Candida Overgrowth – What is it?

Have you heard of Candida? Most people haven’t.

Candida (aka Candida Albicans) is a common form of fungus, that lives in your gut and can be found on the skin, in your nails, and inside your mouth, and inside of your vagina.

Everyone has candida in their gut, and when it’s balanced, it lives happily and harmoniously with the other millions of bacteria in your gut microbiome, which aids in nutrient absorption and digestion and helps to keep you healthy, your digestion regular, your immune systems strong, and keep the overgrowth of the bad bacteria and fungus under control.

BUT…when there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria and fungus in your gut, it can lead to a Candida overgrowth, which is when Candida goes from being a helper to being a problem.

An overgrowth of Candida can cause chronic health issues in your body, impacting your mental AND sexual health and the quality of your life.

Candida overgrowth is the main cause of common fungal infections like vaginal yeast infections, oral yeast infections (AKA thrush), athletes’ foot, skin issues like acne, eczema, and skin fungus as well as toenail fungus.

Some of the other symptoms of candida overgrowth are:

• Chronic vaginal infections like yeast infections, UTI’s or Bacterial Vaginosis
• Mental health concerns like chronic fatigue, low energy, brain-fog, anxiety, depression, moodiness
• Digestive issues like abdominal bloating, cramping, and gas
• Weakened immune system leaving you susceptible to viruses and other infections like oral thrush
• Chronic sinus infections
• Hormonal imbalances which can contribute to low libido, vaginal dryness and bad PMS symptoms
• Skin & nail issues like acne, eczema, athletes foot, and toenail fungus
• Food cravings, especially for sugar, carbohydrates and alcohol

There are many things that cause candida overgrowth, and it doesn’t just happen out of nowhere or overnight. It’s usually a build-up of a combination of things over time that causes this imbalance of bad bacteria and fungus in your gut, which leads to the symptoms I mentioned above.

For some people, these symptoms are mild and may cause minor inconveniences sometimes. For others, these symptoms are so severe that it negatively impacts the quality of their lives.

Here are some of the main causes of candida overgrowth:

• Stress
• Your diet, especially that is high in sugar, processed foods, junk foods, carbohydrates, alcohol & caffeine
• Long-term antibiotic use
• Long-term hormonal birth control use – oral contraceptives, IUD’s, and injections
• Hormonal imbalances
• Pregnancy
• A weakened immune system

All of these factors affect the health of your gut, which causes your gut microbiome to become imbalanced and creates an environment for the bad bacteria and fungus in your gut to overgrow.

Candida overgrowth is not a life-threatening condition, but if it isn’t treated, it can spread throughout the body through the blood, causing further chronic health issues.

It’s also important to note that Candida doesn’t just impact women but can also happen in men as well!

Once Candida is circulating throughout the body, it can affect vital organs like the brain and heart and cause more serious complications like:

• ADD/ADHD
• Skin Conditions – Eczema, Psoriasis, Hives, Rash
• Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Bowel problems – Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, IBS
• Lupus
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Depression/Anxiety
• Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Chronic Inflammation

Think you might have candida overgrowth?

Now you know what Candida is, here’s what to do if you think you have Candida.

The good news is, you can do something about it to eliminate candida overgrowth and rebalance your gut health so you can start feeling like yourself again!

The bad news is, it can be hard to know where to start, especially because it’s something that doctors don’t often talk about or provide much support on (other than handing you a prescription which is not an ideal long-term solution).

There’s lots of information about candida overgrowth online if you want to research it on your own, but a lot of the information is contradicting, overwhelming, and it’s a full-time job to figure out how to deal with it on your own.

This is where I can help you! Candida overgrowth is an inside job, and it starts with your diet.

Here’s how to start:

• Take a test to see if you have candida overgrowth.
  • CLICK HERE to see what test works best for you
• Do a candida elimination diet.
  • This is the ONLY thing that works to get rid of candida overgrowth. Changing your diet is KEY to eliminating symptoms of candida overgrowth and getting to the root cause of it by resetting your gut health.
• Work with a Nutritionist (like me!) to do a candida elimination diet the right way.
  • It’s hard work to eliminate candida overgrowth but I know from personal experience through my own candida overgrowth journey that it is the only thing that works. Your health is your biggest investment and when you commit to doing it, you want to do it right!

I know a candida elimination diet works because I’ve done it and I’m helping many other people eliminate their symptoms of candida overgrowth too.

I’ve created my F*CK Candida online candida elimination diet program which is my signature version of the candida elimination diet.

https://yoni-nutrition.teachable.com/p/f-ck-candida-2

I’ve done all the work to provide you with the tools and knowledge of what to do, how to do it, and where to start – you just have to do the work.

If you live with Candida and need personal support, I offer 1:1 support calls as part of my services and create a safe space for you to feel comfortable talking about your experience with someone who understands. Here’s the link to book a 30min call with me:

https://yoni-nutrition.teachable.com/p/30min-quick-consult