Last updated January 9, 2018 by Lisa Richards, CNC

If You’re On A Candida Diet, Avoid Aspartame

Diet sodas

When you start your Candida treatment plan, one of the first things you’ll read is that you need to cut out sugary sodas from your diet. This can be a major lifestyle change for some of us. According to a recent poll, nearly half of Americans drink a soda every day, while 7% drink an incredible 4 glasses or more!

The obvious temptation when you begin a Candida diet is to switch to diet sodas instead of your regular sugary brand. Reducing your sugar intake has to be a good thing, right? The thing is, although you might be depriving those Candida colonies of sugar, there are several other ways that artificial sweeteners like aspartame can impact your health. Today I’m going to explain the two reasons why you must avoid aspartame if you want to beat your Candida and regain your health.

Aspartame Can Raise Your Blood Glucose Just Like Sugar

Aspartame contains no carbohydrates, so at first glance it’s tough to see how it can make Candida worse. Carbohydrates are the food that Candida albicans needs to grow and build its cell walls. But although aspartame does not contain carbohydrates itself, it can still have an impact on your blood sugar.

A Canadian study in 2007 looked into the use of aspartame for diabetics. The researchers fed a group of men five different types of breakfast, including a high-sucrose meal and an aspartame meal. They found that, “Contrary to all expectation, the aspartame breakfast induced a similar rise in glucose and insulin levels at baseline than the sucrose meal.” In other words, the aspartame caused roughly the same rise in blood glucose as the sucrose did. And as you know, a spike in blood sugar can feed a Candida overgrowth.

Aspartame May Be Carcinogenic (Among Other Things)

Several studies by the Ramazzini Institute have found that doses of aspartame induced cancer in mice. Their most recent study came to the conclusion that aspartame “should be considered a multiple site, trans-species carcinogenic agent.” The methodology of these studies has been disputed by the FDA (the same organization that controversially approved aspartame after initially banning it!). But until the evidence is clearer, why take the risk?

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Cancer is not the only disease that has a link to aspartame. Aspartame contains three powerful neurotoxins (aspartic acid, methanol, and phenylalanine) that have been linked to seizures, migraines and other neurological problems. A 2005 study of aspartame suggested that, “neurological symptoms, including learning and memory processes, may be related to the high or toxic concentrations of the sweetener metabolites”. And a link has also been suggested between the aspartame found in diet sodas and heart disease.

There are many other side effects that have an association with aspartame. In 1995, the FDA was forced to acknowledge that they received reports of 92 separate symptoms related to aspartame consumption. And there have been more than 10,000 individual complaints to the FDA about aspartame. If you are suffering from Candida Related Complex, you need to give your immune system a chance to fight your overgrowth, not overburden it by using artificial sweeteners.

So What Can You Use As A Sweetener?

Dealing with sugar cravings is not easy, and in fact it’s probably the number one reason why Candida sufferers fail to complete their treatment plan. Instead of quitting sweeteners altogether, it’s generally best to find a substitute that can satisfy your sweet cravings without making your Candida worse. Avoid aspartame-based sweeteners like NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel, and try an herbal sweetener instead.

I recommend Stevia as the most suitable sweetener for Candida sufferers. This all-natural herbal sweetener contains almost zero carbohydrates and does not affect your blood sugar levels. Other good options are xylitol and erythritol, but always try to find a 100% pure formula with no added ingredients. You can see our preferred brands on the recommended products page. Watch out for brands that contain Maltodextrin, dextrose or other sweeteners.

In our Ultimate Candida Diet treatment program, we recommend that you try to reduce your consumption of sweet-tasting foods as much as possible. These cravings are an addiction like any other. You don’t need to give up immediately, and in fact it’s best to slowly reduce your consumption to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Once you have developed a taste for non-sugary foods, you will wonder why you ever craved those sugary desserts in the first place! This is also the basis for a good, long term diet plan that will prevent your Candida overgrowth from coming back.

