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Detoxifying Foods: 20 Best Foods for Cleansing

by Tatiana Alcazar

June 7, 2021

detoxifying foods
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When you hear the word “detox”, do you instantly think of the Master Cleanse or a long-term juice fast? While these trends have been popular for many years, they’re too extreme for many people.

Luckily, you can reap many of the benefits of detox in a healthy and natural way without torturing yourself. 

One of the best ways to do this is to include detoxifying foods in your everyday diet.

Want to learn more about why you need to detox and how to do it naturally? Read on!

Benefits of Detoxing Your Body

Every day, we’re exposed to environmental toxins, such as food additives, plastic contaminants, and more. 

While our liver filters out toxins and our bodies release them through sweat and urine, sometimes we need a bit of a detoxifying boost.

Some of the benefits of detoxing include: 

  • Better digestion
  • Weight loss
  • Increased energy
  • Reduced inflammation
  • Stronger immune system 
  • Healthy skin
  • Improved mood

Therefore, detoxing regularly can also help you think more clearly and may even help reduce the signs of aging.

The 20 Best Detoxifying Foods

Eating foods that help your body detoxify more efficiently will make you look and feel better and improve your mental health. So, get started today by adding the following 12 foods into your meal plan.

1. Green Tea

Green tea in fact has been in Eastern medicine for centuries and is one of the healthiest beverages you can consume. 

It also boosts the body’s production of detoxifying enzymes and is also high in antioxidants, which helps to protect the body against free radicals.

2. Garlic

Garlic has a ton of therapeutic effects, including enhancing the body’s natural detox functions, protecting your DNA, and it might even help ward off cancer-causing agents. 

So, to get the best effects, use fresh, organic garlic whenever you can.

3. Apples

The old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” is more than a childhood rhyme! Apples contain pectin, which purges toxins like lead and mercury from your bloodstream.

Be careful, though, as apples are part of the “dirty dozen,” which is a list of the 12 most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables. Because of this, it’s worth your money to buy organic.

Also, green apples are great because they’re low in sugar. And If you want the best benefit, make sure you leave the skin on because this will give you the greatest amount of fiber. 

4. Turmeric

Turmeric, also known as Indian saffron and is a well-known anti-inflammatory. 

It also has many other benefits including antibiotic, antiviral, and antioxidant properties.

It’s recommended that you use turmeric as a spice to add to other foods or take a turmeric supplement to ensure you get the optimal benefits.

5. Blueberries

Blueberries offer an abundant source of antioxidants. Hence, it may also help to fight off cancer, protect the lungs, and lower blood pressure. 

Therefore, eating blueberries can also help to improve vascular health, slow lung function decline, and may ward off Alzheimer’s Disease.  

Try eating wild blueberries as they contain more antioxidants than cultivated blueberries.

6. Beets

Beets contain a ton of antioxidants and also encourage the body’s production of enzymes that support liver function and help with detoxification. 

Moreover, beet juice has been a popular trend for several years, so now is a great time for you to jump on the bandwagon and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

7. Cilantro

Cilantro is a category of a plant known as chelators, which binds to heavy metals and allows the body to get rid of them. 

Eating cilantro also can help reduce the amount of lead your body absorbs and encourages your body to excrete mercury toxins.

8. Lemon

Lemons have a high amount of citric acid, which protects the liver and prevents oxidative damage. 

Since staying hydrated is critical for detoxing, consuming water with lemon in it is an excellent option for ensuring you get plenty of citric acid and H20. 

9. Broccoli

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are high in fiber, which helps to eliminate toxins through your stool and bile. They also have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. 

They may also help prevent cancer. Broccoli, in particular, can help protect the body against air pollution

10. Ginger

Ginger is an excellent detoxifying food aside from being rich in phytochemicals, and it has long been used to help with digestion and stomach upset. 

Since it helps improve the body’s ability to digest food and eliminate waste, it’s considered a powerful natural detoxifier. It also contains a ton of antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory effects, and may also have anti-cancer properties.

