People often ask me about the best way to detoxify.
Am I a fan of infrared saunas? Or of chelation to remove heavy metals? What about fasting, coffee enemas, or cleansing programs? Or Epsom salt baths and megadoses of vitamin C?
Some of these ideas can have value. But before you spend a lot of money and effort detoxing your body, the first thing to do is stop bringing toxins into it in the first place. And the place to start is with the food on your plate.
What? We’re getting toxins in our food?
Oh my goodness, yes. As I write this, we’re consuming the most chemical-laden food in the history of humanity. (And, not by coincidence, the most addictive.)
The sheer number of food additives in use today is staggering. And the disturbing reality is that many of them have been declared safe only by the companies that make them — without any testing or oversight by government agencies.
How Your Body Detoxes Naturally (and Brilliantly)
The good news is that your body can already deal with toxins. Its detoxification system is constantly hard at work eliminating dangerous toxins and invaders before they can harm you.
Six organs, in particular, have critical roles.
The Liver
Your liver is your body’s most powerful weapon against toxins.
It performs some 500 functions — such as filtering the blood and deactivating toxins, including food additives, medications, and excess hormones.
It also shuttles nutrients into your bloodstream. And it transforms the rest into waste material that exits your body via your kidneys or intestines.
The Kidneys
Kidneys are also workhorse organs. Their tasks include regulating fluid and electrolyte balance in your body, controlling your blood pressure, and dealing with hormone secretion.
Think of your kidneys as the ultimate quality assurance team for your blood. They filter it to excrete waste from muscle metabolism and urea from protein breakdown.
They also eliminate excess fluid, bacteria, medications, and other chemicals through your urine.
The Gastrointestinal System
From your mouth to your colon, your intestinal tract both digests food and helps to eliminate toxins.
Intestinal microflora breaks down nutrients, which are absorbed into your bloodstream, while toxins are routed to your small intestine and removed from your body through excrement.
The Respiratory Tract
Your respiratory tract (lungs and bronchi) removes toxins mainly as CO2 and phlegm.
Your lungs are busy. They breathe in and out approximately 11,000 liters of air every day. And unlike the filters in vacuum cleaners and HVAC systems, you don’t need to replace them regularly! (Thank goodness! Just imagine the confusion at Home Depot if you had to remember the model number for everyone’s lungs.)
The Skin
Skin is an organ, even if we don’t usually categorize it like that. (Let’s give skin its due: It’s actually the heaviest organ you’ve got, weighing up to 15% of your body mass.) Skin plays an important role in eliminating toxins.
Sweating has been found to help eliminate BPA, phthalates, and heavy metals.
And while it can be porous (absorbing skin cream, for example), skin keeps out all sorts of bad things — from dangerous bacteria to poisonous chemicals. It’s your body’s first line of defense against a broad array of toxins.
The Lymphatic System
Your lymphatic system includes fluid-filled nodes, vessels, glands, and organs.
Its main purpose is to cleanse toxins, protect against invaders, and carry waste away from your tissues and into your bloodstream, where it can be processed and removed.
Why We’re Overloaded with Toxins
Your body’s detoxification system is powerful. But in our modern age, it’s also likely under considerable pressure.
Pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, heavy metals, chemicals, and stress can all strain your natural detoxification systems. It’s like one person is mopping the floor while another is stomping around the kitchen in muddy boots.
And toxin exposure starts early. Before we’re even born, in fact. Testing of the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies has revealed an average of over 200 synthetic chemicals, some of them with carcinogenic potential.
The effects many of these chemicals have on our bodies still aren’t fully understood. Yet evidence ties many of them to health problems.
And drinking water can be a source of toxins, too. Studies have found an array of chemicals in public water supplies, including chlorine, lead, chromium-6, and drug residues from antibiotics, antidepressants, hormones from birth control pills, and painkillers, among others.
(For an overview of the problems with our drinking water and a review of some of the top water treatment options, click here.)
Stress can also play a part. It diverts energy and other resources from the detoxification process.
The physiology of stress is rooted in the “fight or flight” response, which the body interprets as signaling a clear and present danger to your continued existence.
Detoxing when all the energy in the body is needed to escape from a predator would be like insisting on mopping the floor while a tornado is tearing your roof off.
But because most of our stressors are mental and emotional (traffic jams, financial worries, annoying emails), the body can under-prioritize detoxification even when it’s the most useful thing it could be doing. Like, “I can’t mop the kitchen floor while The Wizard of Oz is on TV; that tornado is too dangerous.”
Given the prevalence of toxins in our environment — and often also in our bodies — many people want to know what they can do to protect themselves.
Can you remove these harmful substances if they get into you? Or must they stay with you for life?
Does “Detoxing” Help?
The term “detox” is used in many different ways.
The most common type of “detox” is a program used to wean people off alcohol and drugs. That makes sense — when someone is under the influence of these substances, they’re “intoxicated.” That is, they are suffering the effects of toxins in their bodies.
In natural health circles, detoxes are typically used to address environmental toxin exposure, gastrointestinal disorders, and autoimmune diseases — as well as for general cleansing and prevention.
Practitioners who offer detoxes often claim they can aid in weight loss, support digestion, and fight inflammation, allergies, bloating, chronic fatigue, candida overgrowth, heavy metal accumulation, and parasites.
Because “detox” has become such a massive health buzzword, the term is, unfortunately, used to sell a lot of products and services with little or no basis in science.
