Hi Gorgeous
Hope you enjoyed last week’s post on “How To Heal Candida Naturally – Part 1”. If you missed it, no probs click here to catch up.
Did you know that yeast overgrowth or candida is a massive problem for those trying to lose weight? Yeast loves sugar. It feeds on it. It needs it to survive. Not only that, but candida overgrowth also leads to the release of the neurotoxin acetaldehyde (AH) also brought about by drinking alcohol. Unfortunately, AH messes up levels of dopamine in the brain which leaves us feeling lethargic, and low. When we’re low on dopamine we crave dopamine stimulating foods like chocolate and sugar. This leads to a high, then a crash, and then we crave more sugar fixes, and so the cycle continues.
Yeast infections also have a very clear effect on your mood. In the case of depression, the links with overgrowth of candida are clear. It drastically affects the production of the happy neurotransmitter, serotonin (95% is made in the gut and not in the brain) contributing to low levels and consequently low mood.
If your struggling to lose weight, suffer depression or mood ups and downs candida is certainly not something you should rule out!
As I said last week a balanced amount of it is healthy for your microbiome but the issue arises when it grows out of control due to poor lifestyle choices.
These poor lifestyle choices kill not just the bad bacteria but the good guys too. The friendly bacteria are there to help and improve your digestion, boost your immune system, produce useful vitamins and regulate hormones. When you kill of these friendly bacteria you leave yourself wide open to candida, and a multitude of health issues.
The most common factors that contribute to a lowered immune system and yeast overgrowth are:
- Medication e.g. antibiotics, the pill
- Environmental toxins
- Chronic stress
- Acidic Diet
- Processed foods
- Sugar and simple carbs
- Wheat
- Alcohol
- Dehydration
To treat candida at a root cause level, you must address these underlying issues. Everything else is a temporary plaster job.
In part 3, we’re going to look at prevention and also how to treat yeast overgrowth naturally. Can’t wait to share it with you!!!
Love Gaynor x
