Intestinal parasites are organisms that flourish in the gut consuming the host’s nutrients, destroying tissues and body cells, and expelling toxic waste.
According to medical expects, intestinal parasites often cause diarrhea, bad breath, dark circles around the eyes, abnormal food cravings, restlessness at night, anemia, and headaches.
To the experts, food, hygiene, and environment are the three main factors that introduce these nasty bugs into the body.
Maintaining personal hygiene like having clean nails and washing hands before eating, avoiding unhygienic roadside food, washing vegetables and fruits before eating, drinking boiled water and a host of others can prevent parasites from entering our body.
However, once these parasites grow in the system, altering ones diet is the most convenient way of controlling or eradicating them.
Since ancient times, it has been believed that chewing 2-3 cloves of garlic every morning can be effective in cleansing the intestine and also in expelling intestinal worms. Turmeric and cloves are a few other spices that can additionally help fight parasites. Drinking a glass of carrot juice every morning is valuable for eliminating threadworms in children. Carrots, rich in beta carotene, a precursor for vitamin A, are known to increase resistance to penetration by larvae.
A diet including three servings of pineapple or two tablespoons of unripe papaya juice with 200 ml of lukewarm water can get rid of certain parasites. Bromelain, the digestive enzyme present in pineapple, especially helps to eliminate tapeworms; while papain, the digestive enzyme in papaya, acts as a powerful agent for destroying roundworms. Additionally, consuming the seeds of a ripe pumpkin is useful in clearing intestinal parasites, especially tapeworms and hookworms.
Eating a diet high in soluble fiber can promote the growth of “good” bacteria. Including foods like oats, psyllium, carrots, beans, peas, and most fruits stimulates the production of short-chain fatty acids, which further helps to balance the intestines. Temporarily avoiding coffee, refined sugar, alcohol, and foods that are refined, canned, or processed can ward off the harmful effects of intestinal parasites and promote the growth of healthy bowel flora.
