Art of Diet

The Yeast Menace

 Ms H

Yeast is a microscopic single- celled organism, which is a type of fungi. There are more than 600 different types of yeast cells; the most ordinary around human bodies is Saccharomyces  (baker’s yeast)

Positive roles of yeast:

·      it consists of valuable vitamins, example B vitamins

·      helps to control certain bacterial colonies in the intestine

·      nutrition yeast provides nutrients as a cheese substitute for vegans

Yeast cells multiply very quickly in a warm moist environment and they grow using sugar, which is the food for them, because they use the organic acids, carbons as their nutrients in it.

Bad roles of yeast cells :

·       can spoil our food and

·       can be pathogens causing infections of:

vagina,

skin,

mouth

stomach,

digestion track

all of these are moist and warm places where the  yeast can reproduce  quickly.

The symptoms of yeast infection are:

• itching,
• burning,
• redness,
• pain,

Usually the yeast cells, most common in the human body called Candida Albicans, are balanced by Lactobacillus Acidophilus bacteria in the digestive tracks.  Yeast infection can develop in stomach and digestive tracks, when the balance of these healthy yeast cells is disrupted. The abundant yeast cells can cause stomach cramp and diarrhoea leading to yeast allergy or yeast intolerance.

The symptoms of yeast menace:

• Flatulence
• Bad breath
• Fatigue
• Irritable
• Excessive cravings for sugar filled foods
• Stomach cramps
• Feel bloated
• Bad skin e.g. ache and eczema
• Indigestion

Yeast is present in a variety of different foods, generally baked goods (bread) and alcoholic beverages (beer). If a yeast intolerance is suspected a yeast elimination diet and a thorough record of the food diary associated with the symptoms are required. The yeast allergy can be diagnosed by an immunoglobulin test (IgE). (The immune system produce antibodies, which can be tested.)