Millions of individuals each year suffer from debilitating digestive issues that can have a serious impact on overall quality of life.  In fact, many are unknowingly suffering from conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) because of a candida overgrowth in the gut.  Unfortunately, those suffering with IBS are almost always unaware that they suffer from this pathogenic fungal overgrowth.

Luckily, if you suffer from IBS, digestive health can in fact be restored to optimal function.  However, this phenomenon will not occur on its own.  Rather, serious diet changes need to be implemented in order to recover from IBS.  With that said, we’ve already covered the best diet to consume if you suffer from inflammatory conditions so be sure to go to our Diet Protocol Page.

Before we get into candida and how it can cause conditions such as IBS, let’s first discuss what IBS is.

What is IBS?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is the name given to explain unexplainable digestive symptoms.  Also, for future reference, any type of unexplained digestive disorder is often put under the category of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).  The term IBS is used to try and further pin point the exact condition occurring the body.

Out of all of the digestive conditions that fall under IBD, IBS seems to be the least inflammatory.  In fact, IBS is often a result of a spastic colon, but this isn’t to say intestinal inflammation doesn’t play into the condition. 

Those suffering from IBS are likely to suffer from the following symptoms:

• Chronic Diarrhea or Constipation
• Abdominal Pain
• Bloating
• Poor Appetite

What is Candida?

For those unaware, candida is a pathogenic fungus that has the ability to take over and individuals gut microbiome.  Typically, candida poses no health problems.  It’s only when it morphs into its non-pathogenic yeast form, into its pathogenic fungal form that problems such as IBS can occur.

Candida operates on a sugar metabolism.  This means that it needs a steady supply of sugar or starchy carbohydrates in order to survive and multiply.  Interestingly, many suffering from IBS often respond negatively after consuming sugary or starchy foods.

Those following a high carbohydrate or high sugar diet are more likely to develop a candida overgrowth in the gut.  Again, this is because the main fuel source of candida is sugar.  Unfortunately, once this fungus takes old of the gut, getting rid of it can be extremely difficult.

How Candida can Cause IBS

Those with candida overgrowth are more likely to develop inflammatory conditions in the body such as IBS.  There are several reason for this, but typically the high amount of toxic byproducts released by candida into the body plays a significant role.  It has been shown that candida can release up to 70 different toxic byproducts in the body which can contribute significantly to the development of inflammatory conditions in the body.

Research has already shown that the majority of patients with IBS almost always suffer from a infestation of candida in the gut (1).  Consequently, the question comes up; which came first? The candida or the IBS?  We personally believe that candida plays a huge role in the development of digestive disorders such as IBS.

Furthermore, candida will actually burrow itself into the intestinal lining which creates space between the cells in intestines.  When this occurs, high amounts of inflammation in the intestines often results.  Also, this makes the gut more permeable and dramatically hinders the digestive process.

To be fair, candida is not the only reason someone may be suffering from IBS.  In fact, foods containing high amounts of anti-nutrients such as phytates, lectins, oxalates, gluten, and tannins can all cause intestinal inflammation and can contribute to IBS.  It should be noted that the majority of these anti-nutrients are found in plant foods.

Solutions for Candida and IBS

If you suffer from IBS, chances are you also suffer from candida.  The two typically go hand and hand.  That said, there are various steps that can be taken in order to help get rid of candida and restore digestive health.

First and foremost, if you suffer from any type of digestive disorder, the first thing you are going to want to do is change your diet.  If you haven’t done so already, be sure to visit our Diet Protocol Page for full details on the best diet for those with digestive disorders.  Also, you will want to remove all problematic foods from the diet that can cause intestinal inflammation and feed candida.

Below is a small list of foods that you will want to avoid if you suffer from IBS and candida overgrowth:

• Sugar
• Starchy Vegetables
• All forms of grains (see cook book for safe grains)
• Vegetable Oils
• Sugary Fruit
• Raw Vegetables
• Soy
• Processed Foods
• Nuts and Seeds

Simply avoiding these foods alone can give rise to dramatic health improvements in digestive disorders.  The foods listed above are either extremely inflammatory to the intestines, or feed candida.  In any case, you will want to avoid such foods at all costs!

Cook all Your Own Food

We’ve said it once and we will say it again, it’s absolutely imperative that you cook all your own meals if you wish to fully heal from digestive disorders such as IBS.  There is no absolutely no exception to this rule.  Constantly ordering out and consuming food that was not prepared by yourself leaves you susceptible to consuming ingredients that can contribute to poor intestinal health and allow candida to overgrow.

Luckily, knowing the difficulty that comes with making all your own meals, we created our Intestinal Health Cookbook in order to help you out!  Our cookbook contains over 20 different mouth watering recipes that can be great for the intestines and can naturally inhibit the growth of candida.  All the ingredients chosen in our cookbook were carefully selected with those with digestive disorders in mind.

That said, preparing your own meals is an absolute must not only to combat IBS, but for optimal health.  After about a week of preparing your own meals at home you will be amazed at how simple it becomes.  Overtime, your body will begin to thank you for this small, but important habit of cooking all your own meals.

This isn’t to say that eating out once in a while is going to make or break your recovery.  However, for the fastest possible recover, we highly recommend you try to cook all your own meals.

Other Helpful Remedies for IBS

As well as following the correct diet, using the following herbs and foods below can help improve digestive disorders.  For best results, use the remedies below in combination with proper diet.

1. Bone Broth

Bone Broth is a must for anyone suffering from digestive disorders.  It has the unique ability to seal the microscopic holes in the gut created by pathogenic fungi such as candida.  In fact, bone broth can be perfect for making the gut less permeable, or “leaky.”

It also contains an abundance of important amino acids that can play a significant role in the restoration of the intestines.  Many find that their digestion improves greatly once bone broth is added to the diet.  When making bone broth, it’s best to use bones that come from organic and pastured raised animals.

Consuming bone broth can do wonders for a persons digestion and can help reduce intestinal inflammation greatly.  For those unable to make homemade bone broth, there are various products available such as bone broth protein which can be useful.  However, in our experience, nothing is quite as effective as the real thing!

2. Reishi Mushroom

We highly recommend anyone suffering from digestive problems to incorporate Reishi mushroom into their diet.  This medicinal mushroom was often referred to as “The Mushroom of Immortality” in ancient China.  Its ability to modulate the immune system and reduce inflammation is unsurpassed.  In fact, many report an overall better quality of life after taking Reishi Mushroom for several weeks.

Also, despite being a fungus, Reishi mushroom actually contains anti-fungal properties which can be useful for those with candida overgrowth.  Research has shown that Reishi mushroom can help inhibit the growth of several different species of candida and prevents the formation of candida biofilms (2).

Reishi is best consumed in tea form, or as a powdered extract.  There are several different high quality Reishi mushroom extracts available on the market that are perfect for those looking for convenience and effectiveness.