are pumpkins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and squash. Although, even with these vegetables, the impact on the gut depends on how they are cooked. For example, a baked potato is often better than boiled or mashed.

So, to revisit the question, should you take all sugar and carbs out of the Candida diet? Yes, for added sugar. You can still have fruit on the Candida diet – you need to find out for yourself which ones aggravate your gut and which ones don’t. It will depend on your tolerances, your gut at the time, your microbiome, and several other factors.

If you avoid a specific food for a while, come back later to see if you can reintroduce it. Don’t fall for the nonsense that you have to eliminate certain foods for the rest of your life. We’ve got enough laws without the food police telling us what we can and can’t eat. Healthy people like me can eat any kind of food. Any type of food. I want you to bear that in mind. Even carbs, and even sugars, all those foods can be consumed. The healthier you are, the wider the range of foods you can tolerate.

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About Eric Bakker N.D.

Eric Bakker ND has completed almost ten years of study and has almost almost 25 years of clinical experience in natural and integrative forms of medicine, and has pursued continuous post-graduate study in Australia, America, India as well as in New Zealand.

Eric is the past Vice President of the NZ Natural Medicine Association and is currently on their editorial advisory board.