Many people talk about eating a pH balanced diet and how it is so important to consume an alkaline and predominantly raw food diet. Raw foods, particularly raw fruits (the non-sweet varieties) and vegetables are quite alkaline, whereas cooked foods, especially proteins and sugars, are acid forming. It is important to follow a predominantly alkaline diet if you have a yeast infection, this is not because an acid rich diet will favor the growth and proliferation of a yeast infection in your body, which is a myth, but because diets that are more acid forming than alkaline make it easier for candida to move from your digestive system into your bloodstream (translocation). Once this occurs, candida can proliferate in this more alkaline environment and cause serious problems.

Acidic diets have been linked to many chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and various cancers. For example, red meat is one of the most acidic foods, and the consumption of more than 500 grams of red meat per week is now linked to a 30% increased risk of cancer. First let’s take a look at the benefits of eating raw foods in your diet, and then explore the pH issue.

What Is Important To Understand about Raw Foods

I have always found it strange how many foods are promoted as healthy, organic and natural – and then they are cooked, baked or even deep fried before they are consumed. Every time you cook food you will invariably destroy some of its nutritional value. Some people even see fries (deep fried potatoes) as “healthy” because they are potatoes! Remember, it’s not only about what you eat; it’s about how it is prepared, and how you eat food as well.

You may well be aware of foods which are rich in antioxidants or contain other nutritional factors which confer many health benefits, but only when they are eaten in a semi-raw or raw and natural state. Take for example spinach, blue berries, avocado, bell peppers and strawberries, an example of foods packed with many kinds of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Researchers have found that the brighter the color the fruit or vegetable has, the more it is likely to be packed with nutrients which help to combat degenerative diseases. But what happens to their beautiful colors after cooking? They fade away like the colors of a rainbow after the rain has stopped; so by heating up and cooking these special foods we are tampering with their special protective factors.

It is hard to believe how much food is consumed in the Western world, and many people eat like there is no tomorrow, but the strange thing is that we have an unprecedented situation in which many are actually suffering from malnutrition in this virtual ocean of food. That’s right, many people have become so deficient that their cells are starved and the incredible variety and affordability of foods is contributing to their chronic degenerative disease conditions by the time they reach 50 or 60 years of age.

One of the best ways to resist the temptation of living the refined and junk food lifestyle is to develop a different attitude towards cooked food in general and adopt a more partially cooked or raw food lifestyle. Have you noticed how the trend in the past five to ten years has been towards the low GI diet, i.e.; eat a diet low in carbohydrates and more in vegetable and meat proteins? Many nutritional experts are now also advocating the paleo or cave man diet, to eat vegetables and meats foods more in their natural state. Both of these dietary trends have tendency to be more on the alkaline than acid side as well, particularly if you avoid the carbohydrate and processed foods.

I am personally not a big fan of an all-raw food diet and would find it boring and unappealing to eat most everything raw, but prefer instead to maintain a balance between raw, partially raw and cooked foods. Some foods are best consumed always raw, and no doubt you would be aware of this with for berries, most fruits and salad vegetables, but what about bell peppers, red onions, garlic, spinach, and a whole host of other foods you may have never tried to eat raw?

One word of caution before you dig any further into this site or into my Candida Crusher book.

You will find some confusion in the sometimes wildly and differing opinions of those who advocate various yeast control diets. Some books and websites I have studied over the years are far to “easy” on the candida diet. One well-known book even recommends that all fruit is OK, whereas others are way too strict. One well-known American website claims that nuts should never consumed by those with a yeast infection, as they are among the foods on which candida thrives. This is a myth. I can understand that peanuts are taboo as they are potentially highly allergenic and are frequently moldy, but to take almonds, for example, out of the diet of a person with yeast infection is plain ridiculous.

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After having worked with patients with yeast infections for over two decades, I can state with absolute confidence that most all yeast infection sufferers can tolerate nuts, but common sense prevails naturally. It is not wise to allow a person to eat 200 to 300 grams of nuts every day.

There are other plans that advocate diet alone. There are some that advocate strong antifungals or probiotics alone, without the aid of diet. You’ll find you can’t really cure a true Candida yeast problem without combining proper diet and supplementation, and I caution you against anyone who claims to have a quick solution – especially in pill form.

You need to obviously exercise caution, and some readers of this book will be more sensitive than others to one or several of the foods I may recommend. Others with a yeast infection may even be OK with a limited range of fruits as they begin their treatment, you will find that throughout this book that I advocate trial and error.

One thing is for certain, one size does not fit all and you will need to tweak this program to suit your self. I’m going to show you how.

