What Foods & Drinks Cause Yeast Infections?

What Is Yeast?

Yeast is a single-cell fungi that exists just about everywhere in nature. There is yeast in the air, in soil, plants and in the food that we eat. Yeast commonly finds its way into our food and drinks through the use of baker's yeast and the fermentation process.

Alcohol

Many people recognize that beer contains yeast, but not everyone realizes that all types of alcohol, including wine, vodka, whiskey, gin and other hard liquors also contain high levels of yeast. Alcohol is produced when yeast is fermented---the foods that are used to make these alcoholic drinks (such as grape skins, potatoes, molasses and beets) contain yeast.
When a person drinks excessive amounts of alcoholic (more than three drinks per day), the yeast absorbs into the bloodstream and can cause or aggravate a yeast infection. Beer, wine and liquor also contain a lot of sugar, which also is a known cause of yeast infections.

Bread

Yeast is what causes bread to rise. The sugar that has been kneaded into the dough combines with the yeast and produces carbon dioxide (the same process that produces alcohol). The carbon dioxide causes the bread to rise. So when someone eats a lot of bread the solid yeast cells lay in the intestinal tract, which can lead to frequent yeast infections. Candida (another word for the bad bacteria that causes yeast infection) already exists in the intestinal tract, so when the balance is thrown off with the presence of more yeast, this can result in an infection.

Sugar

Eating too much refined white sugar could also cause frequent, recurring yeast infections. This includes the sugar in candy, chocolate, ice cream, syrup, sweetened cereal, iced tea and juice, and other sugary foods. A coffee drinker must also be wary of how much white sugar she adds to her cup when trying to avoid a yeast infection.
Sugar is very acidic. When the acidity in your body rises, it is the perfect environment for candida to thrive and propagate, which leads to infections.