The candida diet is a diet whose main goal is to prevent and reduce the excessive growth of candida in the body. Candida is a particular type of fungus that can grow in multiple areas of the body, including our digestive tract. Candida overgrowth can have a wide variety of effects on our overall health and can also affect our mood in many ways. Excessive candida in the gut has been linked with higher anxiety, depression, and increased stress. This is why stressed students should consider trying the diet if they’re experiencing any of these symptoms.
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What Can You Eat on a Candida Diet
Let’s take a look at what the diet consists of and why it could be so beneficial to students.
What is the Candida Diet Exactly?
The whole point of the candida diet is to identify the causes that lead to excessive candida growth and tackle them. One of the biggest culprits is added sugar in all its forms. Candida needs sugar for cellular growth, and the candida diet demands that you completely eliminate it from your diet. This extends to more than the usual suspect like sugary drinks and desserts, but to anything that might have hidden added sugar like pasta sauce, salad dressings or crackers, among other things. So, you’ll need to be vigilant and learn how to read ingredients thoroughly when you’re on this diet.
Other Restrictions
In addition to sugary foods, you’ll also have to reduce your daily starch intake and start eating non-starchy foods. Starch is another source of food for candida, so reducing your starch intake will prevent its growth. This means watching your consumption of potatoes, yams, squash, peas, and other starch rich vegetables in your diet.
And while the candida diet also targets carbs, it is not a no-carb diet. As a matter of fact, if your carb consumption becomes so low that you start entering ketosis, it could actually have the reverse effect. Studies have shown that ketone bodies can be used as a form of food by candida. Other things like caffeine and alcohol should also be avoided as much as possible under this diet.
Why is the Candida Diet so Good for Stress Relief in Students?
Several studies have reported that candida infections could be directly related to anxiety, higher stress and multiple mood disorders including mood swings. One of the main reasons behind this is that your gut is responsible for producing serotonin in the body. Low levels of serotonin have been shown to cause increased anxiety and people with low serotonin are more likely to suffer from depression. In addition to that, candida could damage your intestinal lining and lead to leaky gut. If this happens, candida can start penetrating your bloodstream causing all sorts of physical and mood issues.
This is why students should consider adopting the candida diet if they’re feeling some symptoms like poor digestion, bloating, excessive gas, and anxiety. Students might also reconsider their schooling options and go for an online course if they feel their environment is too stressful. This is especially an issue for many students in nursing or other highly demanding healthcare fields. Fortunately, there are plenty of highly recognized and reputed nursing masters programs available, which will allow you to set your own pace and relieve some of the stress.
Conclusion
The candida diet is a great way to restore gut health, regain immunity, and improve your overall mood. If you are feeling particularly stressed lately or sluggish and have been experiencing digestive issues, then it might be time that you give it a try today.
