Low Carb Diets and Yeast

Yeast-digestion problems can cause a range of symptoms. Dr. William Crook, the late family physician who wrote "The Yeast Connection," noticed how many of his patients' chronic health problems improved when he addressed the yeast balance in their bodies. He found that mainstream interventions had little impact on yeast and that treatment revolved heavily around dietary changes.

Systemic Yeast

Yeast problems often begin following a disruption in the bacterial balance in the intestines, notes Dr. Lawrence Wilson. The U.S. physician, who has tailored several treatment plans for patients with yeast problems, notes how a high sugar diet, overuse of antibiotics or stress can contribute to such problems. He points to concentration problems, fatigue and carbohydrate cravings as common symptoms.

Sugar

Sugar represents the primary source of fuel for problematic yeasts. As such, notes Wilson, you should remove sugars from the diet as a first step in starving the yeast population. This means avoiding all sweets, desserts and even fruit, as each group contain significant amounts of sugar.

Starches

Foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta and bread may also cause problems in those with yeast problems. Crook points out that under the influence of digestive enzymes, the starches in these foods break down into sugar. With this in mind, you should moderate your consumption of such items during the die-off phase.

Anti-Fungals

After starving the yeast population, Dr. Rodger Murphree recommends the use of anti-fungal compounds to help eradicate those that remain. Murphree, who has written several books on managing a number of health concerns, points to garlic and coconut oil as common foods with the ability to kill yeast. He also rates grapefruit seed extract and pau d'arco as useful anti-fungals.

Probiotics

The benefits of a low-carb diet may be short-lived without additional steps to replenish the bacterial balance in the intestines. Murphree strongly advises patients to use probiotics to provide a large amount of beneficial species such as lactobacillus and bifidus, which help crowd out problematic yeasts such as candida. You can consume probiotics in either live yogurt or capsule form.