Detoxification is about resting, cleansing, and nourishing the body from the inside out. It protects your body from diseases and promotes optimum health. When it comes to cleansing your body of harmful toxins, food really is the best medicine. Here is a list of the best foods for detoxification you should eat.
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Best Foods for Detoxification
1. Lemon
Lemons are a staple of many detox diets, and there is a good reason for this. Firstly, lemons are packed with antioxidant vitamin C, which is great for the skin and for fighting disease-forming free-radicals. Furthermore, citrus fruit has an alkaline effect on the body, meaning that it can help restore the body’s pH balance, benefitting the immune system. Try starting your day with hot water and a slice of lemon to help flush out toxins and cleanse your system.
2. Ginger
Ginger is great if you’ve been overdoing it on junk food or booze. Aside from settling your stomach, ginger can aid digestion, and reduce bloating and gas. It also contains a large number of antioxidants and provides a good boost to immunity. Try a ginger tea or grate some ginger in fruit juice or vegetable juice, especially if you are struggling with a hangover.
3. Beetroot
Beetroot is truly one of the best foods for detoxification. It contains betaine and pectin, which help protect the liver and the digestive system. These chemicals can cleanse the body, thus reducing the number of toxins you may be carrying around. It also helps stabilize the blood’s acid-alkaline balance (pH), which in turn supports healthy detoxification.
This red vegetable is also a valuable source of iron, magnesium, zinc, and calcium, which are all required for optimal detoxification and elimination. Plus, the high amount of fiber in beetroot improves digestion and helps the body eliminate waste.
4. Green tea
Green tea is a great addition to any detox program due to its high antioxidant value. Of all the potent antioxidant compounds in green tea, the most powerful are catechins called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Catechins help the body get rid of free radicals. Plus, they improve liver functioning, which is essential for detoxification.
Drinking green tea keeps the body’s organs healthy, keeps the body hydrated, and helps flush toxins from the body.
5. Garlic
Garlic, despite its strong sometimes off-putting odor, is great for a detox. Having antiviral, antibacterial, and antibiotic properties, garlic also contains allicin which aids white blood cell production which can help protect the body against infections. For maximum benefit, garlic is best consumed raw, so try adding crushed garlic to a dressing for a salad.
6. Artichoke
If you have recently been overindulging in fatty foods and alcohol, adding some steamed globe artichoke leaves to your meals is a great way to help get your body back on track. Globe artichokes are packed with antioxidants and fiber and can also help the body digest fatty foods. On top of this, globe artichoke is renowned for its ability to stimulate and improve the functions of the liver – the body’s main toxin-fighting tool.
7. Cabbage
Cabbage contains numerous anticancer and antioxidant compounds and helps the liver break down excess hormones. Cabbage also cleanses the digestive tract and neutralizes some of the damaging compounds found in cigarette smoke (and second-hand smoke). It also strengthens the liver’s ability to detoxify.
8. Blueberries
Truly one of the most powerful healing foods, blueberries contain natural aspirin that helps lessen the tissue-damaging effects of chronic inflammation while lessening pain. Blueberries also act as antibiotics by blocking bacteria in the urinary tract, thereby helping to prevent infections. They also have antiviral properties and help to block toxins from crossing the blood-brain barrier to gain access to the delicate brain.
9. Grapefruit
Add a ruby red grapefruit to your breakfast to benefit from pectin fiber that binds to cholesterol, thereby cleansing the blood. Pectin also binds to heavy metals and helps escort them out of the body. It also has antiviral compounds that cleanse harmful viruses out of the body. Grapefruit is an excellent intestinal and liver detoxifier.
10. Celery and celery seeds
Celery and celery seeds are excellent blood cleansers and contain many different anti-cancer compounds that help detoxify cancer cells from the body. Celery seeds contain over twenty anti-inflammatory substances. It is particularly good for detoxifying substances found in cigarette smoke.
