Does Eating Paleo Help Reduce Candida?

by Eric Bakker N.D.

Anyone interested in nutrition would be at least somewhat familiar with the paleo diet. Not surprisingly, I have clients who wonder if going on the paleo diet will help their Candida. In my opinion, paleo diets are very interesting. My favorite book written in the 80s was called Paleolithic Prescription by Drs. Eaton and Connor.

Is the paleo diet particularly good for Candida? What I would say is that the “best” food plan for getting rid of Candida varies from person to person. The central tenets of an effective anti-candida diet include: avoid added sugars, avoid “junk” food like pizza, and focus on eating a higher-quality diet. Chances are if you’re eating very healthy like me, you’re probably eating kind of paleo already.

I like the paleo approach because it offers a high level of satiety. You feel full when you’ve eaten some animal protein. Animal protein builds good blood health and good digestive health. In general, the paleo diet is quite healthy, but it doesn’t suit some people. Some people are not going to like eating meat, for example.

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I suggest trying out the different proteins compatible with a paleo diet. For example, the proteins that suit me best are fish, egg, and lamb. You also need to eat vegetables on a paleo diet. You can’t just eat meat alone. Remember to include vegetables that contain a significant amount of prebiotic fiber. Some of the vegetables well-suited for addressing Candida are broccoli, cauliflower, yams, and beets.

Be sure to include foods that help to increase the number of beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. For some people, they might like to have kefir in their diet. Other people have yogurt or kombucha. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of those foods. I don’t recommend kefir or kombucha for people with very poor digestive health. I prefer to get the gut health significantly improved before including those foods in the diet.

Ultimately, what I tell my clients is that the paleo diet is compatible with their efforts to get rid of Candida overgrowth. It’s a sound approach, but I recommend modifying it as needed. In other words, I recommend a personalized paleo diet. You could start with the MEVY (meat, egg, vegetables, yogurt) diet that I discuss in my book, Candida Crusher. From there, you can customize your diet based on your likes and dislikes.

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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.