Eating just one bite can be harmful: The hidden danger of foodborne parasites (and how to protect yourself)

Home: Eating just one bite can be harmful: The hidden danger of foodborne parasites (and how to protect
yourself)

Parasites enter the food chain through various routes:

Contaminated water used for crop irrigation (giardia, cryptosporidium)

Infected animals (tapeworms from undercooked beef or pork; toxoplasma from undercooked meat or contaminated cat feces)

Contaminated soil in root vegetables and leafy green vegetables

Infected fish (tapeworms, trematodes from raw or undercooked freshwater fish)

Poor hygiene during food handling (fecal-oral transmission)

Impact on health (What parasites can do to your body)
Symptoms vary depending on the type of parasite, your immune status and the severity of the infection.

Mild to moderate symptoms:

Persistent diarrhea or constipation

Bloating, gas, abdominal pain

Nausea, loss of appetite

Unexplained fatigue or weakness

Iron deficiency anemia (caused by blood loss from hookworms)

Itching around the rectum or vulva (pinworms)

Severe symptoms:

Chronic inflammation (colitis)