Balanced eating helps prevent yeast infections!
Eating For Balance
Making sense of yeast infection cures starts by making sense of the infection process. If you think that a yeast infection is an ailment that you only get from direct contact with someone else (yes, it is a sexually transmitted disease!), then think again. There are a number of likely causes of yeast infection that go beyond direct contact. Consider the following:
- Using contraceptive pills
- Taking oral steroids
- Taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen
- You are pre-menstrual
- You are diabetic
- Using applications like soap, douche, and hygiene products
- Consistently wearing tight, damp, and/or warm clothing
Clearly, the one thing these potential causes have in common is disturbing the body’s internal balance, leading to a yeast infection as a result. Herein lies the problem as well as the remedy.
Eat for balance!
Regardless of the specific cause, there is a long list of potential yeast infection cures, including homemade, over-the-counter, and doctor prescribed. Under appreciated by many sufferers, however, is probably the most effective method to limit or even halt yeast infections altogether – diet!
What better way to achieve balance? Finding and maintaining the correct diet can do a great deal to making the pain and embarrassment of yeast infections a thing of the past.
Detoxing
Detoxing is clearly the most appropriate place to start when contemplating a yeast infection diet. In clear terms, yeast infection is the result of an out-of-balance system, the direct result of an increase of the naturally occurring microorganism, Candida albicans. Yeast infections don’t result when Candida albicans is held in check.
One promise of detoxing is that it can be achieved in a relatively short period of time. Safely implemented, detoxing will bring your body back to a balanced level and to the best possible point to begin a yeast infection diet.
There may be some differences in suggested diets, but more often than not, with strict compliance you’re likely to experience some relief from the infection in as little as three weeks. Perhaps the best part is that following this diet will largely reduce and even eliminate additional infections altogether, the ultimate goal of all yeast infection cures.
Water
Always start with water!
One of the basic necessities in any diet program is consuming adequate amounts of water. Water is the primary ingredient in first detoxing and then maintaining a balanced system. It helps flush out harmful body toxins to support healthy functioning.
Some have suggested that fresh fruit juices and even green tea be added to the liquid intake. The recommendation, however, remains to drink a minimum of eight glasses of clean water per day.
Fresh Food
It is also important to consume food that is fresh. Try to avoid processed and highly fatty foods, not only to reduce yeast infection, but for your general health as well.
Avoid overcooking your food. Food has a tendency to lose most of its important nutrients when heat is applied, so preparing your food the right way is important. Steamed and sauteed are considered the ideal cooking approaches. Investing in waterless cookware is viewed as a great method to retain over 60 percent of nutrients that would otherwise be lost through normal cooking.
You can avoid cooking vegetables altogether. Put them in a salad and you’re ready to go. However, we do suggest that you avoid eating starchy vegetables such as carrots, peas, corn, potatoes, beets, onions, and sweet potatoes. And be generous with your fresh greens.
Garlic
Garlic - Pick your form!
Along with yogurt, garlic is thought to be the best natural defense against yeast infections. Garlic contains anti-fungal properties which help in directly reducing the overgrowth of yeast. Garlic can be added liberally to food as flavoring (think Mediterranean!) or taken in readily available capsule or pill form.
Meat
Fish, beef, lamb, poultry and eggs are generally considered appropriate when used in moderation. A recognized problem with beef occurs when antibiotics are administered to cattle and when high-sugar content feed (e.g., molasses} is used in the fattening process just prior to slaughter. For this reason, grass fed beef is often considered the healthiest source of beef to aid in maintaining a balanced environment.
It is suggested that a healthy serving of meat should be half the size of your palm. This may not be great news to the carnivores in our midst, but is considered a general recommendation for healthy living and for sustaining a balanced internal environment to keep yeast growth in check.
Yogurt
Got yogurt?
Yogurt is deemed an effective and efficient means to create a healthy bacterial environment in the body to keep the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in check. Increasing yogurt intake is considered a healthy idea, especially following the use of antibacterial drugs which will otherwise unbalance your system and encourage yeast infections.
Consuming healthy foods is the simplest of yeast infection cures. It is critical to establishing and sustaining a balanced bacterial environment in your body. Keeping your system balanced reduces the likelihood of yeast infections. It also provides a good way to recover more quickly when your system is unbalanced by the use of antibacterial medications. Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to throw out all of your favorite foods, but rather you learn to eat them in moderation.
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