Vinegar and Candida

The first time I tried the candida diet was in the beginning of 2006.  I found the list of allowed and prohibited foods on the Internet and began to follow the lists very strictly with great success.  Most resources that I consulted gave pretty good explanations as to why you had to avoid certain foods but the reason for avoiding vinegar always eluded me.  As I consulted resource after resource I never really found a thorough explanation of why I was avoiding vinegar.  I really wanted to know why because as many of you that have done the candida diet know vinegar is often a hard thing to avoid and I wanted to make sure that I was avoiding it for good reason.  Vinegar is found in the majority of commercially available condiments on the market including but not limited to mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and salsa.

Even today there 4 years after I first try to figure out why consuming vinegar is a candida diet blunder continues to confuse me.  Some sources say vinegar is prohibited where others promote certain types such as apple cider vinegar.  So let’s explore what vinegar is.  Maybe by understanding what it is it will become clear why it may be problematic to the candida sufferer.  According to Wikipedia vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of alcohol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid (ethanoic acid).  The first indication that vinegar may be a problem is the word fermentation.  Fermentation is a process by which carbohydrates are converted to alcohol by using yeast and/or bacteria.  You will find thay the candida diet excludes all fermented foods due to their yeast content. 

In addition to its high yeast content vinegar is also a natural antibacterial .  This may be a good thing if your goal is to treat a bacterial infection naturally but may only add to you candidiasis problem.  Similar to antibiotics the vinegar can kill both the bad and good bacteria therefore contributing to allowing yeast to grow unchecked in the body.   Continuing to consume vinegar can set back our healing program. 

I have seen a lot of information apple cider vinegar and its ability to cure candida.  While apple cider vinegar in its natural form may be less harmful than the white distilled vinegar commonly found in commercial products I am just not sure if it is any better for you.  If you have taken  apple cider vinegar with success than great.  There is not one size fits all for the candida diet, I believe there will be some trial and error involved.    Some people may be able to tolerate apple cider vinegar where others may not.  If it works for you and you feel better than I say take it.    Pay careful attention to your body and how it reacts as you are eliminating and reintroducing foods because that will ultimately be the judge of what is right for you to maintain your health and stay yeast free.