What Is the Best Protein Powder for the Candida Diet?

Are you looking for the best protein powder for the candida diet? Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake on the candida diet.

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Protein Powder for the Candida Diet

Is Protein Powder Good for the Candida Diet?

Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by the yeast Candida, which is naturally found on the surface of the skin and in the intestines.

Symptoms include fatigue, mouth sores, and stomach pain.

Normally, good bacteria limit the amount of Candida in the gut, but some medical treatments (like antibiotics) reduce the amount of good bacteria, leading to a Candida overgrowth. 

Candida overgrowth is often blamed for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and some people claim that they feel better when they change their diets to reduce the amount of Candida in their gut.

This generally involves eating fewer simple carbohydrates like sugar, which yeast feed on.

Although several studies have linked Candida to digestive issues, the findings are too weak to be able to draw much of a conclusion.

Moreover, there is little evidence that dietary changes have any effect on candidiasis.

It follows that instead of a diet, most doctors generally prescribe antifungal medications to treat yeast overgrowth. 

Do not let this stop you from changing your diet, however.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that diet may be a great place to start if you have candidiasis, and many people experience fewer digestive issues when on the Candida diet.

Plus, eliminating refined sugar, gluten, alcohol, dairy products, and processed foods from your diet will almost always make you feel better, even if it does not impact Candida overgrowth.

Just be sure to consult your doctor or dietitian before making any significant changes to what you eat. 

Is protein powder good for someone with Candida overgrowth?

Candida overgrowth can cause bloating, diarrhea, and other symptoms that make it hard to eat enough.

Candida overgrowth can also impair your ability to absorb nutrients from food.

Over time, these side effects can lead to malnutrition and weight loss.

To counteract this, you must be mindful of your nutrient intake, especially how much protein your are eating.

Candidiasis can cause damage to your mucosal intestinal barrier, which is a semipermeable structure that allows you to absorb essential nutrients while protecting you from bacteria and other pathogens.

Proteins are essential for the growth and repair of this barrier.

Although more research into the exact role of proteins in intestinal barrier regulation is needed, it is known that certain dietary peptides produced by the enzymatic digestion of dietary proteins protect the intestinal barrier. 

How much protein you need will depend on a number of factors, but you certainly need at least 0.36 grams per pound of bodyweight per day.

Eating this much protein can be challenging for some individuals, especially those with dietary restrictions, which where protein powder can help.

Incorporating a protein powder into your diet is an easy way to fill in nutritional gaps and ensure you meet your daily protein requirements.

Not all protein powders are created equal, however.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for the Candida Diet?

Many protein powders are made with ingredients that are not compatible with the Candida diet.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates. 

Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, sugar substitutes, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your gut microbiome (the collection of microorganisms living in your gut).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which has been shown to promote Candida overgrowth.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

Basically, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it should not be in your protein powder. 

Avoid dairy-based proteins

You should also avoid dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, which contain lactose, a sugar most adults cannot fully digest.

Keep in mind that you may be sensitive to dairy-based proteins, even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

The protein source itself (not the type of protein, but the form) might be a factor worth considering too.

Most protein supplements are made from protein concentrates and isolates, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that it does whole foods, which can affect everything from satiety to gut health.

In fact, studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates can disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut.

So, pending further research, it is recommended that you stick to Candida diet protein powders made from whole food protein sources.

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Drink Wholesome Is the Best Protein Powder for the Candida Diet

Finding a protein powder free from food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates is hard.

In fact, 99% of protein supplements contain one or more of these problematic ingredients, which is why we created Drink Wholesome.

We make the best protein powder for the Candida diet because we use a short list of simple ingredients.

Our Ingredients

egg whites

coconut

vanilla

monk fruit

NOT Our Ingredients

• acacia gum

• acesulfame potassium

• artificial flavors

• carrageenan

• erythritol

• guar gum

• inulin

• maltodextrin

• 'natural' flavors

• silica

• soy lecithin

• sucralose

• xanthan gum

• xylitol

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we use whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that our customers experience fewer digestive issues with our Protein Powder than with any other type of protein supplement.

Order samples to see for yourself.