But not everyone has the time and opportunity to go through complex procedures. We offer an alternative to detox: for a gradual cleansing of the body, it will be enough to include products from our list in your diet.
1. Green leafy vegetables (green salads, celery, kale, spinach)
Eat them raw, add them to broths, vegetable salads, side dishes, and fresh juices: they can protect the liver from harmful toxins (pesticides, heavy metals).
2. Lemons
Make lemonade, add lemon juice to salad dressings, and hot dishes (many recipes often call for the addition of fresh lemon juice), and drink water with lemon and honey – it perfectly quenches thirst. In a word, do not neglect vitamin C! It has long been rightfully recognized as a detox vitamin: it makes all toxins and waste products water-soluble and easily excreted from the body with excess fluid.
3. Watercress
Add handfuls to salads, soups, and sandwiches. Pepper leaves of cress will act as an excellent diuretic, and even supply the body with useful minerals.
4. Garlic
It can be safely added to most dishes. In addition to its indispensable quality to help the heart, it also activates the production of liver enzymes, helping the body to “filter out” toxins and other harmful substances ( read also: Foods that shorten life: you eat them daily ).
5. Green tea
Prefer it over black tea and coffee. Saturated with antioxidants, it is perhaps the best means of ridding the body of excess fluid, and the catechins contained in it activate the liver.
6. Broccoli sprouts
You can buy them at health food and organic stores. Of course, you can eat broccoli florets, but in sprouts, the concentration of nutrients (fighting heart disease, and cancer and stimulating the production of enzymes) is many times higher.
7. Sesame seeds
They are abundant in Asian dishes such as tahini, but you can simply add the seeds to salads. What for? Because they protect liver cells from the harmful effects of alcohol and “chemicals” (antibiotics, for example).
8. Cabbage
Best of all the listed products helps to cleanse the body. Firstly, sulfur, chlorine, and iodine contained in it in large quantities form compounds that cleanse the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. Secondly, cabbage is rich in organic acids, which improve digestion, help maintain protein metabolism and calcium absorption, and prevent the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fats.
9. Sea vegetables and edible algae
They are full of vitamins and minerals, so they are extremely beneficial for the digestive system. Some types of algae, such as kombu, are considered especially valuable due to their ability to bind and remove toxins from the body.
10. Beets
Read among detox nutrition experts as one of the best cleaning products. It contributes to the normal functioning of the digestive system and the removal of toxins. Therefore, drink fresh beet juice, and add beets to salads, and soups. But be careful: fresh beetroot juice is not suitable for everyone, and with the special care it should be used by those who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.
11. Ginger
Due to the high content of vitamins, amino acids, and essential oils, this spice can improve digestion and stimulate the formation of gastric juice, making food easily digestible. In combination with peppermint, black elderberry flowers, and yarrow (in the form of tea), ginger relieves severe abdominal pain plus normalizes blood circulation. Dry flaked ginger and ground ginger are slightly spicier than fresh ginger and more penetrating.
12. Chile peppers and hot spices
They stimulate the digestive system and mucous membranes, which means they activate the process of removing toxins and decay products in the body. If you have a weak digestive system and are not used to eating spicy food, use the minimum amount of spices.
13. Round brown rice
A highly absorbent product, rich in vitamins and fiber, which almost never causes allergic reactions. Try to buy rice grown naturally. If you can’t find whole-grain round rice, use the brown long-grain variety. Boiled brown rice has a beneficial effect on the digestive system.
14. Olive oil
Recent scientific studies have shown that very young extra virgin olive oil is good for the heart and circulatory system. It also stimulates the digestive system, improving the functioning of the stomach, intestines, and liver, and has a choleretic effect. It is recommended to regularly eat a few olives before meals or indulge yourself more often with salads (vegetables and fruit), seasoned with olive oil ( read also: 10 foods that have less than 100 calories – eat them to your heart’s content! ).
15. Fruit and more fruit
They have all the benefits of the above: vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, and high fluid content. In addition, there is nothing more pleasant to taste than the pulp of ripe fruit, whether it be mango, peach, watermelon, pear, or ripe berries.