Factors which contribute to prolonged transit time and fungal proliferation
Initial food choices: Fungal problems actually begin in the grocery store aisle. Your initial food choices affect everything else you do. Heavy, dense foods such as meat take more time to break down in the digestive tract, slowing whatever other foods you have eaten at the same meal. Additionally, eating polysaccharides (starches, grains, breads, rices, potatoes, etc.) contributes to fermentation by slowing the digestive process. Even raw cruciferous vegetables cause digestive lag in breaking down cellulose (along with their associated sulfur problems discussed below). Less dense, more nutritious foods, such as fruits, berries and melons are more quickly digested (as long as they are not combined with other foods at the same meal or within the same time period. So eating complex foods (anything other than fruits, berries and melons alone) can contribute to prolonged transit time, fermentation and fungal overgrowth.
Lack of dietary fiber contributes to fungal problems too. Dietary fiber moves bulk through the intestines, enhances digestive function and prevents constipation and diverticulitis. It literally 'sweeps' along the intestinal walls moving debris along with it. If you continually eat foods without fiber debris can 'build up,' stick to the intestinal walls, and become 'food' for fungi.
Your food-combination choices make a difference. Combining starches and meat/fish/poultry (with their opposing digestive enzymes) stalls digestion. In contrast, monosaccharides, the simplest for of sugar, such as that found in fruit, berries and melons, metabolize quickly.
This is where the false notion comes in that eating fruit 'causes' Candida. Fruit is easily metabolized, and when eaten alone does not directly promote fungal overgrowth. The problem, however, is that people eat fruit at the same meal with, or within a short time of eating, other foods. Under these circumstances, the aggregate food mixture takes too long to transit the digestive system and causes fermentation.
Combine meat, fish or poultry in the mash and you additionally incur putrefaction (rotting) via bacteria. Imagine the environment in your digestive tract when its handling both fermentation and putrefaction. These are the ill effects of what most people call a 'normal' meal.
Even allowing for several hours between eating different food groups is important. Still feel last night's dinner in your stomach when you get up in the morning? Don't eat breakfast yet!
Weakened or diminished stomach acid due to stress or aging contributes to protracted complex food breakdown and hence digestive transit time. As mentioned above, prolonged transit time sets the stage for fermentation and related fungal overgrowth. Avoid using products which inhibit stomach acid including antacids, acid blockers and alkaline waters.
Weak adrenal glands contribute to poor digestion and food transit lag. If your adrenals are weak and you are not metabolizing sugar from complex carbohydrates, i.e. polysaccharides, fungal critters come in to enjoy the digestive backup.
Past sulfur intake contributes to fungal proliferation. Sulfurs promote lymph system suppression and enhance fungal problems. It's a sad fact that synergistically bound sulfates/sulfites which are found in natural, whole foods such as cruciferous vegetables can effect Candida proliferation. Isolated sulfurs, such as are found in antibiotics, intensify both candida and fermentation. Simply put, antibiotics kill off the beneficial intestinal bacteria which normally maintain a slightly acidic environment. This kill-off causes a shift to a more alkaline situation which promotes candida.
And remember... antibiotics don't always come from a doctor's needle. Most all meat, poultry, dairy and eggs contain antibiotic residues as millions of pounds of antibiotics are fed to farm animals annually.