How To Detox with a Natural Detox Diet - September 4, 2007
Our bodies have a built in natural detox system all of their own, but it never hurts to help detox your body with foods that will also promote your health. I've compiled a list of the top ten body detox foods which you can use to create recipes for your detox diet. You can eat them as part of a raw food detox diet, or juice them for a range of delicious detox drinks.
When buying fruit and vegetables, organic produce is always better for you that non organic if your budget can stretch that far. If not, non organic will be OK, as these foods can be used for a very healthy 7 day detox program and as part of your ongoing detoxification regime.
1. The Power of Apples
Here's something you may not know - scientists in the Ukraine have used apples to purify the area around Chernobyl after the nuclear leak in 1986. So they must be good. Apples contain vitamin C and quercetin - an antioxidant nutrient that lowers fat and cholesterol levels.
Apples also have a compound called pectin, which is a fiber present in citrus fruits and berries. Pectin has chelation properties as it binds to heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and helps your body excrete them. It is also good for helping your body get rid of various food additives and toxins like tartrazine. This toxin has been shown to be linked to conditions and diseases like asthma, migraine and hyperactivity, especially in children.
2. Avocados - My Favorite
Avocados are a real powerhouse of nutrients - rich in folate, fiber, potassium, vitamin E and the carotenoid lutein, beta-carotene and gluthathione. Lutein may be linked to maintaining healthy eyes and vision. An avo is one of a small minority of fruits that actually contain monounsaturated fat.
Avocados are a personal favourite of mine - they're great eaten straight from the skin. Avos contain something called glutathione, which is a very powerful antioxidant. Its main benefit is that it binds with fat-soluble toxins like alcohol rendering them water-soluble and therefore easier for the body to excrete them.
3. Artichokes - A Natural Liver Detoxer
Artichokes help increase the production of bile in the liver. Bile is used to transport toxins to the bowel where they are excreted. So greater bile production helps eliminate more toxins. Research shows that eating artichokes can increase the amount of bile produced by up to 127% within as little as 30 minutes of eating it.
Artichokes are also full of antioxidant nutrients, and play an important role in liver detox. Studies in Germany have shown that liver damage, caused by free radicals, is dramatically reduced when artichoke extracts are present within the body.
4. Beetroot
Beetroot is another fat-free vegetable, with very low calorific content and very high fiber content. Throughout Europe, beetroot is seen as a powerful anti-carcinogen, and can help increase the amount of oxygen our bodies can absorb by up to 400%.
You can eat beetroot as part of a raw food detox diet, though personally I prefer to juice them with carrots, apples and oranges. It has a low GL so it is digested and converted into "useable energy" very slowly which helps to stabilize your blood sugar levels.
5. Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous Vegetables are a powerful group of plants that offer powerful cancer fighting benefits. Many studies have shown that these vegetables contain a phytochemical compound called isothiocyanates. Isothiocyanates encourage our bodies to attack and destroy many carcinogenic compounds. They do this by preventing normal healthy cells from transforming into cancerous cells.
A perfect example is broccoli, which contains sulforaphane - a phytochemical that stimulates our body to produce specific enzymes which attack and destroy carcinogenic substances. Many of the cruciferous veggies also contain a substance known as indole-3-carbinal. This is believed to reduce the risk of specific hormone dependent cancers like ovarian, breast and prostate cancer.
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Looking after your health is one of the most important things you can (and should) do. But with so much information it's hard to know where to start or who to listen to. Hopefully by sharing my experiences and knowledge, I'll make the path to improving and protecting your health a lot easier to follow.
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