Top 15 Cleansing Foods to Eliminate Toxins

[Michelle Schoffro Cook]

When it comes to cleansing your body of harmful toxins, food really is the best medicine. You'll be amazed to learn that many of your favorite foods also cleanse the body's detoxification organs like the liver, intestines, kidneys, and skin, preventing harmful toxic buildup. Help ward off the harmful effects of pollution, food additives, second-hand smoke, and other toxins with delicious fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, and beans.

Apples--Because apples are high in pectin, a type of fiber that binds to cholesterol and heavy metals in the body, they help eliminate toxic build up and to cleanse the intestines.

Avocados--We rarely think of avocados as a cleansing food but these nutritional powerhouses lower cholesterol and dilate blood vessels while blocking artery-destroying toxicity. Avocados contain a nutrient called glutathione, which blocks at least thirty different carcinogens while helping the liver detoxify synthetic chemicals.

Beets--Time to whip up some delicious borscht soup since its main ingredient, beets, contain a unique mixture of natural plant compounds that make them superb blood purifiers and liver cleansers.

Blueberries--Truly one of the most powerful healing foods, blueberries contain natural aspirin that helps lessen the tissue-damaging effects of chronic inflammation, while lessening pain. Blueberries also act as antibiotics by blocking bacteria in the urinary tract, thereby helping to prevent infections. They also have antiviral properties and help to block toxins from crossing the blood-brain barrier to gain access to the delicate brain.

Cabbage--Cabbage contains numerous anticancer and antioxidant compounds and helps the liver break down excess hormones. Cabbage also cleanses the digestive tract and neutralizes some of the damaging compounds found in cigarette smoke (and second-hand smoke). It also strengthens the liver's ability to detoxify.

Celery and Celery Seeds--Celery and celery seeds are excellent blood cleansers and contain many different anti-cancer compounds that help detoxify cancer cells from the body. Celery seeds contain over twenty anti-inflammatory substances. It is particularly good for detoxifying substances found in cigarette smoke.

Cranberries--Cleanse your body from harmful bacteria and viruses that may be lingering in your urinary tract with cranberries since they contain antibiotic and antiviral substances.

Flaxseeds and Flaxseed Oil--Loaded with essential fatty acids, particularly the Omega-3s, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil are essential for many cleansing functions throughout the body.

Garlic--Eat garlic to cleanse harmful bacteria, intestinal parasites and viruses from your body, especially from the blood and intestines. It also helps cleanse build-up from the arteries and has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties that help detoxify the body of harmful substances. Additionally, garlic assists with cleansing the respiratory tract by expelling mucous build-up in the lungs and sinuses. For the health benefits, choose only fresh garlic, not garlic powder, which has virtually none of the above properties.

Grapefruit--Add a ruby red grapefruit to your breakfast to benefit from pectin fiber that binds to cholesterol, thereby cleansing the blood. Pectin also binds to heavy metals and helps escort them out of the body. It also has antiviral compounds that cleanse harmful viruses out of the body. Grapefruit is an excellent intestinal and liver detoxifier.

Kale--Steam some kale to benefit from its powerful anti-cancer and antioxidant compounds that help cleanse the body of harmful substances. It is also high in fiber, which helps cleanse the intestinal tract. Like cabbage, kale helps neutralize compounds found in cigarette smoke and strengthens liver cleansing.

Legumes--Add a handful of cooked beans to your next meal since they loaded with fiber that helps lower cholesterol, cleanses the intestines, and regulates blood sugar levels. Legumes also help protect the body against cancer.

Lemons--Excellent liver detoxifiers, lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C, a vitamin needed by the body to make an important substance called glutathione. Glutathione helps the liver detoxify harmful chemicals. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (not the bottled variety) to pure water to support your cleansing efforts on a daily basis.

Seaweed--Seaweed could be the most underrated vegetable in the western world. Studies at McGill University in Montreal showed that seaweeds bind to radioactive waste in the body. Seaweed also binds to heavy metals to help eliminate them from the body. In addition, they are powerhouses of minerals and trace minerals.