11. Avocado

In addition to being delicious, the avocado also has a large amount of fatty acids. Studies have found that these fatty acids can help to fight off d-galactosamine, which is a toxin that can do serious damage to the liver. 

Since the liver is critical for detoxification, therefore consuming avocados will help support healthy detox functions.

12. Chlorella

Chlorella is a bright-green algae that brings many health benefits too. It can help lower LDL cholesterol, encourage weight loss, and may help reduce anxiety and depression.

It’s also effective at reducing liver inflammation, which aids in healthy detox.

Adding chlorella to your diet, toss a couple of teaspoons of the powder into your morning smoothie or juice.

13. Cabbage

The cabbage is a powerful detox food. It contains glutathione; a detoxifier produced by the liver. The sulfur content of the cabbage may help eliminate toxins and waste in the body, particularly the mercury. 

14. Celery Seeds

Celery is considered as Alkaline detoxifying foods that may help to cleanse and flush out toxins in the liver. Oftentimes, the protein and fat that we eat remain in our stomach and rot, which may cause digestive problems and bloating. Consuming celery works to break down undigested foods.

15. Cranberries

Since the cranberries contain antibiotic and antiviral substances, it is good for cleansing your body. Especially those viruses and harmful bacteria lingering in your urinary tract.

16. Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds act as a detoxifier that is loaded with a balanced soluble and insoluble fiber that is essential for digestive and body cleansing.

17. Grapefruits

Grapefruits contain antioxidants that are good for intestine and liver health, it may prevent damage and inflammation. Grapefruit contains a high level of pectin which is beneficial in flushing out the toxins.

18. Kale

There are several reasons why Kale is a must have detoxifying diet. Kale is a great source of fiber which is a key to digestive tract health. It is also high in vitamin K and A that may help to improve vision and bone health. 

19. Seaweed

Seaweed is high in iodine and minerals which may promote healthy metabolism. It eliminates the toxins in the intestine, kidney and skin.(31-05-21)

20. Watercress

Watercress is considered superfood because it has a natural compound called Phenethylisothiocyanate which may be an effective anti-cancer agent. It is also loaded with detoxifying nutrients such as Vitamin B,A,C, zinc, and potassium. 

Get Started with Your Healthy Lifestyle Today!

Now that you know how to incorporate detoxifying foods into your diet, you are ready to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle! Bookmark my blog and check back often. Here you’ll find plenty of informative and inspirational advice to help you live your best life. 

Sources:

  1. "What is Master Cleanse (Lemonade Diet)?." U.S News, https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/master-cleanse-lemonade-diet
  2. "Green Tea Boosts Production Of Detox Enzymes, Rendering Cancerous Chemicals Harmless." ScienceDaily, 12 Aug. 2007, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070810194923.htm
  3. Gorji, Ali, Bayan, Leila, Kolivand, and  Peir Hossain."Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects." 2014,NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103721/
  4. Gunnars, Kris BSc. "10 Proven Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin." healthline, 13 Jul. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric
  5. Nickle, Ashley. "2019 "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" lists released." PRODUCE Retailer, 20 Mar. 2019, https://www.produceretailer.com/article/news-article/2019-dirty-dozen-and-clean-15-lists-released
  6. Greger, Michael MD. "Best Food to Counter the Effects of Air Pollution." NutrionFacts.org, 24 Apr. 2017, https://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-food-to-counter-the-effects-of-air-pollution/

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About the author 

Tatiana Alcazar  -  A software engineer, former IBMer, co-founder of Naravis Corporation and a mom, with a passion for finding the solution and root cause to everything that comes across, including health. It has been a long journey since founding Naravis and trying to find solutions to my leaky gut syndrome and pursue natural health. Throughout this journey I have learned an enormous amount of information (acquired knowledge) and I feel it's my duty to share my knowledge and my experience with you.

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