Candida cleanse diet: Food list, meal plan, and recipes for a successful detox

When starting a new diet, you must know what you can and can’t eat. As this diet involves cutting out sugar and gluten, you may need to find new food sources to fill your tummy.  

For the Candida diet cleanse, you want a diet rich in:

• Lean proteins like fish and chicken
• Leafy greens like kale and spinach
• Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli 
• Healthy fats like olive oil and avocado
• Non-starchy vegetables like zucchini and onions
• Nuts and seeds like walnuts and flaxseed
• Fruits like tomatoes and raspberries 

You should avoid:

• Sugary foods
• Sweeteners
• Fruits high in sugar
• Processed foods
• Gluten 
• Dairy 
• Caffeine
• Alcohol

There are some foods you should avoid for the first few weeks of your diet but can then reintroduce. These include fermented foods, such as kimchi and sauerkraut—avoid them for the first month, then reintroduce them to aid healthy gut bacteria.  

While there isn’t any specific research on the Candida diet, its core goal is to promote gut health, and there are some foods and spices known to help with this. A 2023 research review published in Microorganisms examined traditional medicines to identify anti-fungal food sources. The researchers identified several foods as being anti-fungal, including garlic, thyme, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, and fermented vegetables. Including these foods may encourage healthy gut bacteria. 

On the contrary, there is also some scientific evidence that contradicts what Candida-diet followers promote. A 2017 study published in Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz found that high fructose levels may restrict the growth of Candida, which is at odds with the Candida cleanse diet, which restricts high-fructose fruits.