The Link between Fibromyalgia, Yeast and Candida -- with Foods to Eat and Avoid

The Link between Fibromyalgia, Yeast and Candida  -- Which Foods to Eat and Avoid

When the human body is weakened, as it is with fibromyalgia, it is vulnerable to attack from outside pathogens, bacteria, yeast, and viruses and the immune system cannot do its job properly. 

Candidiasis is an infection caused by a group of microscopic fungi or yeast that seems to be prevalent among many people who suffer with fibromyalgia symptoms and flares.  There are more than 20 species of Candida, the most common being Candida albicans.  Candida starts to develop in the gut as a fungus, and at the same time creates its ideal environment inside the gut. 

The environment in which Candida thrive means that the pH balance is acidic.  This acidity inhibits the bodies' abilities to absorb vitamins and minerals, and limits enzyme production of digestive enzymes, which can quickly lead to malabsorption, deficiency symptoms, and malnourishment.  One of the side effects of limited digestive enzymes leads to indigestion symptoms, wind or gas, a sense of the intestines being bloated or swollen, increased acid levels, and sensitivities to certain types of food. 

It is common to feel frustrated and alone when dealing with a yeast overgrowth because Candida is evasive to much of the medical community and in fact, many of its symptoms can actually mimic other conditions.  

Here is a list of common symptoms that are indicative of Candida overgrowth.

Common Candida and Yeast Symptoms:

· Gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn or pain in the intestines
· Bowel irregularities, constipation or diarrhea or perhaps alternating between both
· Food cravings especially for carbohydrates or sweets.
· Mood swings, depression or suicidal tendencies
· Headaches or migraines
· Menstrual problems, PMS or break through bleeding, endometriosis.
· Respiratory concerns, asthma frequent bronchial congestion
· Skin problems, dry, itchy or hives
· Finger or toe nail fungus
· Vertigo or balance problems
· Joint or muscle pain
· Bad breath In spite of good oral hygiene
· Allergies…air-born or food
· Malabsorption (might be indicated by vertical grooves in fingernails)
· Vaginal yeast infections
· Itching or redness in body creases
· Acne on face, back or body
· Cravings for chocolate, peanuts, pistachios or alcohol
· Adrenal or thyroid failure
· Hemorrhoids, fissure or rectal bleeding
· Insomnia
· Chronic fatigue
· Feeling cold and shaky
· Weight imbalances (over or under in spite of diet)
· Poor memory
· Puffy, dry or burning eyes
· Urinary tract problems (infections or incontinence)
· Premature ageing
· Chemical sensitivity (especially colognes or fabric dye)
· Blood sugar imbalances

As your body finds it difficult to digest certain foods it is best to avoid them.  Sugar feeds Candida and that includes fructose, a fruit sugar, so it's best to avoid eating sugar and fresh or dried fruit.  Alcohol is a type of sugar and is a direct food source for Candida. 

Water is another substance that can lead to Candida overgrowth because it has certain chemicals added by the local water board, in addition to chlorine, which can aggravate the condition further.  It is best to drink water which is free of chemicals and chlorine altogether. 

Here is a list of foods that encourage Candida and the growth of yeast and which may trigger a flare up of fibromyalgia symptoms:

