Yeast intolerance

What is yeast intolerance?

Yeast is a fungus organism that feed on sugar and produces gas. We need certain amount yeast in our body to maintain a normal and healthy digestive tract. However, too much yeast in our body give us yeast intolerance and will give rise to many health problems. 

Yeast produces toxins like acetaldehyde, zymosan, arabinitol, gliotoxin, alcohol and overgrowth of yeast can harm our body. The most common type of yeast is Candida which is found naturally in our body’s digestive tract. Yeast intolerance is a condition of overproduction of candida. 

As candida lives on sugar, this is one of the main cause of candida overgrowth as sugar is consume frequently and daily in the form of sugary drinks and processed foods. Other causes of yeast intolerance are:  

• Taking multiple courses of antibiotic drugs which in turn kill the bio friendly bacteria in our intestine that control yeast.     
• Oral contraceptives with synthetic progesterone.   
• Poor digestion due to other form of food intolerance encourages yeast growth through fermentation of undigested food in the intestine.  

Symptoms of yeast intolerance/yeast infection are: 

• Tiredness especially after eating  
• Flatulence or intestinal gas after eating sugary food and drinks  
• Stomach bloating   
• Bad breath   
• Mouth ulcer   
• Nasal congestion and sinusities  
• Skin disorder like eczema and psoriasis  
• Coated tongue   
• Sugar and sweet cravings  
• Mood swings   
• Hypoglycaemia, feeling light-headed or irritable when hungry  
• Acid reflux, heartburn

Recipes that are free of yeast? Yeast free recipe books provide information on how you can convert popular recipes to allergen free food

Yeast intolerance can be control and eliminated by following a yeast free diet. A yeast free diet would mean taking out sugary food, sugary drinks, milk products such as yoghurt, cheese, caffeine, processed food, alcohol, food that contain yeast such as bread, some confectionary products and reduced intake on fruits on in fructose.

The good news is once the yeast level is correctly balanced and controlled, some of the problem foods can be re introduced onto the diet after 3 months or more depending on severity of the condition.