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Comments

  1. LuAnn says:

    I started with aspartame and artificial sweeteners like splenda, sweet n low, and equal and the like at age 9 during puberty I blew up like a baloon. I had numerous health issues from age 5 like fungal ear infections, rashes on hands and feet, all fungal, after menstral cycles always had yeast infections, never railed. sinus infections, sore throats, thrush and other fungal related health issues all my life, treated with antibiotics. Much later in life I developed systemic candidiasis that nearly took my life. While researching my spiraling health, I realized that my mother suffered for years with candida, although at the time no one knew much about candidiasis. She died at the age of 54. About the time I started my systemic issues. FMS, Multiple chemical Sensivity syndrome. During that time, I linked alot of health issues one to the other and all primary causes of candidiasis. I believe that aspartame was a very direct cause of numerous health issues, neurologically. 60 days after going off asparatame and any artificial sweetners I saw a big difference in my issues. I recommend anyone using any sort of diet products to stop, and see how you feel the differences are amazing. As soon as I use anything other than stevia or xylitol, my symptoms start returning. I believe aspartame and artificial sweetners are modern day poison. T

  2. LuAnn says:

    Aspartame is nothing more than a modern day poision. Aspartame was approved by the FDA as a food additive with out any scientific studies. People are led to believe it is just an additive, it is a chemical compound used to make big money!

  3. Katy says:

    So xylitol is okay on a Candida diet? I’m a week and a half in and I am climbing the walls wanting something for dessert! I’ve resorted to savoring Xylitol gum or mints, which is only minimally helping, but it’s something! Just want to be sure it’s okay, since I’m not crazy about Stevia, at this point anyway.

  4. Katy says:

    Nevermind. I just found the section on Xylitol:-). Great website!

  5. Anna says:

    Is gum with aspartame okay on the diet?

  6. Chelsea Paurus says:

    Hi,
    If I make my own sugar free apple sauce from green apples can I used this in baking recipes?

    1. Only later in the diet when you start reintroducing foods. Try a little stevia instead at first.

  7. Chris says:

    Hi I’ve only just started researching Candida and the more research i do the more i’m fascinated by it. I’m only 30, 185 lb Male and was a professional athlete and now into body building.
    A non-related article led me to discover dysbiosis, leaky gut and candida symptoms that we’re similar to my own experinces. With my suspicions confrimed via a CDSA test finding out that many of my challenges we’re due to this shockingly poorly recognised infection, I have seen a dramatic improvement in my results both with energy levels, muscle gain and recovery times sticking to foods i can eat.
    The caloric intake for my current pursuit can be quite high and my question is that it says on the foods to avoid is Whey products and as a body builder obviously whey protein is highly beneficial to muscle gain and i can find a Whey supplement with only a 1g of sucralose per serving, no other sugars, no lactose and aspartame free but is that a definite no or could i take a small amount per day?

    1. Juliet says:

      I’m a personal trainer and I struggle with this same issue and I always use whey but apparently whey protein is on the list of foods to avoid while on the Candida diet. So I bought a beef powdered chocolate protein on Amazon. No sugar and it seems to be doing the job so I feel as if it is a good alternative. It tastes great but you just have to shake it much more than usual.

  8. Dorothy says:

    I’ve been following the candida diet for two weeks now. Even though I drink ginger, nettle leaf and other herbal teas, I really don’t enjoy them very much. Is “Dandy Blend (an herbal coffee substitute) okay to consume while on the candida diet?

    1. Kat says:

      I have the same question. It really does taste the most like coffee, is it an acceptable substitute?

      1. Lisa Richards says:

        It sounds OK to me, but check the ingredients!

  9. Ali says:

    Dandy blend has 5 ingredients chicory dandelion beetroot Rye and barley , it is gluten free. Lisa, I’m wondering if the sugary beetroot is acceptable?

    1. Wendy says:

      You might want to check out the FAQ for Dandy Blend. There is a lot of information here.
      https://www.dandyblend.com/FAQ.asp#50. Is Dandy Blend safe for yeast-free diet?

  10. Nicholas says:

    Hi.. and thanks for an excellent and very informative website. Just a quick query , I noticed you mentioned whey products should be avoided . But there is also a lot of information suggesting that whey protein has anti-fungal properties.. I’ve been using a Bioactive undenatured organic and grass fed whey protein that doesn’t contain any sugar .. is that ok or should that also be avoided.. any advice is appreciated

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