Whether or not people can help the body detoxify itself is a matter that can be quite controversial. While there is no doubt that certain foods may accelerate elimination, a true “detox” is something that numerous products claim to accomplish. The fact that there is always a generous supply of charlatans on hand to exploit just about every market probably does not do much for the issue of detoxing. While people may argue about whether a particular food or drink can assist the body with detox, millions of people will go ahead and follow recommendations from various product manufacturers and practitioners. It seems as if true detox may be something that may have to be tried and judged on an individual basis. The following foods are healthy options that you can eat when ‘detoxing’.
1. FRUIT
Many fruits are very high in fiber and contain numerous beneficial vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Since the fiber content will usually help accelerate the elimination process, it seems reasonable to presume that eating fruit could contribute to the body’s natural detoxification process.
2. GOING GREEN
There are numerous “green” foods and supplement formulas on the market that are supposed to aid the detoxing process and provide other health benefits as well. These include things such as wheatgrass, arugula, spinach, blue-green algae, kale, barley, chard, alfalfa, and spirulina to name just a few. All of these plant-based foods contain chlorophyll, which is supposed to aid in digestion and elimination of toxins and waste
3. ORANGES, GRAPEFRUIT, LEMONS, LIMES
Citrus fruits reportedly aid the detox process by flushing toxins from the body and helping to invigorate the digestive system. Lemon juice is said to help the liver in its detoxification process, and since citrus fruit has as high vitamin C content, the detoxification properties of this very important vitamin also aid the process.
4. GARLIC
You don’t have to spend a lot of time around garlic to quickly realize that it has to be a potent food for something! Garlic has the ability to stimulate a lot of things but in this case its garlic’s reported ability to stimulate the liver that has given it a reputation as a powerful detox food. Eating garlic raw may provide the best benefit, but since adding it to so many prepared dishes is common, it isn’t difficult to work it into the diet without having to deal with the strong taste and aroma that must be endured when eating it raw.
5. BROCCOLI SPROUTS
We all know that broccoli is good for us, many having heard that mantra since we were children being encouraged to eat it by our parents. Although there’s no doubt that broccoli has many benefits, it is most powerful in its sprout form. The ability of broccoli sprouts to help the digestive system produce detoxifying enzymes may be unsurpassed, and the fact they are loaded with antioxidants is a nice bonus.