Yeast-Free Diet Plan

You may need to follow a yeast-free diet if you are intolerant to yeast or are suffering from candida. Candida is an overgrowth of yeast in your system, and following this diet is thought to kill it off. As with many diets, you may feel tired or suffer flu-like symptoms for the first few days, but this will soon pass, leaving you feeling healthy and full of energy.

Foods to Avoid

You should avoid yeasty, moldy and sugary foods when following this diet. Breads, rolls, pastries, cakes, muffins, cookies, pretzels, vinegar and foods containing vinegar, beers, wines, spirits, cider, all sugar, all fruits, fruit juices, dried fruit, citrus fruits, soft drinks, honey and syrups, chocolate, sweets, all dairy products, cheese, mushrooms, dried, smoked and pickled meats, canned tomatoes, peanuts, pistachio nuts, malt, soy sauce and pre-packaged teas and herbs should all be avoided.

Foods to Eat

All vegetables are allowed on this diet, and dark leafy ones such as spinach and cabbage are particularly beneficial. Accepted meats include fresh beef, poultry and fresh pork. You can also have fresh fish and shellfish. Eggs are allowed as they do not count as a dairy product, and beans will help vegetarians meet their protein requirements. Opt for whole grain pasta and include oatmeal, rice, couscous, buckwheat, millet and barley in your diet as carbohydrate alternatives to bread. You are also allowed unprocessed nuts and seeds and unrefined vegetable oils.

Yeast-free Options

Soda or scofa bread, pitta, chappattis and nann breads, crisp breads, crackers and rice cakes are usually yeast-free. They also recommend checking gravies and stocks, as many varieties contain yeast extract. You can buy yeast-free varieties, so it is always best to check the nutritional information on the packet to be sure.

Meal Ideas

Porridge is a good breakfast option when following a yeast free diet. Avoid loading it up with sugar, jam or honey, which are all banned on the diet, and opt for a sprinkle of unprocessed nuts or seeds. At lunchtime swap a yeasty sandwich for a fresh tuna and egg salad or an omelet with peppers and spinach. For dinner, prepare pasta or rice with a grilled chicken breast and plenty of fresh vegetables.

Snack Ideas

Sugary snacks are all banned on the yeast-free diet, so opt for a bag of unprocessed nuts or seeds. Pumpkin or sunflower seeds are tasty and full of essential fatty acids. If you have time, prepare some carrot or celery sticks to munch on at break-time or try raw cauliflower, broccoli and pea pods. You can also snack on yeast-free crackers or rice cakes.

Breakfast for a Yeast Free Diet

Yeast-free diets can alleviate the symptoms of yeast intolerance and candida. Candida is an overgrowth of yeast in the body, and the yeast can be controlled if you remove its primary food sources. You should avoid yeast, along with moldy and sugary foods when following the diet in order to treat candida.

Yeast-Free Breakfasts

The yeast-free diet focuses on fresh vegetables, meats, fish, eggs, whole grains and unprocessed seeds and nuts. Coming up with breakfast ideas from this list of foods may seem difficult but it is not impossible. If you are treating candida, many of your usual breakfast options such as milk, bread and fruit may be unsuitable so you should be creative with your food.

Porridge

Porridge is a whole grain and will leave you feeling full until lunchtime. To prepare porridge for one person, place 1/2 cup of oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl. Microwave this for a minute and stir. Repeat this twice more until the porridge is thick and creamy. Alternatively you can heat the mixture in a saucepan on the stove until it is done. For flavor, add fresh spices to your mixture before cooking. Try fresh, grated ginger or some cinnamon. Top your porridge with a sprinkle of unprocessed seeds or nuts.

Eggs

Eggs make a quick and easy breakfast and, according to the Egg Nutrition Center, a large egg contains just 72 calories. Try soft boiled eggs and dip rye crackers into them instead of bread. For a diet friendly fry-up, make scrambled eggs and serve them with a grilled tomato and a slice of fresh ham. Alternatively try an omelet with plenty of fresh herbs for flavor.

Cereal

Rice or corn cereals are allowed on the yeast-free diet so long as you take care to avoid the varieties containing sugar. Opt for simple puffed rice or plain corn flakes. Although cow's milk should be avoided on this diet, you can still have a milk-like substance on your cereal. Choose soy, oat or rice milk, as these are all acceptable. You could also accompany your cereal with a plain soy yogurt.

Quinoa and Rice

If you have a little free time in the morning, try experimenting with quinoa or flaked rice. Quinoa is easy to digest and makes a great porridge. Simply add 1/2 cup of quinoa to a pan containing 1 cup of boiling water and allow the mixture to simmer until all of the water has been absorbed. This will take between 15 and 20 minutes and you can add nuts and seeds as a topping. Prepare flaked rice porridge in a similar way but replace the water with soy milk and add some fresh cinnamon or nutmeg for flavor.

Side Effects of Yeast-Free Diet

The primary goal of the yeast-free diet is to remove all foods on which yeast can thrive. It's no coincidence that most contain sugar, the one ingredient yeast loves the most. All foods made with yeast are off limits, including alcohol and any fermented food such as vinegar and the foods containing it. All items containing sugar are prohibited, along with anything moldy such as cheese, cured meats, soy sauce, dried or pickled meats and canned tomatoes. You can enjoy potatoes and corn, but in moderation -- three to four times per week. Eliminating these foods from your diet cleanses your body of yeast toxins, thus preventing infection and disease due to yeast overgrowth. Several foods can be consumed freely, including vegetables, eggs, whole-grain products, all varieties of beans, all types of uncured or smoked meat, unrefined vegetable oil and unprocessed nuts and seeds.

Although the yeast-free diet might cleanse your body of excess yeast and its toxins, side effects can occur upon starting this new eating plan. The food you take away results in mass destruction of the yeast in your body. This, in turn, dumps large amounts of yeast toxins into your vaginal and intestinal tracts, causing flu-like fatigue, weakness and irritability. It is recommended adhering strictly to the diet for three to six weeks, noting that you might experience these side effects for the first few weeks until your body flushes the toxins out.

Some common signs of yeast overgrowth in the eyes of alternative practitioners include fatigue, headache and poor memory. These practitioners are quick to recommend the yeast-free diet to their patients. Dr. Brent Bauer, a Mayo Clinic internist, states otherwise. He says this diet has undergone no clinical trials, and therefore has no scientific evidence to support either the diagnosis of Candida syndrome or its treatment, the yeast-free diet. Bauer adds that anyone who eliminates processed foods containing flour and sugar, then replacing them with fresh food, will begin to look and feel better. That, he says, is the primary benefit of the Candida cleanse, not preventing the overgrowth of yeast in the gastrointestinal tract.