Indian Fermented Rice Cakes

by VJ
(Lilburn, Georgia, USA)

Can you eat Indian fermented rice cakes on the candida diet?

I am on the candida elimination diet. Since I am Indian, I am used to eating (idli) rice cakes that is made by grinding soaked rice and black gram. This is left to ferment overnight. We do not add anything to ferment it.


Then we make these rice cakes by steaming them in moulds. I read somewhere that the fermentation process takes place by wild yeast that is naturally present in the grains.


Please let me know if I can consume these. Thank you.

Regards,
VJ

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Hi VJ,

I don't know if you had a chance to look it over yet, but we have several pages about following a Candida diet and you may want to start with the basic candida diet guidelines.


You'll notice that you CAN have brown rice (in moderation) will following a Candida elimination diet.


I have to admit that I've never actually had idli (Indian fermented rice cakes) before, although they look pretty yummy when I just did a little search about them to see what you were referring to. :)


The idli I saw pictured all appeared to be a white rice, which I think would be best avoided for several weeks while trying to eliminate Candida.


As for the fermentation, even though you are not actually adding anything to the rice to assist in the fermentation process, the grinding of the rice probably releases the sugars and creates the right environment and is still a pretty good reason to reduce or eliminate the idli from your diet for a while.


It can be very difficult to follow a Candida elimination diet for a long period of time. I personally have found that if I use natural cleansing (antifungal) supplements and take probiotics when fighting candida, I can be a bit more lenient with my diet.


Admittedly, I have never had an extreme case of Candida or yeast infection myself, only mild ones. They can be noticeably nasty for a few days but clear up quickly when I follow a candid cure protocol.


So, even though some people could get away with a less restrictive diet, not everyone can. If you have severe fungal overgrowth, you may have to give up that rice for a while until your system is all sorted out and you are quite healthy again.


To your good health!
Angie