Everyone who has candida also has improper digestion. When your food is not properly broken down and assimilated along the various parts of the alimentary canal, or if the food moves too slowly (or gets stuck) in the intestinal tract, toxic buildup can occur in the large and small intestines, creating a toxic environment that is detrimental to good bacteria and making a breeding ground for candida, parasites, and other harmful bacteria.
Digestion in the stomach is absolutely vital because this is the place where food is broken down to the point that it becomes a liquid-like substance that the intestines can absorb. People that are unhealthy either do not produce enough gastric juice or are unable to produce the correct balance of hydrochloric acid to break down food. The correct amount of digestive enzymes can only be produced in a stomach that has the correct amount of gastric juice. If the food passes into the intestines without being completely liquefied, the larger particles can get caught in the intestinal tract and stagnate. If you inspect your poo (as I always do) and if you notice actual pieces of undigested food in your stool, the culprit is improper digestion in the stomach.
The majority of the digestive process occurs in the small intestines, where the liquefied food is further broken down by bacteria and assimilated into the body for use by the walls of the intestines. When the intestines become stagnated due to rotting foods and other factors, the good bacteria dwindles and cannot keep the harmful bacteria at bay. Also, you are unable to get the nutrients from your food, which causes your immune system and energy levels to deteriorate, which in turn causes further digestion difficulties in the stomach and intestines. It's easy to see how things can get quickly out of hand as this cycle repeats over and over every time you eat. Is it any wonder that so many people out there feel like there is nothing they can eat that doesn't make them feel sick?
The large intestine has different bacteria than the small intestine and completes the digestive process by breaking down the rest of the food, absorbing nutrients and has the main responsibility of creating properly formed stools that can easily be passed. With improper digestion the large intestine also can trap many food particles and become toxic. In my body, the root of my candida is in the large intestines, where the candida has turned into the fungal form and has put roots (I think they're called rhizones) into the intestinal tract. I know this because I have seen them come out during apple cider vinegar enemas (they were white in color and some of them were quite large pieces with things that looked like little mushrooms attached). I stopped doing these enemas however becomes sometimes there was also some blood coming out along with the roots and I didn't want to damage my intestines. I'm curious what people think, is the main root of candida normally in the large intestine or do some of you feel that the small intestine is your main problem?
At any rate, stomach digestion is key. Here are some points to ponder:
--proteins are the most difficult foods for the stomach to break down
--good carbohydrates stimulate gastric acid production, but bad carbohydrates/sugars disturb stomach digestion
--Eating when you are very hungry and stopping eating before you are full improves stomach digestion greatly.
--The smell and taste of appetizing food stimulates salivation and gastric acid production
--A good amount of physical activity improves gastric acid production