Suffer From Allergy Symptoms? This Diet Could Help Slideshow
Breakfast: Blueberry Scones
Blueberries are a wonderful fruit for the candida diet. They are high in fiber and low in sugar, and carry a significant amount of antioxidants. The coconut flour found in this recipe is great for candida diet baking, as it has a mild flavor that blends well with sweet recipes. It also has a finer texture than nut flours, which means it bakes a lighter, fluffier product and creates a texture that is closer to that of wheat-based baked goods.
Breakfast: Frittata
A frittata is like a quiche, but without the crust. This dish packs tons of flavor and lean egg protein, and it will fill you up without feeding your candida. The combinations of ingredients are endless, and any recipe can be adapted by substituting fresh cheeses like goat or feta for hard aged cheeses like Cheddar or Swiss that can contain mold.
Breakfast: Kasha
A cereal traditional to central and Eastern European cooking, kasha is the English name given to cooked buckwheat groats. Buckwheat cereal is warm and filling, and despite its name, is not related to wheat and contains no gluten. It is actually a member of the same family as rhubarb, making it safe to eat on a candida diet.
Breakfast: Baked Eggs
Plate these baked eggs without the bread and you have a hearty and warm breakfast dish that will have you well fed, for both the body and the soul. With a vast world of flavor combinations, the possibilities for this dish are as endless as your creativity.
Breakfast: Quinoa
Despite its fluffy texture and nutty flavor, quinoa is not actually a grain but an edible seed, making it a tasty candida diet substitute for morning oats or cream of wheat on the candida diet. Replace milk with nondairy almond or coconut milk for an even more health-friendly option for hectic mornings.
Breakfast: Egg Muffins
A great way to start your day, these egg bites will deliver energy from protein that will last longer than a quick boost from a sugary cereal that leaves you slumped at your desk by 10. If mornings are busy in your house, make them the night before and heat them up in the microwave, or take the time to bake and enjoy them fresh for your next weekend brunch.
Lunch: Chickpea Salad
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a great replacement for grains. They have a delicious and slightly peppery flavor, which lends itself well to many dishes. You can add chickpeas to warm sautéed dinners and stews, or make a cold chickpea salad tossed with scallions, vegetables, and a fresh cheese like feta for your next candida diet brown bag lunch
Lunch: Farinata
This traditional chickpea flour recipe from Italy is a great way to include a savory bread with your meal without breaking your candida diet regimen. Also known as socca or cecina, this vegan and gluten-free bread is herbaceous, unleavened, and easy to bake.
Lunch: Greek Salad
Green salads are almost universally allowed on the candida diet, provided you watch out for two things: sugary dressings and vinaigrettes, and aged cheeses. Greek salad is a perfect choice for light and interesting lunch with next to no sugars. Just make sure not to pile on the feta, because while most candida diet plans say fresh cheeses are fine in small amounts, they could put extra stress on your system if your portions get out of control.
Lunch: Guacamole
Avocados are technically fruits, but their incredibly low sugar content makes them a great choice for candida diet-friendly recipes. With their rich texture and healthy fats, they're a great way to make green salads more filling, or you can make them the focus of their own light meal with this recipe for guacamole.
Lunch: Quinoa Salad
Quinoa salad makes a great lunch on the go or light fare for a hot day. The slight nuttiness of quinoa plays well with a wide variety of ingredients and flavors, like a candida-friendly cheese such as goat cheese and bitter greens, making this cold salad completely customizable.
Lunch: White Bean Soup
Beans may seem like a strange choice for the candida diet because of their significant starch content, however, the amount of protein and fiber they deliver, not to mention their versatility and easy-to-cook reputation, makes them a key member of your candida diet.
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Lunch: Zucchini Pasta
The natural enzymes in goat cheese make it easier to digest, especially for those on a candida diet who may have inflammation in their system. Thinly sliced zucchini is a great substitute for pasta as it will work well with a variety of pasta-inspired flavors without any of the gluten or sugars, so feel free to get creative with it.
