Yeast Free Food List

Typically fruit is ok to eat. Make sure to wash it first. Research has suggested avoiding:

• Over ripe fruit

• Dried fruit

This is due to a couple of reasons such as naturally occuring yeast on the skin and research suggesting high sugar foods 'feed' yeast leading to an imbalance. The riper the fruit, the higher the sugar content.

Most vegetables are ok to eat. There are sites out there that say to avoid high starch based vegetables but this is mainly if you decide to follow the Candida Diet to the letter. 

The only 'vegetable' that is common in all my reading is: mushrooms. Technically a funghi in its own right, it is suggested to avoid them so you don't 'feed' yeast with yeast. 

Personally, I can tolerate low amounts of mushrooms (around 60g or 2oz, a serving is about 96g or 3.3oz).

• Soda bread

• Homemade bread using baking powder or bicarbonate of soda as the raising agent

• Tortilla wraps are generally ok and mostly yeast free but do check the label as I have found the odd pack to contain yeast

• Poppadums

Obviously, avoid anything with yeast. 

Go for baked goods that have a leavening or raising agent in such as bicarbonate of soda or baking powder. 

The following meat is consider fine to eat:

• Beef

• Lamb

• Pork

• Chicken (and eggs)

• Veal

• Turkey

The following fish:

• Salmon

• Cod

• Trout

• Sardines

In fact, meat and fish in general are ok to eat. They suggest to avoid processed meats like bacon, sausages (use bread to bulk them out which will use yeast) and deli meat that contain high levels of sugars, nitrates or sulphates as they can upset the balance of yeast in the gut. 

Personally, I can tolerate a small amount of bacon (1 slice with the fat trimmed).

• Beyond Meat burgers and sausages are ok but not the mince or meatballs on their own 

• Fry's Meat Free Hot Dogs

• Richmond Meat Free Rashers

• Vivera products (so far the products I've seen are yeast free)

Generally, plant based ranges contain yeast or yeast extract in their products to enhance the flavour. The following brands use yeast in some or all of their products:

• Tesco The Plant Chef range

• Sainsbury's Love your Veg range

• Morrison's Plant Revolution range

• Asda Plant Based range

• Richmond Meat Free range (except Rashers so far)

• Birdseye Green Cuisine range

• Meatless Farm

• Garden Gourmet

• Plant Pioneers

Quorn

This has its own section as it is made with mycoprotein which is a form of funghi/mould. It may be you are tolerant of it in certain amounts. I personally cannot eat it. Another one to check how you react to.

There is some research around that suggests dairy foods can cause issues with yeast in the stomach due to the levels of sugar (in this case lactose). 

Low amounts of dairy should be fine. Try and reduce sugary dairy like ice cream and sweetened yoghurts etc.

I find I am OK with small amounts of plain natural dairy foods like milk, greek yoghurt and sheep/goat based products (i.e. feta). I do know it when I have eaten too much sugary dairy like ice cream.

I have found the following snacks to be ok:

• Pringles: Original only however. The rest use yeast for enhancing the flavour

• Crisps: again ready salted in general, balsamic vinegar flavoured in some brands. Other than that, crisps more often than not use yeast extract to enhance the flavour so be sure to check.

• Popcorn

• Carrs Water Biscuits, Ryvita Crackerbread

• Tea time biscuits are ok generally

• Shop bought cakes as long as they don't use malt or barley malt in their ingredients

• Rice cakes, oat cakes, 

• Nairns Gluten-free Mini Cheese Bakes - a mini cheddars alternative! 

• Snackrite Cheese Puffs - a Wotsits alternative

Things to avoid:

• Jacobs Crackers: uses yeast to enhance the flavour

• Multipack crackers (think Christmas mixed box)

• Cheese Savouries

• Cheese-based snacks tend to use yeast extract to enhance the flavour

• Malt flavoured foods

• Tea: all types are seen to be ok

• Coffee: jury is out on this one. Some say it's ok, some say avoid. Again, try for yourself and see what you can tolerate

• Freshly squeezed juice is seemingly acceptable but carton based not so much due to the sugar content

Alcohol

This gets its own subsection. Generally, avoid alcohol as it is made using yeast. However, there are some studies that suggest the following alcohol is ok due to its processing removing most of the yeast:

• Champagne, cava, prosecco

• Vodka

• Gin

• Distilled spirits

Again, its one of those things that if you have it and seem fine, you can tolerate it. If it causes discomfort, avoid it. 

Personally, I am ok with the sparkley stuff but not beer or wine. I can also tolerate small amounts of sherry.

Many of these kinds of products contain yeast or yeast extract as a flavour enhancer. Many condiments also use vinegar, so they should be used cautiously as vinegar is made with a 'mother' (a type of yeast). I tend to make my own versions of favourites now, but there is some evidence to say that distilled vinegar is ok (blog post coming soon!).

• Hunts Tomato sauce (uses distilled vinegar. Have only seen it in Costco so far)

• Stokes Mayonnaise (uses acetic acid rather than actual vinegar. This gives vinegar its distinctive smell)

• Birdseye Chicken Dippers

• Birdseye Gluten-Free Fish Fingers

Avoid:

• Birdseye Fish Fingers

• Breaded chicken products

This deserves its own page which you can check out here.