By Stephanie Ray, ND, BCN – Naturopath and Chinese Herbalist

When it comes to preventing and removing unwanted organisms, including parasites, what you eat matters, but how you prepare your food, how you eat it, and how well you digest it matter too. Habits like food preparation, proper chewing, and how beverages are paired with meals all influence digestion.

When working to support the body during an unwanted-organism cleanse, the goal is to create an internal habitat that supports healthy digestion and makes the environment less favorable to unwanted guests.

Here are six dietary habits to pay attention to when supporting the body during an unwanted-organism cleanse or maintaining a healthy internal environment.

1. Eat Cooked Foods

Cooked vegetables and fruits are easier on the digestive system than raw foods, especially when digestion is already feeling stressed. Cooking helps soften the structure of food, making it easier to break down and digest.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Spleen and Stomach are central to transforming food into Qi and Blood. Qi refers to the body's vital energy that supports the functions of our organs and keeps things moving. Blood, in Chinese medicine, goes beyond the blood circulating through our vessels. It also describes the nourishment that sustains our tissues and organs.

In Western terms, think of how the body breaks down food, absorbs nutrients, produces energy, and delivers nourishment throughout the body. These are some of the functions described through Qi and Blood in TCM.

Cooked foods are considered warming and supportive of these processes, while excessive raw and cold foods can weaken digestion from a TCM perspective.

Try steaming, sautéing, roasting, or gently cooking your vegetables. You can also enjoy cooked fruits, such as stewed apples or pears.

2. Avoid Drinking Large Amounts of Liquid During Meals

Hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes are essential for breaking down food. Stomach acid also serves as an important defense against parasites and other unwanted organisms that can enter the body through food.

Drinking large amounts of liquid during meals can temporarily dilute stomach contents, although this has not been shown to meaningfully impair digestive function in healthy people.

Small sips during meals are fine. Larger amounts of water should be consumed between meals, away from food.

As a general rule, avoid ice in beverages, particularly during meals. Slightly cool drinks are fine, but from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, iced beverages disrupt digestive warmth and slow the digestive process. Room-temperature or warm beverages are preferred to support healthy digestion.

3. Chew Your Food Thoroughly

Digestion begins in the mouth, and chewing is one of the simplest ways to support the process.

Chew each bite approximately 25–35 times, or until the food has been broken down to a nearly liquid consistency. The exact number will vary depending on what you are eating.

Chewing mechanically breaks down food and mixes it with saliva, which contains enzymes that begin carbohydrate digestion.

When we swallow large pieces of food without chewing them well, we give the digestive system more work to do. Food that isn't adequately broken down can contribute to discomfort and fermentation farther along the digestive tract.

The body needs to break food down properly to release and absorb its nutrients.

Slow down. Put your fork down between bites if needed. Give your body time to process the food you are eating.

Thorough chewing is also an important habit when working toward a healthier body weight. Eating slowly allows more time for the body to register fullness.

4. Refrain from Grains During a Cleanse

Grains contain starches that are converted into sugars during digestion.

During a time when we are actively working to remove unwanted organisms from the body, it is also important to consider the foods that contribute to an unfavorable digestive environment.

Reducing refined grains, sugars, and processed carbohydrates is part of this approach.

This does not mean eliminating every grain permanently. Small amounts of properly prepared grains can be part of the diet, depending on individual digestion and nutritional needs.

Use common sense and pay attention to how your body responds.

The goal is not to deprive the body. It is to nourish it while supporting a healthier internal habitat.

5. Include Fermented Foods and Traditionally Used Cleansing Foods

Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and fermented vegetables, support beneficial stomach acidity for proper digestion while helping to alkalize the body's terrain. Naturally fermented, unpasteurized foods also provide beneficial bacteria and organic acids that support a healthy gut environment.

Choose naturally fermented sauerkraut rather than cabbage preserved only in vinegar. Begin with small amounts, particularly when digestion is sensitive, and increase according to tolerance.

Garlic and pumpkin seeds have a long history of traditional use in cleansing diets. Their naturally occurring plant compounds have also been investigated for antimicrobial and antiparasitic properties.

Fresh garlic can be incorporated into cooked vegetables, soups, and other dishes. Pumpkin seeds provide protein, minerals, and healthy fats.

6. Choose Organic Foods, Filtered Water, and Gentle Food Preparation

The quality of what we eat and drink is another part of supporting the body's natural elimination processes.

Choose Organic When Possible

Organic foods help reduce exposure to certain pesticide residues and environmental chemicals we encounter.

When purchasing everything organic isn't practical, begin with the foods eaten most frequently.

Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly. Soaking them in a bowl of water with a capful or two of vinegar can help loosen dirt and unwanted critters clinging to the surface. Rinse well under running water.

