Then one day she casually mentioned that she craved fruit. For the last seven months, Margaret had been following Weight Watchers, a popular weight-loss program that assigns zero points for fruit. In other words, she could eat all the fruit she wanted and often did. That excess sugar—yes, even in Weight Watchers–approved fresh fruit—fed Margaret’s yeast overgrowth, which caused her to crave more sugar. Your best protection against yeast overgrowth is a normal acidic stomach pH. Unfortunately, many of my patients use acid-blocking medications, have vagal nerve dysfunction, or have an H. pylori infection—all of which make their stomachs less acidic and create fertile ground for problems like candidiasis. Candida overgrowth and the toxins secreted by this excess yeast wreak havoc throughout your body, leading to a host of seemingly unrelated symptoms and conditions. Among them include fatigue, mental fog, anxiety, mood swings, muscle and joint pain, itching, histamine intolerance, and rashes. Many patients like Margaret also experience bloating, sugar cravings (for any type of sugar, whether starchy carbs or “healthy” foods like fruit), and abdominal pain. Like I said, none of these tests are perfect. I normally decide which one(s) to use based on the specific circumstances and the individual patient’s symptoms. Simply put, the way to reverse yeast overgrowth is to eat a low-sugar, low-starch diet while taking probiotics and anti-yeast herbal remedies. Even the healthiest foods can contribute to Candida overgrowth. Here are a few to keep an eye on. For more ways to boost your gut health, check out my recipe for a coconut water kefir below: Ingredients Place the water kefir grains and the coconut water in a jar. Cover the jar loosely with a lid or cheesecloth and allow the kefir grains to culture the coconut water for ideally 24 to 36 (and no longer than 48) hours at room temperature. Once the culturing is complete (the mixture will have thickened), remove the kefir grains with a slotted spoon and store in a separate glass container filled with filtered water and a teaspoon of sugar to keep the kefir grains alive and active. You may drink the kefir by itself, but for an added twist, puree the cultured coconut water with the berries and lemon juice in a blender to your desired consistency. The coconut water kefir will last 1 to 3 weeks in the fridge; when blended with the berries and lemon juice, it will last for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Serve cold. *Water kefir grains can be found in natural-food stores or online. With proper care, the culture can be used indefinitely to create probiotic-rich kefir. Your grains will not grow as quickly in coconut water as they will in a nice bath of nutrient-rich sugar. Refresh and reactivate the kefir grains in sugar water (¼ cup sugar in 4 cups water) for 24 to 48 hours between batches. The sugar water will keep the grains healthy long-term.
