Parasites are nasty little buggers that sometimes contaminate our food and water and make us sick. Although the thought of contracting a parasite is unpleasant, it’s important to be educated about them because they are contracted easier than you think.
According to the World Health Organization, parasites affect approximately 50 million people worldwide per year and 40,000-100,000 people die from them annually.
How Parasites Make Us Sick
Intestinal parasites can work their way into our food by being prepared by someone with poor hygiene (think of restaurants), impure water (traveled abroad lately?), and pets and animals.
Once inside our body, parasites live in the digestive system and feed off of poor diet choices, such as too many refined carbohydrates or processed sugar, raw fish, undercooked meat, and improperly washed fruits and vegetables.
Symptoms And Types Of Parasites
Symptoms of an intestinal parasite may include digestive discomfort such as bloating, cramping, blood or mucous in stools, and diarrhea; allergies; anal itching; anemia; and anxiety or depression.
Human parasites can be categorized into two groups: protozoa and helminthes; and they affect approximately one-sixth of the global population. Some of the most common types of parasites that humans may contract are:
- Giardia intestinalis
- Cryptosporidium parvum
- Enteromoeba coli
- Entomoeba histolyca
- Dientomeba fragilis
- Blastocystishominis
- Endolimaxnana
Get Rid Of Parasites The Natural Way
Getting rid of parasites includes mass drug administration and chemotherapeutic arsenal; however, these treatments do not come without challenges and concerns, such as safety and funding issues. Ineffective drug treatment may indicate a resistance to a particular drug.
The best and most natural way to treat human intestinal parasites and prevent them from occurring is by eating foods that improve your digestive health.
Eat Your Way Out of Parasites With These 7 Foods
The following is a list of foods and nutrients that may naturally get rid of those pesky little beasts:
- Sunflower seedscan help flush out parasites by preventing successful germination or penetration of the parasite to the host system.
- Coconut and onionscontain compounds that reduce parasites and help promote a healthy weight.
- Papaya seedshave antihelminthic and anti-amoebic activities, meaning that they are very effective in treating human parasites. They are more effective when consumed in conjunction with honey.
- Garliccan be used for many medicinal remedies, including the reduction of parasitic infestation in humans. Studies show a positive correlation between garlic consumption and the time it takes for a parasite to detach from its host as well as the death of parasites.
- Pineapplecontains a compound known as bromelain, which can be used to kill parasitic infections and restore digestive health.
- Turmericextract and the essential oil of Curcuma longa has been shown to inhibit the growth of parasites.
- Fermented foodsare full of probiotics, which are great at getting rid of bad stuff in the gut and restoring it with good bacteria. These include raw, grass-fed dairy products, kimchi, sauerkraut and fermented vegetables (which have the added benefit of fiber to move parasites along!)
We’ve got recipes all over this website that include the above foods. However, to make it simple, we’ve put together a specific smoothie. The Terminator.
The Parasite Terminator (Smoothie)
- Takes 5 minutes
- Makes 2 smoothies (have one for breakfast and one later in the day)
Ingredients
- Pineapple – 1 cup
- Papaya – 1 cup
- Sunflower seeds – 1/2 cup
- Coconut yoghurt – 3 heaped tablespoons
- Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
- Ice – 1/2 cup
- Coconut water – 1 1/2 cups
- Water – 1 cupp
Method
- Blend until creamy
Another Option
Try a Parasite Cleanse product with natural ingredients. We haven’t used any ourselves but the Dr Clark stuff looks to be the best on Amazon:
- Green Black Walnut Tincture
- Super W Blend
Parasites are nasty and more common than you think. If you’ve been diagnosed, refocus your diet and consider eating more of the seven food groups above, especially our smoothie.
However, it should be noted that some cases of intestinal parasites may not be able to be treated through food alone. Contact your doctor and deep dive with your own research.