Tomatoes are such a big part of my life and although I would love to always have fresh ripe tomatoes on hand it doesn’t always work out that way. I use fresh tomatoes in my cooking, but keeping them around and in usable condition is a daily or at least several times a week chore. If I buy too many at once, surprise, surprise, they go bad. It frustrates me with the fact that now my money is wasted and I still don’t have tomatoes to cook with. That is why it is necessary to have canned tomatoes in the kitchen. However, using canned tomatoes can be tricky when you’re trying to follow a candida diet. A candida diet is used to treat a condition called candidiasis, an overgrowth of yeast (Candida) that can be caused by a variety of external factors. The symptoms of this condition vary widely but are usually characterized by a multitude of unrelated symptoms. These symptoms can range from something vague like fatigue to mood disorders.
The problem with canned tomatoes and the candida diet is that canned tomatoes contain preservatives that have been found to feed candida and therefore exacerbate candidiasis symptoms. The prohibited ingredients commonly found in canned tomatoes are citric acid and calcium chloride. Since citric acid is the biggest culprit and is very widely used and since very few brands of canned tomatoes I have found contain calcium chloride, I will only discuss why citric acid is problematic for candida dieters. Why is it
Citric acid is used to flavor and preserve foods. It is naturally present in citrus fruits, but the type used in commercial food products often causes problems for candida dieters. Most commercially used citric acid is produced by fermentation, a process by which yeast is added to convert the sugar form into alcohol. This whole process is the opposite of the candida diet because it prohibits the addition of yeast, sugar, and alcohol. So it is not the citric acid itself that is problematic, but the process by which it is made. I’ve seen canned tomatoes with naturally derived citric acid in the ingredients list, although it’s naturally derived from citrus fruit sources of fruit, it still goes through a fermentation process.
So what are us candida dieters to do? Should we live with Rotten Tomatoes and constant frustration? The answer is no. Luckily I have found a few brands of canned tomato products that do not contain citric acid, calcium chloride or any other preservative. These brands are fine for a candida diet. I’ve found most brands of tomato paste to be safe. Pomi brand tomatoes contain no preservatives and come in sauce and sliced varieties. Santo makes a variety of tomato products without preservatives. Stop & Shop’s Nature’s Promise line also has some canned tomato products without preservatives. Although I use these brands regularly in my Candida Diet kitchen, I urge you to always read product labels because things can change. I hope this helps fellow candida dieters who were facing the tomato dilemma. for more information candida diet Go yeast free living.
Source by Tennille Jordan
