Our bodies are incredibly smart most of the time, putting processes in place that keep us functioning normally with little effort on our end. Here’s the bad news though – processed and refined foods have reached a whole new level of destruction that our bodies weren’t designed to handle.

No one likes to talk about the fact that fungus could be growing in their body, because it’s gross to think about. But before I get into how this happens, I need to take some time to explain Candida and Candidiasis.

Candida is commonly known as yeast in the human body. Candidiasis, or Candida Albicans is an overgrowth of parasitic yeast (fungus) that results from poor intestinal function. It’s caused by things like diets too low in fibre and high in processed foods as well as a lack of good bacteria in the body.

Now before we all get angry at Candida let me explain how it is essential to our overall health. It’s main function is to help with digestion and nutrient absorption and to feed the good bacteria in our bodies. Healthy levels of bacteria in our bodies can actually keep candida in check. The problem exists when we start to fill our bodies with processed foods – we are quite literally helping candida’s army to multiply and handing them little shovels to dig away at our intestine lining.

Here are some other things that can lead to Candidiasis:

  • Poor bowel management
  • Underactive stomach
  • Consuming high amounts of alcohol
  • Taking antibiotics frequently (kills the good bacteria and allows yeast to multiply)
  • Eating foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates
  • and.. you guessed it… STRESS

So what happens when Candida goes viral? Once the yeast is established it turns fungal and buries itself into the gut lining. It causes inflammation, breaks down the wall of the intestine and takes a nice little stroll into the bloodstream, releasing toxic by products into our bodies. Once the toxins are released into the bloodstream they are carried throughout the body and can cause symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, and neurological problems. If Candida were as lazy as I am after a thanksgiving dinner we wouldn’t have a problem, but unfortunately it’s a real go-getter.

Our body doesn’t just let Candidiasis get away scotch free though – the immune system responds by releasing histamines. This causes symptoms such as allergies and intolerances. Think you have a gluten insensitivity? Or are allergic to a certain food? You might actually suffer from Candidiasis. I’ve seen quite a few people who have successfully treated candidiasis and no longer suffer from food intolerances or allergies.

We all have foods we crave – mine happens to be salted caramel cookies from Wal-Mart. My obsession was so bad that I found myself stopping at my parents cookie cupboard to grab these bad boys before even making it into the living room to greet them when I visited. On a good (bad) day, I wouldn’t even take the time to fully stop – I’d just grab the whole box on my way through. Candida thrives on undigested sugars and carbs – signalling the body to crave them.
This was my body’s way of telling me that I had a Candida overgrowth (this along with many other symptoms). So I had to say a very sad goodbye to my caramel cookies and work towards healing my gut.

Here are some of the symptoms of Candidiasis:

  • Craving sugars, breads, and alcohol
  • Headaches
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Rectal itching
  • Irritability
  • Lethargy
  • Seasonal allergies
  • Digestive issues: abdominal gas and bloating after eating, constipation or chronic diarrhea
  • Frequent use of antacids
  • Hives, psoriasis, acne, skin rashes

So what do we do about our itchy bums and our constant desire to shovel sugar into our mouths? First, we have to stop the yeast overgrowth by eliminating refined sugars and processed foods. We also need to eliminate foods that are causing inflammation – gluten, dairy, corn, caffeine (I could probably take up a page with this list alone). Now think about all of the damage our friends with shovels have been doing to our intestines. Once the overgrowth is contained the gut needs to be healed (aloe vera is great for the gut lining), and good bacteria needs to be replaced through probiotics (lots of probiotics).

So moral of the story.. salted caramel cookies taste great, and Candida is bad. Kidding! The real message here is that we need to learn to listen to our bodies. Do you have any of these symptoms? If so, don’t ignore them. You would be amazed at the difference between thinking you feel fairly good everyday, and actually feeling amazing.

Need help finding the easiest way to keep candida at bay? Drop us a line here

Ashley Reece

Resources: Nutritional Symptomatology; Danielle Perrault R.H.N