What Is Candida & How Do We Address It

October 13, 2024 8 min read

We’ve all heard of candida, also known as a yeast overgrowth or thrush.

It’s a fungus that lives in the mouth, vagina, stomach and skin, and is usually harmless and kept in check with a healthy diet.

But when it becomes unbalanced, it can multiply uncontrollably, affecting many areas of the body:

Stomach Bloating: In the stomach it causes very heavy bloating, especially right after eating. This causes our stomach to protrude, sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for the whole day, and can feel like food is swishing around in our stomach instead of moving through.

Oral Thrush: It can also occur in the mouth, causing creamy white patches or sores in the mouth or throat, redness, painful cracks at the corners of the mouth, loss of taste, or pain when eating or swallowing.

Vaginal Thrush: The vagina has it’s own microbiome, separate but similar to the microbiome in our colon, and candida can take root and spread there, causing itching, soreness or burning, white or yellow discharge, and stinging or burning when urinating.

Skin Issues: candida can cause a red, growing rash with small, raised bumps (pustules), intense itching, a burning sensation, or a rash in skin folds, genitals, middle of the body, buttocks, or under the breast.

Candida throughout our body: It can also spread to our heart, brain, eyes, bones, or joints, affecting us in various ways, most noticeably in our energy levels or inflammatory response.

In short, it causes us real problems, both now, and even more in the long term. And they can be quite uncomfortable.

And, because of the currently available foods in the US, which are almost tailor-made to feed it, most of us have candida to one degree or another today, often without knowing it and without realizing that certain conditions are caused by it.

If you have any of the above, it’s likely there is a candida overgrowth that needs to be addressed. And conditions will only worsen over time if we don’t.

This is one reason we created Gut Restore, as it works to bind and neutralize candida, removing it from our system.

But while Gut Restore kills it off, if we want it to stop coming back, there are other actions we need to take.

So let’s dive in.

WHAT IS CANDIDA OR “A YEAST INFECTION”

Candida albicans is a fungus that lives inside of our colon along with the rest of the bacteria in our microbiome.

And this is fine. In a properly balanced microbiome there are other bacteria that keep candida in check.

But, just as certain harmful bacteria can start to take over, either in our colon or small intestine, so too can Candida.

This is a candida overgrowth. When someone says they have candida or, “a yeast infection,” this is what they’re talking about. Not the fact that candida is in their body, as we all have it, but that it is now out of control to one degree or another and causing trouble.

Also, when we have SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), harmful bacteria that do some of the same things as candida, we generally have a candida overgrowth as well, as they are each brought on and fed by many of the same things.

However, what it does in the body, and how we address it, is a bit different.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING CANDIDA OVERGROWTH

Candida normally stays in the colon. But when fed the key foods that both cause it to proliferate and, at the same time, harm other key bacteria that hold it in check, it can get out of control.

This can cause imbalances in our microbiome leading to lessened neurotransmitter production and higher cortisol and stress levels.

But, unchecked, it now goes further, entering our small intestine where, just as harmful bacteria does, it can harm the cells in the lining of our small intestine, contributing to leaky gut.

It can slow digestion, causing food to stay in our stomach longer and bringing on acid reflux.

It can cause gas that brings on bloating of our stomach.

From there it can then enter our bloodstream, our organs and our joints, causing trouble and discomfort.

It can get into our mouth, causing sometimes painful thrush and bad breath.

And it can get into our genitals and urinary tract, causing pain and discomfort.

And it releases a very destructive neurotoxin wherever it goes that causes an inflammatory response.

But it does something else too.

You see, just like harmful bacteria, our immune system seeks to stop a candida overgrowth by killing it off when it leaves the colon.

However, also like harmful bacteria, candida creates its own biofilm around itself to hide from our body’s immune system.

So even when we raise immune function and kill some of it off, much more is protected and hidden, ready to come back out as soon as conditions are right.

This is why we also need to take Gut Defense. While Gut Restore can destroy the exposed candida, Gut Defense is needed to break down the biofilms protecting hidden candida so it can then be exposed and Gut Restore can kill it off.

Otherwise, once we’ve killed off the exposed candida, the hidden candida can just come out of hiding again and repopulate.

We need to remove it all.

WHAT CAUSES A CANDIDA OVERGROWTH

The biggest thing is high sugars and starchy foods.

Candida is very common today, often affecting people without their knowing it.

This is largely due to our diets with their high starch/carbohydrate processed foods and processed sugars which are food for candida, and too little of the proteins, healthy fats and vitamins our bodies need to keep our immune system strong and candida levels in check.