• All sweets including hidden sweeteners in processed foods, such as soups, all fruit and fruit juice. Avoid grains such as prepared flake cereals sprouted grain cereals such as: Amaranth, Buckwheat, Corn, Millet, Rice, Rye, Spelt, Wheat.
• Granola, Pearl barley, Instant oats, Cornmeal, degerminated Hominy grits, degerminated Microwave popcorn Blue corn meal.
• Pasta is flour and water, the flour may be white bread flour and it may be durum flour made from semolina. All types of noodles are made from the same base and they should all be cut out of the diet, with Bufin, the Japanese noodles, Ramen instant noodles, farina, semolina and white flour noodles and pastas.
• Baked goods and Breads: Avoid all cakes, pastries, cookies doughnuts or other processed baked food containing sugar. This list includes white bread, or any bread containing wheat, which includes parathas, nanas bread, pita bread, white flour tortillas, wheat dough tortillas, sourdough, or any other ethnic bread made from wheat. Mochi the sweet unleavened bread made from brown rice should be avoided.
• Legumes: Avoid beans and peas with sweeteners, bean sprouts, tempeh which is a type of fermented tofu, tofu and textured vegetable protein.
• Nuts & Seeds Coconut, Peanuts, Pistachios, Walnuts.
• Dairy Products Buttermilk, Soymilk (sweetened), All kinds of cheeses, Cottage cheese, Kefir, Milk, Sour cream Crème fraiche, sweetened yogurt. 
• Fruit: avoid eating dried fruit, and in fact, all fruit because of the fructose the sugar it contains. Once you have eliminated the current Candida infection then eat fruit with a moderate amount of sugar. Low sugar fruits are apples, grapefruit, melon, and strawberries.
• Beverages: Alcohol, Cereal beverages, Coffee both regular and decaffeinated Fruit juices Soft drinks including the diet soft drinks. Processed tea drinks such as lemon tea. All fruit teas, Black tea.
• Condiments and Sauces:  Avoid Ketchup or catsup or any type of tomato sauce Cream sauces such as Alfredo Steak sauce, no Capers, Dried or powdered garlic, Miso, Dried or powdered onion, Pickles or chutneys, which include anything made with sugar and distilled vinegar. Spices, Distilled vinegar Sauerkraut.
• Proteins: Meat products such as beef chicken or pork have added antibiotics and hormones and they should be avoided if you want to eat meat then eat free-range organic products. Smoked meats such as bacon, sausages and salami products such as pepperoni have added sugar and should be cut out of your diet.
• Vegetables:

Avoid - Beetroot Canned tomatoes Carrots Cucumber skins, Mushrooms (all types), Potato skins, Prepared soups, Canned tomatoes

Eat - Beans, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumbers Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce Onion, radishes, Parsley, Peas, Rocket or arugula Spinach, Tomatoes.

Nutritional Support:  These Foods can help you to avoid or eliminate Candida and Yeast

The ideal diet for those suffering from Candida Yeast overgrowth is to eat a diet high in fiber and protein complimented by some complex carbohydrates and a small amount of fresh fruits. For example, the daily intake should be approximately:

65% High fiber foods, such as steamed vegetables: The best choices are broccoli, celery, radishes, asparagus, onions, garlic, ginger root, cabbage, turnips and kale. Raw garlic and onions act as natural anti-fungal substances and should be eaten as much as possible.

20% High protein foods, such as: fish chicken, duck, nuts, seeds and eggs.

10% Complex carbohydrates: rice, beans and oats.

Foods that promote a healthy body and deter Candida Overgrowth:

5% fresh fruits, such as: berries of all kinds, grapefruit, pineapple, and papaya.

For a comprehensive list of suggested acceptable foods please visit the full post here:

www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/information-center/current-topics/item/264-the-link-between-fibromyalgia-yeast-and-candida.html  [1]

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To your health and wellness,

Deirdre

Comments

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 4:13pm

#1 [3]

Mardy Ross

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Top of the Totem Pole

Joined: Feb 16 2009

Posts: 2032

So VERY important, from my experience, Deirdre

I really appreciate your adding this here, Deirdre.  As ALWAYS!  

My experience with yeast goes back to the late 1990s, when I took it upon myself the summer after I found out about my IgG food allergies and had eliminted wheat, dairy, eggs from my diet to then read a very long book about this topic and spend a summer doing a yeast cleanse.  I was very happy with the results at the time and then the reality of my work as an occupational therapist in those years (which was a devastated field due to changes the government made in Medicare reimbursement) caused me to start grabbing fast food again in my year of driving 40,000 miles and working in different cities every day.  Fortunately or unfortunately, my work has changed over the years as a result of my health and the health of the economy and I've found a better balance of things which I hope I can maintain now that I have more respect for the importance of food as our first medicine. 

