Imagine having to give up all your favourite foods such as cakes, bread, chocolate, coffee and alcohol and not even to lose weight.

For women suffering from candida, this dull diet is essential to rid them of the yeast infection which can inflict upon everything they do.

Candida experts believe one-in-three people in the UK suffer from the condition because of a poor diet of foods such as bread, sugar-based cereals, pizza, beer, chips, baked beans and tomato sauce and The National Candida Society says it is on the increase.

Lisa Newman, 31, rid herself of candida, otherwise known as candida albicans, and is now on the diet permanently to keep the condition at bay.

Lisa, of Arundel Place, Kemp Town, Brighton, was on holiday three years ago when she noticed she felt sleepy after meals, would become bloated and suffered from mood swings.

Back home, Lisa went for an allergy test which revealed candida.

Lisa said: "There is nothing worse than feeling depressed and not having any energy, zest and enthusiasm."

Lisa embarked on a sugar-free, yeast-free diet. After three months, she managed to get rid of most of the candida.

She said: "It was fantastic. I was able to go for a run for the first time in a long time. I had more energy."

But she started eating some of the banned foods again and the candida came back.

"It hit me like a ton of bricks," Lisa said. "I woke up in the morning feeling hung over from the sugar I had the night before. I felt really terrible. My legs ached, my stomach ached. It just affected my mood straight away."

She went back on the diet and used supplements and has discovered sticking with the diet permanently has been the way forward for her. Her experience led her to become an allergy tester.

Lisa said: "I feel grateful I have found a solution. I could be one of those people out there still suffering, still feeling depressed."

Charu Field has taken a different approach. She cured her candida by performing VortexHealing on herself and now treats other sufferers with the hands-on healing method which she claims burns off the candida.

Charu, who travels down to Brighton from London regularly throughout the week to treat clients, said: "I was really sick a year and a half ago. I was having ME-like symptoms. I was exhausted, I could hardly get out of bed, I had weak digestion, I had to cook easy-to-digest food.

"Now my energy levels are 100 times better than they were. I am now working full days with no problem."

WHAT IS CANDIDA? Candida is a harmless yeast which naturally lives in our intestines and other parts of the body, such as the skin. Friendly bacteria in our digestive system can keep it in check but it can grow and get out of control when the hormonal balance of the body is disturbed, such as by taking the contraceptive pill, antibiotics or steroids. It is mainly suffered by women but men and children can suffer from it.

MAJOR SYMPTOMS: Thrush, cystitis, athletes' foot or fungal infections of the skin and nails, feeling affected by chemical fumes, perfumes, tobacco smoke, food allergies, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation, depression, lethargy, fatigue, food cravings, muscular aches, tingling, numbness or burning, aching or swelling joints, erratic vision or spots before the eyes, impotence or low libido.

CANDIDA DIET: Cathy Robinson, a nutritionist with clinics in Hove and Horam, near Heathfield, has a five-point plan to combat candida. She said: "By following a restricted diet, candida can be kept at bay but, unfortunately, as soon as the sufferer slips from the diet, it is my experience that the candida tends to come back with a vengeance. It, therefore, makes sense to prevent candida from returning and to enable the sufferer to relax their diet somewhat after a period of time."

USEFUL CONTACTS:

Holland & Barrett, North Street, Brighton, 01273 746343 GNC, Churchill Square, Brighton, 01273 710150, Health House, Western Road, Brighton, 01273 775558 Infinity Foods, North Road, Brighton, 01273 603563 Boots, Brighton, 01273 207461 National Candida Society, www.candida-society.org Cathy Robinson, nutritionist, 01273 889096, email crobi@nutrition.connectfree.co.uk Charu Field, VortexHealing practitioner, 07814 568964, www.lightworkshealing.co.uk Lisa Newman, allergy tester, 07919 891371