Food critic in Tennessee recovering from cyclosporiasis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NBC, KYMA) - A Nashville food critic is recovering from cyclosporiasis, a parasite found in produce, after a three-week illness that forced her to stop working and lose nearly 20 pounds.

"Trust me you don't want this. It's not fun," said Christina Hart, the food critic recovering from cyclosporiasis.

Hart says about about three weeks ago, the symptoms associated with the parasite came on quick.

She was rushing to the bathroom every 30 minutes and rapidly began losing weight.

After about a week, she went to the doctor who ran some tests and found she was one of the few tennesseans who had contracted the parasite.

She says since then, she's had to put a lot on pause.

"The weight loss is not worth the trauma. And it stopped my whole life," Hart shared. "I had to push back episodes. I had to stop working, it's been rough."

Hart says she recently has begun feeling better, but isn't out of the woods yet.

She lost nearly 20 pounds over the course of the last three weeks, and had to put a lot of things aside while facing the illness.

Her goal in sharing her story is to bring awareness to cyclosporiasis and give people more perspective as to what it actually is like to have it.