JK8, I drank Licorice tea and wound up relapsing. I had to start all over again. The sweetness in licorice tea evidentally isn't limited to the taste and this happened on more than one occassion after consuming it. It had no added sugar either.

Those who do not have severe lactose intolerance, can still consume small amounts of milk and may tolerate yoghurt just fine etc. Those who have a more severe case (like Jinx) may have to eliminate all dairy - all milk products contain lactose.

Yoghurt has lactase producing bacteria (lactic acid) that lowers the lactose content, but it will still contain a small amount regardless. It apparently converts it into glucose and galactose (which may still cause some issues in yeast regardless of lactose intolerance or not). In fact one candida website I belong to is so strict the ONLY dairy they advocate is butter.

Jinx do you handle butter?

Yoghurt is not allowed apparently. I do "ok" on it, but I have to be careful with it. I'm fine with butter (can eat any amount), but I cannot consume milk (not even small amounts) or cream. I don't know if it's lactose intolerance as such for me, or basically that the yeast feed on lactose or a combination of both problems.

The two suspect foods in my diet are yoghurt and raw nuts - which I may have to give up. Anything outside of meat/chicken/liver/eggs and low carbohydrate vegetables, water and herbal tea (as long as it's fruit/caffeine free) can be risky.

There are so many candida diet programmes out there that say this is ok, this isn't etc. Eventually you feel like tearing your hair out. But certainly the strictest programme I've seen is the one I mentioned with the only allowable foods above, until a person has improved/cured their candida to where they are able to include other foods again later on.

however, if a person's problem goes beyond the yeast and is an underlying chemical toxicity or viral etc, then it's possible that no matter how strict the programme, it will not cure the problem unless the underlying issue is treated. But it will likely help a person a great deal cope much better and may also help the body excrete a certain amount of those toxins in the process and deal better with existing problems. I find that when my body has been on an anti candida diet for long enough, I sense toxins trying to come out (even metals). It does indeed help the body.

So it certainly is a great part of any treatment programme.