No doubt many of you have either given up on your new year’s resolutions, or maybe you decided not to make them in the first place. For those of you who are still going strong – we salute you!
Health always features highly in resolutions so I thought it worth sharing some valuable insights into how to naturally detox your body, using foods. Some of them are quite popular so who knows, you might be detoxing on a regular basis without even knowing it!
While our bodies do a pretty good job of detoxing through our organs, lymph system and skin, there might be times we want to help “reset” our bodies too and now is the perfect time to take control and get off on the right foot! Take a look at these following foods that naturally detox your body and refresh your body in no time!
Garlic
Garlic is not only good to ward off vampires but it’s also one of the foods that naturally detox your body. I’m a huge fan of these pungent bulbs because they make everything taste better and garlic has antiviral and antioxidant properties. Eating garlic stimulates the liver into creating detoxifying enzymes that help clean out toxic remains from the digestive system.
Green Tea
Green tea is known for all sorts of wonderful health benefits and it’s another way to detox your body. Drinking green tea provides your body with tons of antioxidants called catechins, which increase liver functions and actually speed up activity in the liver. Green tea also boosts immunity, boosts stamina and counteracts fatigue and lack of energy, so drink up! Matcha green tea is a popular choice, read more about it here.
Ginger
If you’re not a fan of this spice already, I’ve got some pretty convincing reasons to give it a try it and incorporate it into your diet! Ginger is another liver cleanser that helps to rid your system of free radicals, but it also has anti-inflammatory properties and helps alleviate digestive disorders. You can mince ginger and add it to stir-fry dishes, add it to your homemade dressing or grate it and add it to drinks!
Broccoli Sprouts
Broccoli is a pretty awesome food but broccoli sprouts are actually even better for your health if you can believe that! The broccoli sprouts look a lot like alfalfa sprouts and contain tons of antioxidants, myrosinase and sulfurophane that help cleanse our digestive system. Try eating these in salads, add them to a sandwich or sprinkle them on top of some of your favourite dishes!
Cabbage
I think cabbage is one of the more underrated veggies. This detox food is super versatile, tastes good and contains loads of nutrients and fibre. Cabbage is also known for being a natural diuretic and will oust excess fluids from the body, plus it has the fewest calories and fat of all the veggies on the farm. Try eating cabbage in salads, sautéed or in soup!
Water
No surprise here! We’re always encouraged to drink water to hydrate our bodies and to flush out toxins. Water helps flush out your kidneys and liver, both organs which help cleanse out our system. It also helps us to balance fluids in our bodies, energise muscles and maintain regular bowel functions. Try drinking warm water with lemon in the morning to help boost your immune system and hydrate your lymph system.
Fresh Fruit
Besides helping satisfy our sweet tooth, another great reason to eat nature’s candy is to help detoxify our bodies! Fruits contain lots of nutrients, antioxidants and fibre to cleanse out our system. Citrus fruits are a great choice. They aid the liver in cleansing and amp up the GI system with enzymatic processes. Start swapping sugar-laden snacks with healthy and tasty fruit and feel the difference!
Lentils
We’re frequently encouraged to include legumes in our diets and now I see why! Lentils are low in calories, help increase energy and are high in fibre to aid in elimination. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, lentils are a great source of protein and they help regulate blood sugar levels. Try eating lentils in soups, add them to salads or include them in your next stir-fry!
Whole Grains
Whole grain foods are not only a marvellous detox food but they’re also vital in keeping you regular and nourishing your body with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. There are whole grains that do and do not contain gluten, so we can all try to incorporate some more whole, non-refined grains like buckwheat, corn, barley or rye into our meals!
This is just a small selection of the many foods that detox and nourish our bodies. There are plenty more vegetables, fruits, grains and seeds that taste great and can help us to purify our bodies of toxins.
image:istock.com/Aamulya
