How to Eat Out on the Candida Diet

The Candida Diet is a holistic strategy intended to discourage the growth of a type of yeast called Candida Albicans. According to sites promoting adherence to the diet, excessive growth of Candida Albicans can be responsible for a variety of health concerns, such as fatigue, headaches and sugar cravings. Although sticking to the Candida Diet is difficult while dining out, it can be done with a little foresight on your part.

Things You'll Need

• Internet Access

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Instructions

Perform Due Diligence

• 1

  Perform research beforehand when planning on eating out while on the Candida Diet. The vast majority of restaurants have a presence on the Internet, making menus and nutritional information wholly accessible to you prior to setting foot in the establishment. Take advantage of this by conducting preliminary research on your restaurant of choice to ensure that they will have a menu item available that complies with your dietary restrictions. The Candida Diet recommends against consumption of dairy, chocolate, stimulants, gluten, nuts, mushrooms, sugars, vinegar, fruits and additives, so keep an eye out for any offending items on the restaurant's website, keeping in mind the motto "forewarned is forearmed."

• 2

  Continue your due diligence while at the restaurant to ensure a compliant dining experience. Keep in mind that while the nutritional information on the website will be generally accurate, the ingredients might not take into account the contents of sauces and other flavoring items used in the preparation of the meal, so question your server if you have any further concerns. Some questions that you might want to ask include: "How closely will my meal be prepared to other dishes?" (establishing the possibility of inadvertent cross-contamination), and "What types of marinades are used on the meat?" If all else fails you might want to tell your server that you are allergic to certain foods so the kitchen can take extra care in preparing your dish, or you can request that your meal be cooked or grilled "dry" (without any additional sauces).

• 3

  Continue your inspection after receiving your meal. Carefully examine the food for any traces of prohibited foodstuffs, along with looking for any signs of cross-contamination with other dishes (i.e. solitary items that should not have been included with your meal). Pay close attention to the taste of your food as well--you should be able to distinguish between meat that has been cooked without marinade and one that has been coated. If you have any issues with the quality or integrity of your food, err on the side of caution--ask for a replacement dish or forgo the meal entirely. While burdensome, sticking to these steps can help you get the most out of your time on the Candida Diet without totally forsaking your social life.