Candida Diet - List of Foods to Avoid

Sample List of Foods to Avoid Entirely

Sugar Cubes and Jar
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Here is a sample list of foods to temporarily avoid while on a candida diet. Keep in mind that there is a lack of evidence supporting the diagnosis of intestinal Candida overgrowth, or "yeast syndrome", or the claim that any diet or remedy can treat this condition. As a result, conventional medical doctors often doubt the validity of this condition. 


Refined sugar is thought to encourage the growth of Candida yeast.

Foods containing refined sugar include white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, maple sugar, molasses, date sugar, turbinado, raw sugar, demerara, amasake, rice syrup, sorghum.

Read labels carefully because there may be hidden forms of sugar. When reading the label, words to watch out for include: sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, glycogen, glucose, mannitol, sorbitol, galactose, monosaccharides, polysaccharides.


Fruit contain natural sugars that are thought to support the growth of yeast. Fruit that is typically eliminated includes fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruit and juice.


Foods that contain yeast are typically eliminated. Yeast-containing foods include Baker's yeast, Brewer's yeast, Engevita, Torula, and any other types of nutritional yeast.


Foods Containing Gluten

Gluten-containing foods include wheat, barley, and rye.

This includes products made with these ingredients such as bread and pasta.


Includes all types of vinegar, such as white vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, and balsamic vinegar, and any food made with vinegar, such as mayonnaise, commercial salad dressing, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, BBQ sauce, shrimp sauce, soy sauce, mustard, pickles, pickled vegetables, green olives, relishes, horseradish, mincemeat, and chili sauce.


Mushrooms are typically not allowed on Candida diets.

Peanuts, Peanut Butter, and Pistachios

Peanuts, peanut butter, and pistachios are thought to have mold contamination, which is why they typically aren't allowed on candida diets.


Alcoholic beverages are believed to encourage the growth of yeast. All forms of alcohol are typically eliminated, such as red wine, white wine, beer, whiskey, brandy, gin, scotch, any fermented liquor, vodka, rum, and all liqueurs.

Coffee, Black Tea, Cider, Root beer

Includes regular coffee, instant coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and all types of black tea (including "fruit flavored" black tea).

Cider, root beer, and other fermented beverages are also typically eliminated.

Aged, Moldy and Processed Cheeses

Roquefort and other aged, moldy or blue cheeses are not allowed on a typical Candida diet. Also eliminated are processed cheese such as cheese slices, Velveeta, Cheese Whiz, cream cheese, cheese snacks, and Kraft dinner.

Processed, Dried, Smoked, and Pickled Meats

These foods include smoked salmon, pickled herring, sausages, bacon, hot dogs, pastrami, bologna, sandwich meats, salami, corned beef, pickled tongue, and kielbasa.

Packaged, Processed, and Refined Foods

Canned, bottled, packaged, boxed, and other processed foods containing yeast, refined sugar, refined flour, chemicals, preservatives, or food coloring.

Using the Candida Diet

If you're experiencing symptoms, make sure to consult your primary care provider rather than self-treating or delaying standard care.

 Allowing symptoms to go untreated may lead to serious health consequences.


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