Weight gain, foggy thinking, and lifestyle diseases are often associated with toxins that are stored in the body. It makes sense that in order to increase health, lose weight, and regain energy and control in life, people sometimes have to go through a detoxification period where they filter unhealthy substances out of their bodies.
There are many ways to detox, and many of them center on deep nutrition. If you’re interested in learning more about the things you can eat to help detox and lose weight, read through the following list of the 20 best foods for detoxing the body. At the end of this list, I’ll share a few quick tips that could put your body into auto-detox mode.
20 Delicious Detox Foods
- Quinoa
- Lemon
- Wheatgrass
- Ginger
- Blueberries
- Parsley
- Apple
- Olive Oil
- Green Tea
- Flax Seeds
- Almonds
- Beets
- Garlic
- Celery
- Avocado
- Seaweed
- Pomegranate
- Cabbage
- Turmeric
- Cucumber
Quinoa
Quinoa is a seed that’s often used in the place of grains, such as rice. This absorbent seed is packed with fiber, so it can help clean out the digestive tract and aids in the rebuilding of a healthy gut microbiome.
At the same time, if you’re detoxing from animal proteins, quinoa is a wonderful way to go. Quinoa is one of the few plant foods that contain all of the essential amino acids, so you can get all the protein you need from a vegan source.
One cup of cooked quinoa provides 16% of the daily recommendation for protein and 19% for dietary fiber. It’s also a good source of B vitamins, folate, vitamin E, and several minerals, such as iron and magnesium.
Lemon
Lemons are known for being rich in vitamin C, which aids in detoxification. Vitamin C has antioxidant properties that fight free radicals, as well as anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce swelling and irritation. One lemon fruit provides 38% of the daily recommendation for vitamin C.
Beyond this, lemons are known to help balance the Ph in the body, as well as healing the skin, and aid in digestion. Some sources indicate that eating lemons could also help balance blood sugar levels, which could contribute to detoxification and reversing insulin resistance.
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is a potent detoxifier for several reasons. It’s a high-fiber food, so it helps move toxins and other substances through the digestive tract. It helps to neutralize those toxins, too. Some sources indicate that wheatgrass supports the production of red blood cells, too, which could carry more oxygen throughout the body.
One of the most interesting compounds in wheatgrass is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a potent detoxing agent, and it has the ability to help prevent some cancers, too.
Many people juice wheatgrass, but it can also be eaten in salads or taken in tablet form. You could grow it yourself, purchase it in a health food store, or buy it online.
Ginger
Ginger is a root herb and spice that has several uses, both medicinally and in the kitchen. It’s often used to flavor Asian dishes, but it’s also good for easing indigestion, supporting healthy weight loss, and burning calories.
Ginger contains a variety of interesting substances, including compounds called gingerol and shogaols. These compounds have the ability to neutralize acids in the digestive system. They’re also anti-inflammatory agents, and they could help detoxify the body from stress by calming and relaxing spasmodic muscles.
Blueberries
Blueberries are a potent superfood. These fruits contain several vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that help people lose weight and prevent quick aging. This is partly due to the potent antioxidant effects of anthocyanins, the pigments that give dark berries like blueberries their color.
Eating blueberries boost autophagy, and some sources show that blueberries have the power to turn off the genes that store fat and turn on the genes that burn fat.
Parsley
As a home remedy, parsley is often used for healing and supporting kidney function, including helping to dissolve kidney stones. Parsley is a diuretic, so it helps flush toxins out through the kidneys and bladder.
Parsley also has some antioxidant effects to help fight free radicals. Parsley has been known to help rejuvenate cells, and it’s good for detoxing the liver as well as the kidneys. It also helps lower inflammation in the body, and it could help fight cancer by keeping inflammation levels low.
Parsley is often used as a garnish, but it could also be eaten in salads or taken in pill form.
Apple
Apples contain a type of soluble fiber, called pectin, that helps cleanse the digestive tract and rebuild gut health. At the same time, apples are rich in vitamins that help support health in a variety of ways. One small apple provides 8% of the daily recommendation for vitamin C, as well as several B vitamins, vitamin K, and minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
The skin of apples also contains a compound called quercetin, which is also found in onions and citrus rinds. Quercetin helps improve the metabolism and has a detoxifying effect on a cellular level.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is filled with healthy fats and other compounds that have an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect on the body. These nutrients include vitamin E and polyphenols that help fight free radicals. Because of its strong anti-inflammatory properties, olive oil could also help reduce the risk of several diseases that occur when inflammation is too high.
Olive oil is often used as a home remedy for liver or gall bladder cleanses, too, and it’s been shown to lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels. Olive oil is great for brain health, and it could help balance blood sugar levels.
Green Tea
Like many other natural detox foods, green tea is packed with polyphenols that act as antioxidants in the body. These compounds support the liver as it cleans the blood, and they fight free radicals throughout the body.
Green tea is most often taken as tea, but it could also be taken as an extract or as a tablet or capsule. Some sources indicate that a good detoxification process could include three to five cups of green tea each day.
Flax Seeds
Flax seeds are rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which have detoxifying capabilities. The fiber helps cleanse and heal the digestive tract, while the omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation throughout the body.
