7 Foods To Help You Detox, Naturally
We’ve all seen those pricey juice cleanses at the store, promising to help people detox and become healthier through the process of eliminating harmful chemicals in your body… except nutritionists say that doesn’t actually make any sense. Organs like the liver, intestines, and kidneys already remove harmful toxins from your body. So, what else can you do? You can promote the health of your detoxifying organs which will increase your body’s natural ability to remove toxins and waste from your system. The following food list is comprised of foods that have the greatest benefit to your body in this way.
Consuming cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, turnip greens, and cabbage is a good way to start. These foods are not only high in fiber, they also promote kidney health, gut health, and liver health by promoting regularity and allowing for systematic removal of waste and toxins. These foods also contain the phytochemical known as sulforaphane, which has been suggested as a pre-cancerous cell fighter and proactively prevents them from negatively impacting the other cells in your body.
Other firm greens to keep around the house are artichokes and asparagus. These veggies are high in the prebiotic inulin, which helps promote the formation of good bacteria in the gut. By improving overall gut health, this lessens the burden detoxifying on the liver which helps it do its job better by not being so stressed. Artichokes are also known to contain silymarin, which is an antioxidant that helps the liver do its job of sorting through toxins.
Beans and lentils are probably already on your menu, but were you aware they are great sources of zinc? Zinc is an important mineral that the body needs to do everyday metabolic processes in all of its organs and it also boosts the immune system. As they’re full of fiber as well, they aid the body in lowering cholesterol, balancing blood sugar, increasing your energy, and aiding in the elimination process.
Speaking of the elimination process, we are going to remind you to eat your yogurt with active cultures! Yogurt contains probiotics that promote the health of good bacteria in your gut so your body can, yes, easily process and pass waste. Seems to be a running theme, doesn’t it? The bit that you may be unaware of is that (unsweetened) Greek-style yogurt can stabilize blood sugar as it provides carbs and is high in protein. An odd upshot of this? It can lessen a hangover as it aids in the proper functioning of the liver, even after drinking too much.
And speaking of Hangover Helpers (hah), eggs really can’t be beat (sorry, last one). This is due to the fact that they’re high in cysteine which is an amino acid that plays a key role in breaking down acetaldehyde which is a byproduct your body metabolizing alcohol. Cysteine converts acetaldehyde into carbon dioxide and water, making hangovers lighter and helping the body more efficiently remove this toxin from the body.
Last, but certainly not least, adding steel-cut oats and hemp to your smoothies or just at breakfast is a great way to start your day, Hemp is full of antioxidants like vitamins C and E as well as chlorophyll which helps the body get rid of all kinds of toxins, including heavy metals. The soluble and insoluble fibers in hemp and oats also help the digestive tract keep itself clean and reduce the stress on other internal organs. They also help the body decrease the amount of bile that’s reabsorbed by the body that’s secreted by the liver and improves the development of short-chain fatty acids.
