Good Diet For Yeast Infection Sufferers

Yeast infections are incredibly common and they infect women from all walks of life. Most women have experienced the vaginal itching that signals the beginning of a yeast infection, and warns that discharge and discomfort is on the way.

There are a lot of potential treatments for yeast infections, including creams that can get rid of the fungus that is causing the infection. However, more and more women are considering special diets as a way to get rid of their infections.

Yeast is just a type of fungus – and the kind of fungus that is most commonly associated with a yeast infection is Candida albicans. In a healthy person, Candida is just one of many microorganisms that exist – there are many other bacteria and fungi that exist on your skin. These are called your body’s natural “flora”, and they serve as protection against other, foreign microorganisms.

A yeast infection occurs when Candida grows too rapidly, taking over from other natural flora that should also be allowed to grow on your body. Candida grows best in moist and warm environments, and feeds on sugar. This is why women who wear synthetic undergarments (or even tights, as a part of their work uniform) are often susceptible to yeast infections. In addition, people with diabetes are often prone to infections because the chemical makeup of their sweat is different to the makeup of those who are healthier.

Diets to Treat Yeast Infections

There is some evidence to suggest that eating probiotics could help to promote the growth (or the repopulation) of “good” bacteria on your skin and in your digestive tract, although so far the evidence mostly relates to those who have been taking antibiotics to treat illness. The antibiotics kill off both good and bad bacteria, and this means that yeast, and other organisms, have a chance to take hold.

If you are going to try this, then you should take supplements containing lactobacillus and/or acidophilus. There are yogurts and milk drinks that contain these probiotics, but it is unclear exactly how bioavailable they are.

There is some evidence to suggest that blueberry juice and cranberry juice can help with certain kinds of infection. The juice helps to flush out the urinary tract, and can also regulate the acidity of the body. How much adding cranberry juice to your diet will help with your yeast infection is unclear, however.

One thing that you could consider is to practice good control over your blood sugar. If you are diabetic, you should be doing this anyway. If you are not diabetic, then you can still benefit from regulating your diet because this will help to reduce the availability of sugar to the Candida, and it will also likely have other beneficial impacts on your health.

Yeast Infections are Normal

Yeast infections are a perfectly normal thing, and almost everyone is likely to have one at some point in their life – either because they make a mistake (perhaps going camping and spending some time wearing damp, soggy clothes), or because their immune system is run down through another infection, and then they develop a secondary issue with yeast. This is nothing to be embarrassed about.

However, a recurring yeast infection could be a sign of a serious problem. If you find that you are developing yeast infections on a regular basis, you should talk to a doctor. It is OK to self-medicate a sudden yeast infection that goes away quickly, but if the infection does not seem to be getting better or if it keeps coming back then you should talk to a doctor to have some proper tests carried out. Your doctor will be able to confirm that the yeast infection is a simple infection and not a sign of something more serious.

If you have recurring yeast infections, you may have a weak immune system, and this could be being caused by some underlying health condition, or could leave you open to something far more dangerous than an outbreak of Candida.

Many women avoid seeking medical advice for yeast infections because they are concerned that the doctor will think that they have poor hygiene, or, because of the area that the location affects they may be concerned that the doctor will think they caught the infection by making poor lifestyle choices. Neither of these things is true, and failing to seek advice about yeast infections could delay an important diagnosis.

Following a healthy diet and wearing breathable undergarments will help to prevent yeast infections, but if you do develop one then your priority should be getting rid of it, and making sure that it does not come back. You should never suffer in silence, not when effective treatments are so readily available.

For more diet tips that can help people who suffer from yeast infections feel free to check the video below by Barbara O’Neill…