The Body Ecology Diet, or BED, was developed by Donna Gates as a diet to promote a healthy balance of gut flora -- what Gates calls your "inner ecosystem." According to Gates, limiting sugar and simple carbohydrates, eating healthy unsaturated fats and adding fermented foods with their naturally occurring, beneficial bacteria can help cure everything from obesity to autism, including hormone imbalances and candida.
BED Basics
The Body Ecology Diet is not a weight-loss program, although Gates says that if your inner ecosystem is balanced, you will naturally find and maintain your healthy body weight. Weight loss may also be attributed to the fact that so many different foods are restricted on the BED. The BED is a complicated program that encourages food combining, cleansing, taking supplements, following an alkalizing diet, avoiding all added sugars and most natural sugars and making sure that 80 percent of every meal is vegetables -- the remaining 20 percent may be either the four grains allowed on the BED, or protein, but grains and protein are not to be eaten together.
Candida
Candida are a type of yeast-like bacteria that are naturally part of your inner ecosystem. Unfortunately, when your system is out of balance Candida may flourish, causing yeast infections that manifest as jock itch, diaper rash, vaginitis, thrush or athlete's foot. A candida overgrowth can be treated with anti-fungal medication, but may reappear if the underlying reason that candida were able to multiply out-of-control is not addressed. Use of antibiotics, birth-control pills or steroids may harm the beneficial bacteria that keep candida in check, as can a diet too high in sugar, diabetes and any disease that weakens your immune system.
Candida and the BED -- Probiotics
The Body Ecology Diet encourages the consumption of fermented vegetables and a non-dairy coconut kefir beverage that will help replenish the "friendly" bacteria -- called probiotics -- that will crowd-out less desirable microorganisms such as candida. According to Gates, these probiotic-rich foods "improve digestion, stop sugar cravings, provide essential vitamins and minerals and boost your immunity." Gates also sells this coconut kefir beverage, as well as a line of supplements and other "BED-approved" food items.
Candida and the BED -- Sugar
Candida feed on sugar; eliminating sugar from your diet helps to kill the bacteria by robbing them of their food source. The BED restricts all added sugars, most starchy vegetables, the majority of fruits and all grains except for four -- millet, quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat. Buckwheat is not a type of wheat, despite its name -- and is gluten-free. Gates says that restricting sugar not only helps fight Candida, but may also help reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay, arthritis and eczema.
References
- The Body Ecology Diet; The Quick and Easy Guide to Improving Your Health on the Body Ecology Program Part I: The First 7 Steps to Great Health; April 2007
- The Body Ecology Diet; The 25 Key Reasons You Want to Dramatically Reduce or Avoid Sugar in Your Diet; April 2007
- Every Diet: Body Ecology Diet
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Candidiasis
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