Also, while sugars feed candida, candida also uses these sugars to create the biofilms it uses to protect itself.

So the longer we’re on a high sugar diet, the more chance candida has to enter every area of our body, causing different types of trouble at each point, and the harder it is to get rid of it.

Other key things that cause or contribute to a candida overgrowth are alcohol, antibiotics which kill off beneficial bacteria that keep candida in check, weakened immune systems and even oral contraceptives.

But once we get candida out of the areas of the body it shouldn’t be in, and get it under control, it’s pretty easy to keep in check with a healthy diet.

So let’s see what we need to do.

ADDRESSING CANDIDA & YEAST OVERGROWTH

There are many things to do when addressing candida, and Gut Restore and Gut Defense, along with a proper diet, can address most issues.

But, if it’s reached certain parts of the body such as the mouth or urinary tract, it may require anti-fungals prescribed by a doctor in addition to Gut Restore and Gut Defense.

These would help bring it down to more manageable levels, but Gut Restore and Gut Defense would still be needed to finish the job.

But there is one thing many people don’t do when they take these anti-fungals — they don’t then change the diet that caused the candida overgrowth in the first place.

So it comes right back.

To fully address candida we need to do all of this:

Anti-fungals if needed in consultation with a doctor;

Change in diet so we are not feeding the candida;

Destroy the biofilms protecting the candida and the candida itself (Gut Restore & Gut Defense);

Rebuild the overwhelmed microbiome;

And repair the leaky gut that has occurred due to the candida and other harmful bacteria.

Let’s break this down:

DESTROYING THE CANDIDA & THE BIOFILMS PROTECTING IT

If we have any of the above issues, the first thing to do is start taking Gut Defense and Gut Restore.

These will start killing off the candida along with harmful bacteria which will also be present. And we’ll notice a difference right away.

We also need to take Probiotics to repopulate the beneficial bacteria that help keep candida in check, and make sure to feed them the nutrients they need to thrive: Greens and essential amino acids as contained in PerfectAmino.

And doing the full Gut Health Protocol would be very smart, as it not only contains the above, helping to destroy candida and other harmful bacteria, but it also helps to repair the damage they’ve done over time and bring our digestive tract back to working order.

And make sure to consult your doctor on any anti-fungals that may be needed. Sometimes our body needs a boost to get to the point where it can handle something on its own.

But we also need to address our diet, and while the Gut Health Protocol addresses much of this, for candida there is a bit more.

THE CANDIDA DIET

Sugars, starches, breads, grains and alcohol are candida’s greatest source of food. As hard as it may seem, we need to cut these out or take them very low.

And don’t worry, Gut Restore and Gut Defense will help lower the cravings they cause and so make this easier.

But no matter what else we do or what we take, if we don’t cut out candida’s food source it will not fully go away, and will come right back.

Period.

This includes cutting out starchy vegetables and legumes: all squash (except for zucchini), carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes, yams, corn, beets, peas, parsnips and all beans except for green beans.

Fruits should also be avoided for the most part with only some very low sugar fruits here and there or none at all.

And we need to cut out or cut way down on coffee and caffeine.

What we do need to be eating is healthy proteins (not powders as these are mainly converted to sugar and feed the candida), healthy fats, and lots of green and cruciferous vegetables.

Also, adding in natural anti-fungals can be very helpful: garlic, coconut oil, curcumin, aloe vera, kombucha and pomegranate peel.

Each of these have been shown to help injure candida or prevent further overgrowth and help to keep it in check in general. And they should be continued long after it’s gone.

If you do the above, along with the full Gut Health Protocol, you should be feeling and doing very well, very soon.

It’s actually quite amazing how fast results can come.

But when they do, don’t stop, as we need to ensure it’s fully gone, which could be several months after most issues have cleared up.

And from there, make sure to keep away from processed foods and sugars, as these truly do feed candida like nothing else.

I hope this helps.

And, if you haven't seen the Gut Health Protocol & 30-Day Challenge, I highly recommend you check it out! It's very possibly the most important program we have for overall health.

And make sure to join our PerfectAmino VIP Group if you haven’t already, where you can ask all of your questions and we can help you with anything you need.

Index To The Gut Health Guide:

The Autoimmune Series:

The Gut Health Protocol:

Digestion: Acid Reflux, Bloating, Muscle, Fat Loss & More:

Leaky Gut: SIBO, Toxins, Glyphosate & Gluten:

The Microbiome: Stress, Recovery, Mood & Overall Health:

What Is Candida & How Do We Address It?

What Is Candida & How Do We Address It?

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.