Omega-3 fatty acids also help detoxify the body by supporting health in several ways: slowing the development of arterial plaque, reducing blood triglyceride levels, and improving cholesterol levels. They can also help destress the body by improving the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Some sources indicate that eating flax seeds every day could also help reduce cravings for sweets.
Almonds
Almonds are rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats. As with other fiber-rich foods, almonds could help cleanse the digestive tract and rebuild a healthy gut microbiome. Almonds are also associated with less visceral fat and overall weight loss.
Almonds are also rich in vitamin E. Vitamin E is important because it helps skin and other tissues heal, but also because it acts as an antioxidant in the body. One ounce of almonds provides 32% of the daily recommendation for vitamin E.
Beets
When it comes to cleansing and supporting the liver, beets are a superfood. Beets provide nutrients called betalains, which increase enzymes in the liver that help it to get rid of toxins. Beets also help keep bile ducts healthy.
Beets also help lower blood pressure, as well as inflammation throughout the body. While many people eat beets as a side dish or in a salad, some people prefer to take beetroot extract.
Garlic
Garlic is a potent detoxifier with several health benefits. Garlic has been shown to lower cholesterol, improve blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease.
One interesting compound that garlic contains is allicin, which works with vitamin C and the mineral selenium to detoxify and support the liver. It helps to lower blood sugar, too, so it could be helpful during sugar detoxification.
Garlic is often used to flavor foods, but if you find it too strong for your taste, you can take it in capsule form.
Celery
Celery is packed with fiber, so it helps detoxify the digestive tract. At the same time, it helps support the liver’s natural detoxifying abilities. Several detox programs recommend eating celery or drinking celery juice to help detoxify the blood and the liver.
Celery also provides fluids and helps support detoxification through the kidneys. Some sources indicate that celery could help improve kidney function and prevent the development of kidney stones.
One interesting thing about celery is that it’s an alkaline food with a high Ph. This helps support the body’s natural Ph balance.
Avocado
Avocado is a superfood that supports detoxification in a number of ways. It’s packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. One small avocado fruit provides 36% of the daily recommendation for fiber, as well as 17% for vitamin C and 14% for vitamin E. These vitamins, help heal the body and protect it from oxidation.
Avocados help the body produce glutathione, a compound that is useful for helping detoxify the liver. The healthy fats found in avocados also aid in supporting detoxification and cleaning out the gall bladder.
Seaweed
Like wheatgrass, some seaweeds contain chlorophyll, which helps cleanse the digestive tract. Chlorophyll also helps counter the effects of aflatoxins and repair damage done throughout the body.
Besides chlorophyll, seaweed contains iodine. Iodine helps heal and support the liver and kidneys, and it could be helpful for moving some harmful substances out of the body.
Seaweed can be purchased in dried sheets for snacking or cooking. Some people take seaweed in pill form.
Pomegranate
Pomegranate works to help detox the body and prevent further damage because it’s loaded with antioxidant compounds. Like blueberries, pomegranates contain pigments called anthocyanins, Besides giving pomegranates their rich color, anthocyanins fight free radicals, so they help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancers, support weight loss, and even boost cognitive functioning.
Like other detox foods, pomegranate and pomegranate juice help the body detoxify by supporting the natural systems already in place. For example, the nutrients in pomegranate encourage and support the healthy function of the liver, heart, and other organs, so detoxification and weight loss can take place.
Cabbage
Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable containing the compound sulforaphane. Like many other nutrients, sulforaphane helps reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and other lifestyle diseases by reducing inflammation in the body and providing antioxidant effects.
Other nutrients in cabbage that support natural detoxification of the body include fiber and vitamin C. Cabbage is also rich in vitamin K, which could aid in detoxification by helping reduce inflammation and regulating where calcium is deposited in the body.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a yellow-orange root herb in the same family as ginger. It’s used as a spice to flavor yellow curry and other dishes, but its health benefits outweigh its culinary benefits. Turmeric contains a substance called curcumin that, like many other detox compounds, acts both as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent.
Turmeric helps support detoxification by stimulating the production of certain enzymes in the liver, which helps the body get rid of toxins.
Cucumber
Cucumber is a delicious fresh vegetable, and it can be eaten pickled, as well. Although it’s a common addition to sandwiches and salads, it has several health benefits that sometimes get overlooked.
Cucumbers contain a high level of water, and they have a slight diuretic effect that can help clear out bloating and toxins through the kidneys and bladder. It’s also a naturally alkalizing food, helping to balance the Ph so that the body can more easily release stored toxins and eliminate them.
Three Quick Tips For Automatic Detoxification
Now that you’ve read through the list of the 10 best foods for detoxifying the body, let’s chat about three quick tips that you can use to put your body in auto-detox mode.
Tip #1: Drink More Water
One of the advantages of drinking more water is that it helps flush toxins out of the body. Water is also a natural appetite suppressant and causes the body to burn more calories, so if you’re detoxing to lose weight, drinking more water is an absolute must.
Tip #2: Get Plenty Of Rest
Sleep helps to detoxify the brain. It also allows major detoxifying organs, such as the kidneys and liver, to rest so they can function properly and filter toxins out of the body.
Tip #3: Laugh More
This tip is as interesting as it sounds. Laughter has several health benefits that could support a detox program. For example, laughing decreases levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, throughout the body. It aids in circulation so that oxygen gets to all parts of the body.
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