Dinner: Caprese Salad
While hard or aged cheeses can exacerbate candida problems, fresh cheeses like mozzarella or goat cheese are your best bets when you're craving them. This is because fresh cheeses have not had prolonged exposure to mold during an aging process, which is the case of goat cheese. Be aware, however, that tomatoes are fruits and do have a high sugar content, so candida dieters should stick to small portions on this classic caprese appetizer.
Dinner: Lentil Stew
Delicious and hearty, lentils are an excellent way to get protein that will give you long-lasting energy and help you burn fat, and their starchy texture is good compensation for missing grains. From exotic Indian daal to Provençal French soups, lentils have a versatility that makes them more than deserving of a spot in your pantry. Try this vegetable-packed stew for a candida diet lunch that will keep you warm, toasty, and full.
Dinner: Shrimp Salad
Shrimp are a very clean protein and are perfect for the candida diet. But dieters be warned: though the fruit sugars in this citrus salad recipe may be natural, even healthy ingredients like grapefruit, orange, and beet will spike blood sugar levels and feed candida in the system. Think of this recipe as inspiration to create your own shrimp salad, one that cuts down on fruit sugars and introduces more fresh vegetables.
Dinner: Poached Salmon
Full of omega fatty acids and lean protein, fish is an excellent way to get a filling meal without feeling heavy. Salmon is a rich and meaty fish, and lends itself well to many recipes, both simple and complex.
Dinner: Mung Bean Fettuccine
Another pasta recipe for the candida diet, this time using a starch noodle made out of mung beans, a legume native to the Indian subcontinent. This pasta is low on the glycemic index and high in flavor, and with a texture resembling wheat pasta, it makes a great dinner for those on both gluten-free and candida diets.
Dinner: Steak with Spinach and Beans
While it may seem like the candida diet requires you to cut a great deal of foods from your diet, one nutrient group that is highly encouraged is protein. There is no limit to the proteins you can eat on this diet, and in fact adding more lean and organic meat into your diet can help you burn fat by stimulating the body's production of the hormone glucagon. So grill away and dig into this recipe for steak with spinach and beans.
Dinner: Chicken Coconut Curry
If you're working with the candida diet, you will of course have to cut the pita bread from this recipe, but that doesn't mean you have to cut the flavor, too. When it comes to savory dinners, a no-sugar diet does very little to limit your options. When it comes to meat entrées, feel free to explore and indulge.
Dessert: Carrot Cake
Finding a way to enjoy dessert on a sugar-free diet can be a seemingly impossible task, but thanks to alternative flours and sweeteners like stevia, it's not only possible, but also fun. Though the carrots in this cake are high in natural sugars, sometimes you have to let yourself live a little.
Dessert: Brownies
For the secret to making sweet, fudgy brownies on the candida diet look no further than black beans. Organic unsweetened cocoa powder, an antifungal food, gives these brownies their rich chocolaty taste, and stevia makes them sweet enough to cure any craving.
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Dessert: Lemon Bars
These stevia lemon bars with their almond flour crust are a perfect example of how versatile candida diet desserts can be. A little coconut milk cuts through the tartness of the lemon to make these a light and refreshing teatime treat. And with only around 1.5 grams of sugar per fruit, lemon is an excellent way to get fruity flavor without feeding candida.
Dessert: Frozen Yogurt
This recipe is a great way to sneak a frozen dessert onto your candida diet that is decadent but doable. This almost ice cream begins with a base of unsweetened Greek yogurt, a dairy product that is not only permissible on the candida diet, but even encouraged, as it contains live cultures of healthy flora that will help fight candida. The coconut milk used in this recipe is a creamy and slightly fruity replacement for dairy milk, and lends a delicate and delicious flavor to this stevia-sweetened treat.
Dessert: Chocolate Cupcakes
This cupcake recipe is the answer to the candida diet birthday party dilemma. Non-dairy coconut milk makes a sweet and natural replacement for sugary buttercream and perfectly complements the cake's flavor. Try adding unsweetened cocoa powder and stevia to the frosting base in this recipe for a double chocolate version of these traditional treats.