Drink Filtered Water

Water supports normal digestion, hydration, kidney function, and regular bowel movements.

Choose good-quality filtered water and drink enough throughout the day to stay well hydrated.

Avoid Microwave Cooking

Steaming, simmering, sautéing, roasting, and slow cooking are preferred methods of food preparation.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, food preparation involves more than heating food. The warming and nourishing qualities of food are considered important to digestion and the body's ability to transform food into Qi and Blood.

Gentle, traditional cooking methods are preferred for supporting these qualities.

How to Incorporate BIORAY Into Your Routine

Along with these dietary practices, BIORAY offers herbal formulas developed to support the body's natural cleansing and elimination processes.

Elimination comes before mobilization. Regular bowel movements are foundational to a cleansing program. The bowels need to be functioning well before increasing the demands placed on the body's cleansing pathways.

For Families Using Artemisia & Clove®

Artemisia & Clove® is BIORAY's full-strength herbal cleansing formula.

For best results, take it on an empty stomach, approximately 15 minutes before or 45 minutes after food. If stomach upset occurs, it can be taken with food.

Shake well and mix the recommended amount into room-temperature water or purple grape juice.

Follow the intake recommendations according to body weight.

For Kids Using NDF Happy®

NDF Happy® combines cleansing herbs and botanicals traditionally used to support a healthy internal environment and the body's natural elimination processes.

Give twice daily, morning and afternoon, with or without food.

Shake well and mix into water or your child's favorite drink.

Children should ideally have 1–3 healthy bowel movements daily.

When bowel movements are sluggish, NDF Pooper® provides additional support for bowel regularity.

For Teens Using Life Is Peachy®

Life Is Peachy® combines herbs traditionally used to support the body's natural cleansing processes with flower essences selected for emotional balance.

The slightly bitter taste is intentional. Bitter herbs have a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine for supporting digestion.

The formula can be mixed into juice to make the bitter taste more palatable.

Intake: 1–2.5 full squeezes of the pipette, twice daily, according to product directions.

For Adults Using Microbe Slayer®

Microbe Slayer® combines a broad range of traditional cleansing herbs with botanicals that support normal liver and adrenal function.

During a cleansing routine, use once daily for six weeks, then according to individual needs and product directions.

Mix into water, juice, or tea. It can be taken with or without food.

As with any cleansing program, digestion and bowel elimination should be functioning well before increasing the intensity of the routine.

Supporting Digestion and Elimination

Proper food preparation, thorough chewing, nourishing foods, hydration, and regular bowel movements are foundational to a cleansing program.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, the Liver supports the smooth flow of Qi, working alongside the Spleen and Stomach to support digestion and elimination.

The liver, kidneys, and bowels filter, process, and eliminate metabolic waste. When elimination is sluggish, the body's ability to move waste out efficiently is compromised.

Supporting these foundational functions helps maintain homeostasis and a healthier environment within the body.

Six Easy Reminders

1. Eat cooked foods to support digestion.

2. Drink larger amounts of water between meals, away from food, and avoid ice.

3. Chew food thoroughly, approximately 25–35 times per bite.

4. Reduce grains, sugars, and processed carbohydrates during a cleanse.

5. Include fermented vegetables, garlic, and pumpkin seeds.

6. Choose organic foods, filtered water, and gentle food preparation. Wash produce thoroughly.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What foods should you avoid during a parasite or unwanted-organism cleanse?

Reduce refined grains, sugars, and processed carbohydrates. These foods break down into sugars during digestion and are limited during a cleansing program to support a healthier intestinal environment. Small amounts of properly prepared grains can be included according to individual needs.

2. What foods are traditionally used to support a parasite cleanse?

Garlic and pumpkin seeds have a long history of traditional use in cleansing diets. Fermented foods, including sauerkraut, support the digestive environment by providing organic acids and, when unpasteurized, beneficial bacteria. These foods support nutrition and digestive function but are not established treatments for parasitic infections.

3. Why are cooked foods preferred in Traditional Chinese Medicine?

In TCM, the Spleen and Stomach transform food into Qi and Blood, providing energy and nourishment to the body. Cooked foods are considered warming and easier to digest, while excessive raw and cold foods can weaken digestive function.

4. Why is stomach acid important during an unwanted-organism cleanse?

Hydrochloric acid helps break down food and serves as an important defense against parasites and other unwanted organisms entering through food. Digestive enzymes work alongside stomach acid to support the breakdown and absorption of nutrients.

5. Why are regular bowel movements important during a cleanse?

Elimination comes before mobilization. The bowels are a primary pathway for removing waste from the body. Regular bowel movements help prevent waste from accumulating while the liver, kidneys, and digestive system carry out their normal functions.