2. Eat More Probiotics
If there’s an imbalance in GI microbes, add more of the good ones to reduce the bad. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to consume too many probiotics. In addition to regulating GI yeast, they promote better digestion, nutrient absorption, and overall health. Probiotics are available in supplement form; if you go this route, make sure the brand is a reputable, therapeutic grade. A rule of thumb for probiotic supplements: 60-100 billion active cultures per day.
To increase your gut bacteria through food, look no further than yogurt, miso, kefir, kombucha, microalgae, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh and more.
3. Cut Out Sugar
Yeast eats sugar. It also feeds inflammation, affects your body’s pH levels, and feeds cancer cells. If you cut off their food supply, yeast will starve.
Make sure to cut out all processed and refine sugars and sweeten your food with dates and healthy sweets like honey and maple syrup.
4. Use a Multi-pronged Offensive
Doing one small thing will help your condition but making many small changes will have a much larger impact. Taking a multifaceted approach will also help your body heal faster.
There are several natural means to reduce yeast population:
- garlic (raw)
- oregano oil
- grapefruit seed extract
- lavender
- ginger
- tea tree oil
- black and green tea
- turmeric
- coconut oil -via its caprylic acid (5)
- cranberry juice
- castor oil and black elderberry -via their undecylenic acid (6)
As well as the suggestions above, make sure to get plenty of sleep, keep your stress levels low, avoid processed foods, and exercise regularly.
5. Add More Fiber to Your Diet
The fiber in foods doesn’t get digested but facilitates the digestive process. It helps the body in eliminating toxins and waste by absorbing bile and supports the growth of healthy bacteria (since it’s prebiotic).
It’s common to experience flu-like symptoms when a large volume of yeast dies at once, a result of detoxification known as a “Herxheimer reaction”. (7) Fiber will help to cleanse the GI tract of the spent microbes to reduce this effect.
Exemplary sources of dietary fiber include:
- oatmeal
- fresh vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, artichoke, celery, cucumber)
- seeds and nuts (chia, flax, almond, pistachio, pecan, walnut)
- avocado
- legumes (peas, lentils, beans, peanuts)
- whole-grain barley, brown rice
- apples, pears, banana, raisins, figs
The problem with yeast overgrowth is that if nothing else in your body changes, it will continue to proliferate. Tweaking only a few things can reap huge results in restoring your gastrointestinal balance so you feel better. Maintenance is easier once everything has settled back to normal if you keep these particular dietary hacks in practice.