What I REALLY like about what you have posted here is that when people have limited resources of time, energy, money, THIS is perfect!  It's free.  It can be printed and is free to read, and doesn't take a lot of mental energy to read because of the way you write so succinctly.  So thank you, Deirdre.  And I hope that what I have written here encourages people to hit that 'print' or 'e-mail' button, above, or bookmark Lumigrate and come back and re-read if necessary, but to really consider acting on this if it resonates as something a person feels makes sense for them.  Remember, YOU as shown on Lumigrate.com home page are the key to your health care.  People like Deirdre and I are just providing the quality, progressive, streamlined and FUN information!  

To Higher Health ~~ Mardy ~~~ Lumigrate: Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being ~~~

__________________

Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [4] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!

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Thu, 03/11/2010 - 2:18pm

#2 [8]

Petrice78

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Itinerant

Joined: Sep 17 2009

Posts: 3

Re: The Link between Fibromyalgia, Yeast and Candida -- ...

 

I had the candida and the lovely leaky gut and the fabulously attractive itchy hives ALL over my body. Little did I know (or make the connection at the time) that it was the Fibro. I hadn't been diagnosed yet and had made NO connection to it until I did a bit of research! I HIGHLY recommend if you have any type of tummy issue that you look at how much sugar you're eating! I was yeast free and low sugar for almost 2 years because my candida was that bad. I had to carry around 2 ani-pens and went into anaphalactic shock once! Yeast is in everything but it can be avoided! Sugar is the hard one because even natural sugar feeds the yeast (fruit, etc) Probiotics are the only way to go after starving the yeast and sugar for a little while. It's a pain in the bum but makes you appreciate normal food just that little bit more :D

__________________

 I have Fibro and RA :)

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Thu, 03/18/2010 - 1:51pm

#3 [9]

Deirdre Rawlings

Title: LumiGRATE Poster - Major

Joined: Dec 19 2009

Posts: 43

Re: The Link between Fibromyalgia, Yeast and Candida -- ...

 It's true -- sugar is behind so many symptoms.  It creates lactic acid buildup and acid pH which is ideal for fungus and yeast to thrive in.  Sugar ferments in your gut and this is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and fungus.  

Candida mimics very many symptoms, many of which are similar and the same as fibromyalgia.  In The Eat to Beat Fibromyalgia Challenge Program I address candida and yeast BIG TIME and put you through what is known as a Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) which was first written about by Donna Gates.  

The Eat to Beat Challenge System (similar to principles set forth in the Body Ecology diet),  incorporates excellent principles of proper food combining, acid/alkaline balance with low acid-forming foods, low sugars and starches, easily digestible foods, fermented foods, and other solid nutrition recommendations to clear up Candida overgrowth in the body.  The diet allows a few grains such as quinoa, millet buckwheat, and amaranth when properly soaked.  The Eat to Beat Fibromyalgia Challenge System, like the Body Ecology Diet, incorporates the addition of cultured foods, a change to the quality of fats and oils consumed and a drastic reduction in the intake of carbohydrates and sugars.

To learn more about The Eat to Beat Fibromyalgia Challenge program you may visit this page by cutting and pasting it into your browser -- http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/programs/fibromyalgia-group-coaching.html

or feel free to email me with questions - deirdre@nutri-living.com [10].  I invite you to Take The Challenge -- the next one starts April 8th!

I wish you good health!

Deirdre

 

__________________

Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD advises clients in her local area of Atlanta, Georgia, USA in person as well as remotely, both individuals and groups/corporations.  While she has a focus on advising those with fibromyalgia or developing symptoms with a focus on nutrition as solution for wellness, her expertise is global and 'wholistic'.  Her complete information can be found at http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/ [2]. She is the author of "Foods that Help Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia"; check out Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobel.

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