A question we hear often
Guests preparing for a juice fast sometimes arrive anxious about candida, worried that the natural sugars in fruit and vegetable juice might feed an overgrowth they've read about online, or been warned about elsewhere. It's one of the more persistent pieces of wellness folklore, and Ed, our nutritionist, is always happy to talk it through properly with anyone who's concerned.
What candida actually is
Candida is a completely normal part of everyone's gut flora. Context is what determines whether it's a problem: candida in the bloodstream can cause a serious infection, but candida in the mouth or colon is simply normal biology, no different to the bacteria that live harmlessly in the gut but would cause real trouble if they turned up in a wound. Somewhere along the way, that distinction got lost, and a more alarmist "candida syndrome" theory took hold, linking ordinary, harmless candida to a long list of unrelated health complaints.
The sugar question
The idea that sugar feeds candida and should therefore be avoided doesn't hold up well either. Sugar is absorbed high up in the small intestine and rarely makes it down to the colon, where candida actually lives, unless you're lactose intolerant. Studies that have deliberately added several extra spoonfuls of sugar a day to people's diets have found no meaningful change in candida levels at all. It's also worth knowing that even powerful antifungal medication only suppresses candida temporarily — levels return once treatment stops, because candida is meant to be there.
Our view
None of this is an argument for unlimited sugar; there are plenty of good reasons to keep it in check. It's simply that candida isn't one of them, and it shouldn't be a reason to worry about a week of fresh juices here.
