Food As Medicine: Upgrading Your Parasite Cleanse

So you are getting ready to do a parasite cleanse! And you want to get the most out of it. So in this article we will go over nutritional recommendations and even some specific recipes to include as you move through this deep cleansing process.
To start, we will go over some of the foods to reduce or eliminate, or be aware of when it comes to parasite cleansing. When it comes to food choices, some are the actual sources of parasites, and others are foods that affect the terrain such that it creates a friendly environment for them to remain. Overall we want to eat a well-balanced, variety rich diet, consisting of whole/real foods, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and as organic and high quality as possible.

Foods to avoid or limit

• Undercooked/Improperly Prepared Animal Protein: Sushi, Sashimi, Seared Meat.
  • If you eat wild game, please research properly handling and cooking recommendations to kill off pathogens. It depends on the species what is recommended.
  • Certain spores survive freezing, so once you defrost meat, immediately cook it rather than letting it sit at room temp or fridge temp for very long.
  • Thoroughly cooking meat will kill most parasites, make sure it’s no longer pink and reaches at least 145 degrees (throughout, so check several places)
  • Using a pressure cooker, slow cooker, stews and such, this maintains nutritional content and tenderness while killing off most pathogenic bacteria and parasites.
• Unwashed Produce, or Produced washed in unfiltered water
• Improperly Filtered Water
• Processed Foods/Pesticide Laden Foods
• Constipating Foods
  • Dairy Products/Cheese: Raw Milks and Yogurts are less so.
  • Meat can be constipating if not balanced with fiber.
  • Fried Foods/Chips/Desserts
• Inflammatory Foods:
  • Here we are referring to your unique food sensitivities, what sort of foods you do best with and which ones you have trouble with.

Foods to include

Try and choose at least one from each category each day. We want to infuse ourselves with such high quality nutrition that the terrain does not welcome pathogens and include specific foods known to aid in parasite/pathogen elimination.

• Fermented Foods: Sauerkraut, Fermented Beets/Carrots
• Healing Broths: Vegetarian Medicinal Broths, Or Bone Broths.
• Liquid Greens (Chlorophyll/Minerals/Phytonutrients): Fresh Green Juices or Herbal Super Infusions: Nettles, Raspberry Leaf, Horsetail, Calendula.
• Fiber/Detox Support: Beans/Lentils (if you tolerate), Whole Grains (if you tolerate), Psyllium/Acacia Fiber, Fruits (Apples, Pears, Berries), Avocados, Artichokes, Beets, Sweet Potatoes.
• Nuts/Seeds: Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds & Pumpkin Seeds are all particularly beneficial. Get Raw, Organic and Whole. Store Nuts and Seeds in a fridge or cellar to reduce spoiling.

Specific Herbs/Spices/Foods To Add:

• Garlic (Smash and let sit for 10 minutes before cooking or consuming)
• Fresh or Dried Herbs: Oregano, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary
• Bay Leaf, Anise, Fennel Seeds
• Turmeric, Ginger
• Clove, Cinnamon
• Papaya Fruit and Seeds
• Pomegranate Seeds

Recipes To Try

Parasite Cleansing Smoothie:

• 1 tbsp Raw Organic Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 tsp Raw Organic Flaxseed
• 1 tsp Psyllium or Acacia Fiber (optional)
• Small Chunk of Fresh Ginger
• Handful Organic Baby Greens
• ½ Banana or ½ Organic Avocado
• Sprinkle of Cinnamon
• Superfood Adds: 1 tsp Moringa Powder, 1 tsp Acai Powder, or Green Powder blends.
• ½ cup Frozen or Fresh Fruits (depends on what you have and what you like)
  • Frozen Berries (Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cherries)
  • Papaya, Mango, Persimmon
  • Mashed Pumpkin/Sweet Potato
• Choice of Unsweetened Milk/Non Dairy Alternative/Coconut Water
• Other Optional Adds: Collagen or Protein Powders

Biofilm Busting Wellness Shots/Salad Dressing

• 2 cups of Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
• 5 cloves of Organic Garlic, peeled and finely chopped/smashed
• ½ Organic Red Onion
• 1 Tbsp each of fresh or dried oregano/thyme/cilantro
• Combine all of these ingredients and blend well.
• Add 1 cup of Organic Unsweetened Cranberry Juice (optional)

Take 1 shot 1-2x/day, or use as a dressing for salads.

Kitchari: (This is one of my favorite recipes for gut cleansing. It is a traditional Ayurvedic Dish that is super easy to digest and full of healing and anti-inflammatory herbs and spices)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Split Yellow Mung Beans (Dal)
  • I order online through Banyan Botanicals, it can be hard to find these in grocery stores.
• 1 cups Whole Organic Buckwheat, Organic Brown or White Basmati Rice or Millet
  • Traditionally it is with White Basmati Rice, which you can use, I just tend to try and add something with a bit more fiber/nutritional content unless someone has a hard time digesting whole grains.
• Organic Coconut Oil or Organic Ghee
  • I use Coconut Oil due to dairy sensitivity, if you tolerate Cow Dairy, Ghee is an amazing healing food
• Dry Spices & Herbs:
  • 1-2 Organic Bay leaves
  • 1 tsp Organic Whole or Ground Coriander
  • 1 tsp Organic Whole or Ground Brown Mustard Seed
  • 1 tsp Organic Whole or Ground Cardamom
  • 1 tsp Organic Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp Organic Whole or Ground Cumin
  • Banyan Botanicals Makes a pre blended Kitchari Spice Mix to make it easy, you can order all the supplies on their website.
  • 1 tsp Himalayan Salt
  • Depending on your Dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) different spices are more appropriate than others, so I would look into your constitution and perhaps adjust.
• Fresh Herbs:
  • Organic Cilantro (Garnish)
  • 1 inch chunk fresh Organic Ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 inch chunk fresh Organic Turmeric, finely chopped
• Veggies: Optional, or can just pick one or two)
  • Organic Carrots
  • Organic Sweet Potatoes
  • Organic Green Beans

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak Mung Beans Overnight and Rinse
2. Chop Veggies and Ginger/Turmeric
3. In a Large Soup Pot (Ceramic is Ideal) warm tbsp of Coconut Oil with Herb Blends, and fresh Ginger & Turmeric in the bottom of the pan. Warm for 2-3 minutes, make sure to not burn the spices.
4. Add 8 cups of water, along with mung beans and rice. Add bay leaf and salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cover.
5. When the mung beans are starting to split (usually around 15-20 minutes) add chopped veggies and sweet potatoes. Cover and continue to simmer until all the beans are very soft. You want it to be porridge-like consistency.
6. Serve warm, top with sprouts, avocado and fresh cilantro.
7. A traditional kitchari cleanse means you only eat this dish for 2-3 days. I tend to incorporate it in with other healing foods as a modified cleanse.

Happy Healing!