When my body decided it didn’t like yeast I was at a loss. Everything my research turned up for yeast allergies or yeast intolerance pointed me to the Anti-Candida Diet (ACD). I wasn’t happy because Candida wasn’t my problem. This was on top of already being gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free plus what I was avoiding for Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (coffee, tea, dried fruit, fruit in the morning to name a few), then getting rid of bananas, pineapple, cranberries, soy, peanuts, crab, sesame, and sunflower.
When I came to terms with doing ACD, I immediately went to Ricki Heller’s website and went through her Candida FAQs. I figured if I needed anything beyond what she had up I could easily ask her questions. I chose to the follow the Whole Approach and printed everything off that I needed. I used two different boards to write everything down – one board for everything that was absolutely off limits, the other for the okay in small amounts.
I swear it was complete madness.
Then, I was saved by my doctor who does my allergy treatments. He gave me a list that made it much easier for me.
Through all this, I learned right out of the gate that yeast-free does not mean just eliminating things made with baker’s or brewer’s yeast. It wasn’t just a matter of cutting out all baked goods and alcohol. Nope. I had to cut out vinegar and everything made with vinegar like pickles, condiments/sauces, and dressing. I had to say goodbye to everything fermented like alcohol, sauerkraut, and kim chee (miso, tofu, and gluten-free tamari were already out because of my reaction to soy).
Also, mold and yeast go hand in hand a lot. Most of this list is also on a mold-free food allergy list.
Here is what yeast-free entails:
- No baker’s or brewer’s yeast.
- No vinegar: every type is off-limits along with everything containing vinegar like condiments – mayonnaise, olives, anything pickled, horseradish, dressings, BBQ sauce, tomato sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.
- No refined grains: bread (excluding unleavened or soda bread as long as there is no vinegar or yeast), pastries, cake, pretzels, cereal, and oatmeal.
- No dairy: cheese, buttermilk, fortified milk, malted dairy.
- No alcohol. None. Nada. Not negotiable. All alcoholic drinks depend on yeast to ferment.
- Nothing fermented (other than alcohol): sauerkraut, marmite, vegemite, tofu, miso, tempeh, tamari, soy sauce, kombucha, and any other foods or liquids not listed that are fermented.
- No malted foods: cereals, candy, and drinks. If you are already gluten-free, you are already avoiding malted products because of the barley.
- No vitamins or supplements containing yeast. Vitamin B supplements are typically derived from yeast. Yeast is also a common filler for many vitamins and supplements.
- No canned, boxed, or frozen citrus juices. They can ferment.
- No mushrooms or truffles.
- No chili peppers.
When you look at the list it feels interminable. Considering all I already gave up and that I was doing ACD, this was more manageable. I needed a list of yes and no. I need the line to be drawn and everything black and white when it comes to what I can and can’t eat. I can do moderation, but when presented with limited foods like ACD does in different stages of the diet I flounder. This is a yeast reaction I was dealing with and giving me grey areas was not helpful. The list made it cut and dry. No fudging. No figuring out what I already had on the limited list when fixing dinner to make sure I wasn’t having too much of the limited foods.
Get my drift?
There are always ways around the “can’t have”. I figured out how to make dressings without using vinegar. I made creamy dressings and mustard-y dressings without using dairy or liquid mustard. I ate well despite everything I couldn’t have. You can too.
Here are some of my favorite yeast-free recipes:
Flourless Almond Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grain-Free Ginger Molasses Cookies
Grain-Free Mediterranean “Bulgar” Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad with Toasted Coriander Lime Dressing
Pumpkin Millet Porridge with Fresh Figs
Scallops with Creamy Veg Sauce