Watercress--If you haven't tried watercress add this delicious green to your next sandwich since it increases detoxification enzymes and acts on cancer cells in the body. In a study at the Norwich Food Research Centre in the United Kingdom, smokers who were given 170 grams of watercress per day eliminated higher than average amounts of carcinogens in their urine, thereby eliminating them from their body.

Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables assists with detoxifying harmful substances from your body. Who knew cleansing could taste so good?

Adapted with permission from: The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan by Michelle Schoffro Cook (John Wiley & Sons, 2006). Copyright Michelle Schoffro Cook.

Michelle Schoffro Cook, RNCP, ROP, DAc, DNM, is a best-selling and six-time book author and doctor of natural medicine, whose works include: The Life Force Diet, The Ultimate pH Solution, and http://www.amazon.com/4-Week-Ultimate-Body-Detox-Plan/dp/0471792136..." target="_blank">The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan. Learn more at: www.TheLifeForceDiet.com.

[Kerri]

One of my favorite subjects – Detoxing! I am so glad you are sharing food sources that help us Detox.
On the subject of Glutathione, I would like to add that foods such as asparagus and watermelon get turned into the substance needed to make the precursors (3 amino acids) that are needed to generate intracellular Glutathione production.
It is important to note that Glutathione must be generated within the cell to be effective.
I am fascinated with this generally little known substance for several reasons;
• The level of Glutathione in our cells is predictive of how long we live. What’s the common denominator among Centurions?... Higher than average levels of Glutathione for their age!
• Glutathione is manufactured in every one of our trillions of cells and is one of the most important healing and cleansing agents.
• Glutathione is our bodies own master antioxidant and without it our liver would soon become overwhelmed with the accumulation of Toxins resulting in organ failure and death. (It also enables Vit C and Vit E)
• Glutathione is required for normal immune function and to neutralize free radicals that are generated even from breathing oxygen!
• Individuals who suffer from any type of digestive disorder (auto immune disease) such as Irritable bowel disease, Crohn’s etc. are limited in their food choices.
(Just between you and me, I couldn’t eat watermelon without getting diarrhea)
Food source is the best way to get the nutrients we need, but unfortunately in today’s toxic environment where there are 10, 000 know toxic chemicals used in our environment everyday, most people over the age of 20 need a concentrated effort to shift the accumulated toxins that are stored in our cells. Unfortunately, food sources alone just aren’t enough.
Keeping in mind that Glutathione must be generated from within the cell, direct ingestion of Glutathione from either injections or supplements don’t get absorbed at the cellular level and therefore are ineffective.
So how can we raise our own intracellular Glutathione to the levels needed to rid our bodies of the many years of accumulated toxins? By taking a Glutathione accelerator – a combination of nutrients that not only increase intracellular Glutathione production by an average of 300% over a 60 day period, but reuses and recycles the spent Glutathione (GSH) molecule.
To understand the significance of this medical technology that overcomes the ingestion and absorption issues, it is important to note there are many medicals reports linking low levels of Glutathione to many diseases such as Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Crohn’s, Autism, pregnancy complications, Cataracts, male infertility, Atherosclerosis, allergies etc.
I just found out..a mothers breast milk has the highest concentration of toxins in the human body...
Watch the Story of Stuff..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8

Many Blessings,

[Val Hawes]

Hello Michele: I would love to learn more about eliminating Toxins from my body as I have not been well for some time and really believe I need to eat proper foods to cleanse my body. I recently came back from my sister-in-laws place (who has a entire regime every morning to cleanse her body of toxins) and became very intrigued by what she was taking and doing to prevent cancer cells that a naturopathic doctor diagnosed her with due to having some tumors in her body.When I returned home I really wanted to change my diet to what she eats and drinks and feel that I need to be in tune with what Marilyn was doing to help release the toxins from her body and realized when I returned home I really need to do the same as in the last 12 years I have had Hodgkins disease as well as went through rounds of chemo to overcome leukemia. Therefore I have asked to join your group as I need more knowledge about what is good for me and my body. Have a good day and thank you for the above posting. Sincerely, Val Hawes

[Melody]

Thank you for sharing! The reminders keep me going!