FoodAllergyTalk.com

Yeast Allergy Vs. Yeast Syndrome

Yeast allergy and Yeast symptom are not the same. 
     Yeast allergy is when your body is allergic to the yeast, and when it enters your body your mast cells release Histamine.  The histamine is what causes the reactions (like swelling, upset stomach, etc.). 
     Yeast Syndrome is when the yeast begins to grow in your gut.  This syndrome is often called Candidiasis. 
  
It is often hard to tell these two apart, because their symptoms are very similar.  (View list below)
 
SYMPTOMS FOR CANDIDIASIS:
  • diarrhea
  • bloating, abnormal discomfort/pain
  • headache/migrane
  • fatigue, poor concentration, irritability
  • joint pains, (sometimes swollen joints)
  • aching muscles
  • hives
  • irregular heartbeat
  • Itchy anus (inflimation sometimes spreads to buttocks & thighs)
  • premenstural tension & irregular periods
  • psoriasis & other skin complaints
  • asthma (very rarely)
  • Infections in throat or vagina
  • recurrent cystitis, not due to bacterial infection
  • recurrent fungal infections of the skin
  • craving for sweet foods

So how do I know which one I have?

How do you know if you have yeast allergies, or yeast sindrome?
Here is the easiest way to decide:

If you are allergic or have intolerance, you should respond to an elimination diet within a week.
If you have candidiasis may take much longer to respond, with a more gradual and less dramatic responce.

Treatment

Treatment for Candidiasis is avoiding "sugary foods and other refined carbohydrates (white flour, wite bread, etc.), which can quickly be broken down into sugar once they reach the stomach.  The idea is simply to starve the Candida in the gut by denying it sugar."

The yeast elimination diet would mean excluding the following from your diet:

FOODS CONTAINING YEAST:
Main sources:

  • bread (includes pita and pizza. excludes soda bread, matzos and chapattis)
  • buns & cakes made w/yeast
  • yeast extract (Marmite, Vegemite, etc.)
  • Oxo cubes & other stock cubes
  • bovril
  • anythign labeled "hydrolyzed vegetable protein"
  • beer, wine, and cider
  • vinegar & pickles
  • sauerkraut
  • vitamin tablets containing B vitamins, unless labeled "yeast free"

Secondary Sources of yeast:

  • dried fruit
  • overripe fruit
  • any unpeeled fruit
  • commercial fruit juices
  • anythign labeled "malt"
  • yogurt, buttermilk, and sour cream
  • synthetic cream
  • soy sauce
  • tofu
  • any leftover food, unless eaten within 24 hours, or 48 hours if in a refrigerator
  • whiskey, vodka, gin, brandy & other spirits

Other sources of fungi that may affect some people:

  • mushrooms, puffballs, truffles &other edible fungi
  • Quirn, mycoprotein (meat substitutes derived from fungi)
  • Cheese, especially Brie & Camembert

More Information

For specific treatments and more information, I strongly suggest purchasing "The Complete Guide to Food Allergy and Intolerance" by Jonathan Brostoff and Linda Gamlin.  *This book provided all of the above information

You can also purchase "The Yeast Connection" by William G. Crook

Buy them now-visit theRecommended Books page