We too often hear about foods to restrict; let’s shift our focus onto what to eat to build immunity and a healthy gut. If you have been diagnosed with a fungal overgrowth, which could include yeast, mold or candida, below are foods to incorporate.
- Coconut cream is rich in caprylic acid, capric acid and lauric acid, which are anti-fungal fatty acids.
- Lauric acid is also effective against mouth sores and can prevent candida infections in the mouth.
- A white coat on your tongue can be a sign of candida overgrowth. Oil pulling, which involves rinsing for 15-20 minutes with an oil, can be done with coconut oil in the summer to help. In the winter, oil pulling is best done with sesame oil.
- Lauric acid is also effective against mouth sores and can prevent candida infections in the mouth.
- Garlic is high in allicin, which is a compound that forms when garlic cloves are crushed or chopped. Many studies have shown that allicin prevents the growth of fungii. Allicin is damaged by heating, it’s best to eat garlic raw. Adults are recommended to eat 1-2 cloves of garlic daily.
- If you have a hard time tolerating raw garlic, you can cook it for less than five minutes.
- Combining garlic with some form of fat, such as coconut or olive oil helps prevent the garlic from burning sensitive mucous membranes.
- Crush whole garlic cloves, or press garlic cloves through a garlic press, and mix with olive oil and minced rosemary. Apply it as a dressing on cooked vegetables.
- Mince garlic cloves and whisk together with apple cider vinegar, olive oil and minced thyme for salad dressing.
- A few more foods that have been found to inhibit growth of yeast are oregano, thyme and ginger.
- Fresh herbs can be steeped into a tea to reap the benefits.
- Or, for an extra punch, oil extract of oregano or thyme can be diluted with water and consumed for anti-fungal benefits.