Foods That Help Detox

By Peggy Kotsopoulos • April 25th, 2012 • 20434 Views

Our bodies are pretty efficient beings.  Key organs, such as our liver, kidneys, intestinal system, lungs and skin are consistently working on overdrive to detoxify and eliminate all the stress it undergoes on a DAILY basis.  It's constantly detoxifying all by it's lonesome self without us consciously trying.  However, the more toxic abuse you put your body through, the harder it has to work, and eventually could get bogged down and not function effectively.  So, once in a while it helps to give your body some love with a little assistance.  

What to Avoid:  

Try to consciously eliminate 'toxins' such as processed/refined foods, synthetic skin care products, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and highly allergenic foods, such as wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, corn and peanuts 

What to do:

Eat clean and drink lots of water to help flush toxins out.  Eat a diet of clean, whole foods consisting of organic leafy greens, sprouts, fruits and veggies, raw nuts and seeds, gluten-free grains (quinoa, brown rice), healthy fats and lean proteins.

Here are some foods that help give key organs a little cleansing boost:

1) LIVER

Dandelion - increases bile production in the liver helping with digestion - especially the breakdown of fat. This also helps to prevent gallstones.  RIch in chlorophyll helping to eliminate toxins from the liver.  Both the leaves and root have detox properties.  You can add leaves to a salad, or lightly steam and drizzle with lemon, olive oil and fresh minced garlic. 

2) KIDNEYS 

Parsley - Parsley is a detoxifier that helps the body flush out toxins to be excreted in urine.  It’s helpful in the treatment and prevention of kidney stones and helps the body to eliminate stones with its diuretic properties.

3) COLON 

Hemp Seeds – These are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps to bind onto toxins and eliminate them from your intestinal tract.  If you're not effective getting rid of toxins from your body, they'll get reabsorbed into your blood stream, and you'll just recycle them.  Hemp seeds are also rich in chlorophyll which helps to cleanse the blood and intestinal system. 

4) LUNGS

Chili – environmental, air pollutants and smoke enter the respiratory tract and can store in lung tissue.  This can create a thick mucus coating and prevent optimal transport of oxygen to the lungs. Chili pepper helps to break down and liquefy mucus in the lungs making it easier to flush out toxins. Plus, capsaicin, the active component of chili helps to open...

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Location:  Toronto, CA

Peggy Kotsopoulos is principal of beVibrant wellness consulting. Peggy is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Health Educator, and Culinary Consultant focused on teaching REAL health through lifestyle and dietary choices that are easy and delicious! Over the...