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Some of the most common questions I hear about the Candida Crusher diet plan, or any other Candida diet plan, are about the foods you can and can’t eat. While I personally recommend sticking to organic, grass-fed meats, I do realize these products aren’t always affordable or available without a great deal of effort. That said, it’s important to find other sources of protein and essential nutrients.

Eating Lentils with a Yeast Infection

To begin with, lentils are incredibly high in protein. Approximately 25-30% of the calorie value comes from protein. This makes lentils a great food not only for those on the Candida diet, but for those who regularly follow vegan and vegetarian diets as well.

Lentils, especially green lentils, are approximately 30% fiber. The health benefits of fiber are important to note as well. The soluble fiber you’d get from lentils will help you to process carbohydrates, slow your digestion and make you feel fuller faster, and regulate your blood sugar levels. The high amounts of fiber will also help to lower your cholesterol and promote the health of your heart.

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Supporting your digestive health is critical when you’re fighting a yeast infection, especially if you’ve progressed to the point where you have symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, or some other digestive disorder. Creating the proper environment for healing and the life of good bacterial flora is critical.

I suggest eating lentils only 2-3 times per week. In doing so, you’ll find your energy levels slowly increasing over time. This is because the lentils contain complex carbohydrates (as opposed to simple, which are bad for you). Your body’s insulin production can keep up with your body’s use of complex carbs, giving you a steady level of energy that will improve oxygen flow in your body while boosting your overall metabolism.

Oh, and as an added bonus? Lentils are incredibly low in calories. The low calorie count combined with high levels of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals – including vitamins B2, B5, iron, zinc, folate, calcium, magnesium, and more – make this legume the perfect addition to any plan geared towards weight loss. A full cup of lentils is only approximately 230 cals.

Are There Any Drawbacks to Eating Lentils?

Lentils are wonderful, but they’re not 100% perfect. This particular legume contains what are known as trypsin inhibitors, which are not uncommon in foods derived from raw plants. These inhibitors actually block the enzyme known as trypsin, which makes it difficult for the small intestine to break down the protein you’re getting from the lentils. The good news is that these inhibitors do not respond well to heat, so eating cooked lentils should not cause a problem with your enzyme absorption.

Incorporating Lentils into the Candida Crusher Diet

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t have lentils while on the Candida diet. This is simply a misconception caused by the belief that lentils can cause abdominal discomfort, pain, gas, and bloating.

The problem, however, isn’t the lentils themselves. While legumes can cause some abdominal discomfort, you’ll generally find that introducing them to your diet slowly will negate those issues. If you eat a small amount, slowly increasing it over time, you shouldn’t have an issue. If you don’t eat lentils regularly now but decide to go out and eat a whole cup at a time, 3 days in a row, I wouldn’t be surprised if your body rebelled a bit – whether you have Candida or not.

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Lentils can be a great source of protein and fiber, both things you need to maintain your health and strength while battling your yeast infection. Give them a try.

Your body is much like your motor vehicle. It is reliable and with a little care and maintenance can last for many years. When things go wrong, it will give you the appropriate warning signals; even in the very earliest stages of a big mechanical problem it will tell you that something is wrong. But cars are like humans, too, in the sense that something unpredictable may happen, although the odds are quite rare, they do increase with age. For example, your risk of a heart attack may increase with age just like your car may experience major mechanical failure with age, but with routine and regular maintenance checks the likelihood will be considerably more slim.

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Signs and symptoms of an impending yeast infection like increasing gas and bloating, bowel motions that are changeable, and digestive pain that is occurring much more regularly are all signs that something is amiss. All of those digestive problems are telling us our digestive system isn’t functioning properly. This can lead to poor absorption of nutrients and even deficiencies causing fatigue, irritability, poor moods, etc. How can you anticipate your system to conquer any sickness or re-build itself if the food and nutrients aren’t immersed? And in addition, you become a sitting duck for a yeast infection, and some cancer researchers even go as far as saying that a yeast infection of many decades of neglect may even turn into some forms of cancer.

Many women will experience occasional vaginal discomfort or a discharge but the cause should be addressed before the problem becomes chronic and most uncomfortable, when most women seek help. Sometimes a simple treatment and diet change is all that is needed in the earliest stages of a health problem, and the best time to treat any illness is right at the beginning, before any real disease or pathology has taken place. The longer you wait, the more difficult and expensive the treatment will be. This is what I think “drives” a person in to see their mechanic at the first sound of a noise in their car – a costly repair job!

It is our job to address these signs and symptoms as soon as we feel something isn’t right, we need to establish the root cause and establish it as soon as possible to get our health back on track. But, if you are the kind of person who ignores the red light flashing on the dashboard of your car then your problems could grow and escalate into a major health problem. Have you learned anything from your ill health? Was it something you could have prevented? Maybe you could learn something from it and prevent any such further episodes.

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