1. Do not feed the yeasts foods upon which they thrive.
2. Reduce yeast growth through natural and pharmaceutical agents.
3. Reestablish normal intestinal ecology.

The overall approach to treating the yeast problem is threefold. The first facet is to refrain from feeding those "yeastie beasties" what they like to eat so they can thrive and divide. They live on mostly simple sugars and yeast and fermented foods. These include fruits, fruit juices, and dried fruits, sugary foods, refined flour products, alcoholic beverages, cheese, vinegar, breads, and other yeasted fermented food products, such as soy sauce. All these foods are avoided on the yeast diet.

What to eat? There are many recommended foods—fish, poultry, meat, lots of vegetables, some whole grains, nuts, seeds, and occasional eggs. (The antiyeast diet is more difficult for vegetarians, but definitely possible.) Some yogurt, especially acidophilus culture, is all right if milk is tolerated. Oils are obtained from some butter and more cold-pressed vegetable oils, such as olive, flaxseed, sesame, and sunflower. Legumes are often limited because they add to intestinal gas.

Basic meals include proteins and vegetables or, occasionally, starch and vegetables. For the first few weeks, the carbohydrates, including pastas and especially breads, are limited, with only some whole grain cereals being used. This lowers fiber intake, but usually other aspects of the treatment help colon function. The Ideal Diet discussed in Part Three, with certain modifications, will make a good Candida diet. The rotation is a good way to reduce food reactions. Initially, the diet includes no fruit, or only one piece a day, and none of the sweeter fruits, such as grapes, bananas, and melons. The starches are limited to one portion a day, and the meals are oriented toward proteins and vegetables.

This is a special therapeutic diet, and not necessarily a lifelong one, though many people like the way they feel on it. Intestinal symptoms decrease, energy improves, and itchy or irritated skin may start to heal with a decrease in sugar and yeasty foods. Also, some weight can be shed easily on this diet. This may be a problem for the already trim person, and lighter people need to emphasize regular eating to prevent weight loss.

After a few weeks, we can test ourselves with fruit, bread, other grain products, or cheese—of course, one food at a time, and only one daily—to see how we handle them. If they seem to cause no problems, we can then bring these foods into our diet on a rotating basis. Eventually, adding more whole grains and fiber will provide what I believe is a healthier diet. Different degrees of strictness with the diet may be necessary, depending on the severity of the problem. A more stringent diet might exclude all fruits; whole grains, particularly the glutinous ones—wheat, barley, and oats; herb teas and spices, which may contain molds; and many nuts, which can also carry molds.