Even when you have a full list of foods you can or cannot eat on an anti-candida diet, it’s sometimes difficult to know whether a particular packaged food is actually permitted or not. To some extent anyone on a special diet needs to learn how to be an ingredient detective.
In today’s Candida Corner hangout, I talk about how you can tell which prepared or packaged foods are still “safe” to eat on the candida diet. Sometimes we all need shortcuts; but some are better for your overall health than others!
Here’s my take on the topic.
Highlights and links from the video:
- What does it mean when a food is “processed”?
- What are the three levels of processing–and which ones are okay for you to eat on the candida diet?
- Which types of foods should you avoid until you’re past the first stage of the diet?
- My book, Living Candida-Free
- My YouTube channel
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A big fat yes to your last point especially! When I started out on the ACD I told myself I’d follow it strictly for 3 months and only then would I reassess. A few months of not eating some of the foods I love was really a small price to pay for gaining back my health.
As for processed foods, I guess a lot of it is reading the packaging! There are huge variations in packaged foods these days. Some being very minimally processed and others chockfull of unprounouncable ingredients. I hadn’t really thought about containers though but that’s a very good point.
Love the video’s! I started my journey ten years ago and your site helped me so much. I now look at it as a blessing in disguise. Without the Candida overgrowth (which turns out I suffered from since early childhood) I would never have found this path to a really clean eating healthy lifestyle, which I love and will never stop practicing. I’m now taking a course to become a certified nutritional coach!.Thanks for taking the time to do these Ricki. I know they are going to help a lot of people.
Thank you so much, Cherie! And congrats on studying to become a certified nutritional coach–that is awesome! So glad you were able to treat your candida and move forward with better health. And thanks for the kind words about the videos, too (please spread the word!). 😀
My daughter is extremely ill and stuggleing with Candida she us tree hours drive from me one way and ad with all suffering from this illness can’t prepare food fresh on a daily basees one because of the weakness she is going thought as well as money restriction. She hasn’t worked in over ten years and has needed to survive on the kind ness of other women a well as family. My question is what prepared food on on the market for her diet that are convenate and do not have all the preservatives that are harmful and will further damage her health. Please help us I am at a point we’re we have nowhere to turn. Linda L Larns
I’m so sorry to hear this, Linda. I don’t really advocate eating prepared foods, as the preservatives, additives, chemicals, colorings, GMO ingredients (etc etc) are detrimental to anyone with candida–and anyone else, really. In most cases, real food is your best bet and can be accessed quickly. I can eat an avocado simply by cuttin open the skin. I can peel a carrot (or not, if it’s organic) and eat it straightaway. I can grab some nuts and seeds and eat them as-is. These are the kinds of foods I eat daily and that I believe are the healthiest (barring any food allergies or other specific reasons you can’t eat them, of course). If you must go with prepared foods, I’d say opt for pre-cut salads and veggies, nut butters, frozen vegetables, and organic canned goods that contain just one simple ingredient (like stewed tomatoes). I go into this more in the video. Good luck to your daughter. I hope she is able to heal!