Foods That Detox the Body

11 Powerful Foods That Detox the Body

One of my favorite topics: Food. I am definitely a ‘foodie’. And we know the quality of food we put in our bodies determines a lot about the quality of our health. On that note, I want to give you foods that detox the body. At least they help our bodies detox themselves a lot better.

The body already has some good detox systems. Depending on your diet and environment, it can get sluggish if you tend to eat out a lot or eat a lot of junk food. And environmental factors like air quality, toxins found in the home, and chemicals we use to clean with do end up in our bodies too.

Adding in the foods in this list can help correct your natural detox systems and you’ll look and feel great too. Help your body detox by adding more of these detox foods.

Suggested: Detox Foods and Drinks – Recipes

Let’s get started.

1. Cruciferous Veggies

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, and other greens have a lot of health benefits, as you know. They contain carotenoids (beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin) and glucosinolates, another group of sulfur-containing chemicals.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Believe it or not, these compounds help prevent cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Side note: Did you know horseradish and wasabi are cruciferous vegetables?

The phytonutrients in cruciferous vegetables also have antiviral and antibacterial properties, anti-inflammatory properties and help the body inactivate and clear out carcinogens. Now that’s what I call a good detox.


2. Matcha Green Tea

I will call this a food since you drink the entire leaf. It’s also a great addition to smoothies.

Matcha green tea is loaded with great nutrients like l-theanine, vitamin K, and lutein. But the best nutrient for detoxing is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a natural detoxifier for the liver. It increases certain enzymes in the liver, helping it to flush out more toxins. And matcha tea contains magnesium, another liver detoxifier.

Matcha green tea is a powerful addition to your detox food list. I love it.

Suggested reading: Matcha Green Tea for Detox

3. Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Yes, it does. Pectin and malic acid are the heroes in apples. Pectin helps clear out cholesterol and toxins from your blood, helping the liver. And malic acid helps clean the blood. Apparently, granny smiths are the best for detox.

Add apples to your smoothies for a super healthy addition to your detox routine. And use organic apples, if you have a choice. You don’t want to add in pesticides when you’re trying to get rid of them.

4. Turmeric

Turmeric is the spice used in curries and other dishes. The active phytonutrient in turmeric for detox is curcumin, which gives it its bright yellow color. This spice is a super antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, helping neutralize free radicals. And it’s great for the brain too.

Turmeric for Detox

Turmeric/curcumin also helps remove amyloid plaques from the brain, a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. That’s a huge plus.

You can make tea with it but I actually take a turmeric/curcumin supplement as it’s hard to get an adequate amount for detoxing from food alone.

5. Beets

Beets are considered a superfood because they are packed with mighty nutrients. Vitamin C, B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, and selenium.

Beetroot powder

Plus the phytonutrients, betalains, which give it its bright red color, seek out free radicals and clear them out. This is a great cancer preventer.

You can add beets or beetroot powder to your morning smoothies for a power-packed detox that will make you feel glowy all day.

6. Blueberries

Blueberry smoothie

There are so many health benefits of blueberries. In fact, they are another superfood. Loaded with vitamins and phytonutrients (gallic acid and pterostilbene), blueberries help prevent cancer, help detox the brain, and the antioxidants help neutralize and get rid of free radicals.

I love adding blueberries to my smoothies.

7. Artichokes

Artichokes are a proven liver cleanse. Several studies in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website show that artichokes contain cynarine, a chemical that helps bile secretion and production of bile. Bile helps move toxins out of the liver and then out of the body.

You can eat artichoke hearts or there are also artichoke leaf supplements.

It’s such a great bonus it has a cleansing effect while being so tasty. Spinach and artichoke dip, anyone?

8. Ginger

Ginger is known for its gastrointestinal health benefits. It can help the bowels empty faster, moving waste and toxins out faster. But it’s also an antioxidant and actually scavenges for free radicals. Another cancer preventer.

Go ahead and have that ginger tea. It helps your stomach and helps detox too.

9. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are so refreshing because they have a cooling effect on the body. And they have a high water content and several phytochemicals that help cleanse pockets of waste materials and toxins in the body. Really great detox vegetable.

Best eaten raw, I enjoy dipping them in a little salad dressing or just added to salad.

10. Avocados

Avocados are packed with nutrients, including beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin (carotenoids) which are antioxidants and help scavenge free radicals, like most of the other foods listed here.

Some other polyphenols in avocados also have antimicrobial effects and actually boost your immune system. So you get a one-two punch for your detox. Cancer prevention and bacteria and virus disrupter.

11. Cilantro

Cilantro is a great herb for adding chlorophyll, a detox agent, to your diet. It has a high concentration of chlorophyll. Along with that, it is loaded with Vitamin K, vitamin B-9, and a little vitamin A.

The entire cilantro plant is edible. Add its leaves to salsa or salad and its seeds (coriander) make a good meat rub.


Final Thoughts

Adding these powerful foods into your food routine will be a super healthy way to help your body detox toxins and chemicals. I hope you enjoyed this article about foods that detox the body.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the Comments section below. Thank you for visiting! Make sure to look around for more articles on living cleaner and detox.

Suggested: Detox Foods and Drinks – Recipes

6 thoughts on “11 Powerful Foods That Detox the Body”

  1. When we over indulge in not so healthy foods or drinks, we might have toxins that cannot be filtered efficiently enough my our liver and kidneys. This article helps provide natural foods to help with detoxing your body. I am familiar with the tea you mentioned but vegetables and apples was definitely news to me. I hate beets and the turmeric spice I have never seen in stores, or at least never looked for it. I can keep going but instead I can tell you that Ginger Lemon-aide really helps reduce water retention. This post is very educational. While you offer several foods that help with detoxing, can you offer some recipes that can use these foods in some sort of detoxing diet?

    1. That’s a great idea, Alex. I have recipes on the burner to add in the near future.

      Beets and turmeric can be taken in supplement form if you don’t like the taste. 

      Thank you for reading and commenting. 

  2. Paula, there is powerful wisdom in the saying about an “apple a day”.  Your article just goes to show that the best pharmacy is the produce section of the grocery store, or better yet, the local farmers market.  We let our bodies get contaminated with so much junk that it wasn’t designed to process. Thanks for showing these natural substances can get us back in sync.  Thanks for posting.

    Warren

    1. Hi Warren. Absolutely! I’m not a big fan of eating raw apples but I put one in my smoothie with a little cinnamon and wow! It’s delicious. Thank you for reading and starting the conversation.

  3. I have been looking for a site to recommend reliable food sources that detox the body. I feel like I can easily add a lot of these detox foods into my meal plan. I added small amounts of ginger in my smoothie. It will be easy to add more to my diet. Thank you for sharing this list of detox foods.

    1. I’m glad you found it, John. It really is easy to add these foods to your diet throughout the week. Thank you for reading and adding your comment.

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