Some detox programs recommend using laxatives or diuretics, going into “starvation mode,” going overboard with unsustainable exercise routines, popping unproven (and expensive) supplements, drinking diet sodas that are sweetened with dangerous chemicals, or even eating nothing but grapefruit. (Yes, that really is a thing.) None of these approaches has been proven to be helpful in the long run.
Key Questions to Ask
Before trying any detox program, it’s worth asking a few specific questions, since most detox products have research, testimonials, and before-and-after photos. The question is whether any of it holds up.
Who is selling this, and what do they gain? If the person recommending the detox is also selling it, that’s worth noting. Financial incentives don’t automatically invalidate a product, but they’re a reason to look more carefully.
What does the evidence actually show? Testimonials and transformation photos are not evidence; they’re marketing. Look for peer-reviewed studies in independent journals, not just anecdotal endorsements. Studies funded by the company making the product can be useful to a point. If no such studies exist, proceed with a little more caution.
What specifically is being “detoxed”? A credible program should be able to name the toxins it targets and explain the mechanism by which it removes them. Vague claims about “cleansing” or “resetting” your system without specifics are a red flag.
Does it require you to buy proprietary products? Your liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, and skin are already continuously detoxifying your body. Any program that claims these organs need expensive outside help to function should be approached with some skepticism.
What does a doctor or registered dietitian say? Does a doctor or a dietitian (not a wellness influencer, but an actual clinician) with no financial stake in the product endorse it?
The truth is that most of what legitimate detox programs achieve can be attributed to the elimination of processed food, alcohol, and excess sugar — not to any special supplement or protocol. Eating more whole plants, drinking more water, sleeping well, and moving your body will probably support your body’s natural detoxification systems more reliably than just about any cleanse on the market.
How Detoxifying Foods Can Boost Your Detox Ability
Several specific foods and beverages have been shown to help your body boost its detox power, in addition to providing many other health benefits.
Here are eleven of the top ones.
1. Cruciferous Vegetables and Leafy Greens
Members of the cruciferous family belong on every list of the world’s healthiest foods. They include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy, among others.
A 2015 study published in the journal Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine reported that cruciferous veggies boost liver health through anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects. They’re also high in fiber, which encourages the excretion of toxins through bile and stool.
Two leafy greens that aren’t members of the cruciferous family, spinach and dandelion greens, are also excellent sources of chlorophyll, which is considered the top detoxifying plant pigment.
Broccoli, in particular, has been linked to protection against air pollution. Broccoli sprouts have also been found to contain enzymes that protect against cancer-causing chemicals.
One reason broccoli is so powerful is its effect on glutathione — often called the body’s “master antioxidant.” Think of glutathione as your internal cleanup crew: It grabs onto toxins and escorts them out. Sulforaphane from broccoli and broccoli sprouts directly stimulates your liver to ramp up glutathione production. Garlic, green tea, and turmeric do the same, which is one more reason variety across these foods matters more than loading up on just one.
For more on sulforaphane, see our article here.
2. Lemon
Lemons are one of the best detox fruits. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that the citric acid in lemons can protect liver function and prevent oxidative (stress-related) damage.
Another 2014 study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism found that daily lemon ingestion, combined with daily walking, helps regulate blood pressure.
Lemon water is an easy way to get more lemon into your life. Squeeze fresh, organic lemon into a glass of water for an amped-up version of H20. If you drink this a lot, you may want to use a straw and rinse your mouth with water right away to prevent damage to the enamel coating on your teeth. Also, wait at least 30 minutes after drinking lemon water and other acidic beverages before brushing your teeth, for the same reason.
For our article on how to use lemon in recipes, click here.
3. Avocado
This creamy green fruit provides a wealth of antioxidants and other nutrients.
A 2001 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that the fatty acids in avocados help protect rats’ livers against damage caused by a powerful liver toxin. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)
For more on avocado, see our article here.
4. Green Tea
Green tea is one of those good-for-you beverages that has been used as a medicinal aid for thousands of years.
High in antioxidants, it helps keep your body in balance and protects against free radicals that can cause aging and degenerative diseases.
Green tea has also frequently been shown to have a protective effect against certain types of cancer.
A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that a green tea concentrate boosted production of detoxification enzymes, which play a key role in cancer prevention.
For more on tea and its remarkable health benefits, see our article here.
5. Apples
An apple a day really might keep the doctor away! These popular snacks are rich in the soluble fiber pectin. The pectin in apples helps purge toxins from the bloodstream and lower LDL cholesterol.
A 2006 study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that pectin can aid in the excretion of toxins, such as mercury and lead.
For more on apples, see our article here.
6. Garlic
A 2014 research review of studies on garlic published in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine found that this pungent veggie has a whole host of health benefits. Researchers found that garlic can inhibit carcinogen activation, enhance detoxification, and even protect DNA.
For more on the health benefits of garlic and other allium vegetables, see our article here.
7. Turmeric
Also known as “Indian saffron,” this gorgeous yellow spice has been used medicinally for nearly 4,000 years.
In 2011, the editors of Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects reviewed the evidence on this ancient spice and found it to have “antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, antiseptic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, radioprotective, and digestive activities.”
The primary active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which gives it its bright yellow color. But if you just eat turmeric straight, you may not absorb much of it. I love mixing fresh and dried turmeric into all sorts of foods, and I always try to include black pepper because studies show that piperine (found in black pepper) helps to increase curcumin absorption substantially.
For more on turmeric, see our article here.
8. Beets
These bright-red veggies have long been touted for their high levels of antioxidants and other health-promoting properties.
But beets are also a detox tool. A 2015 study published in the journal Nutrients found that beet juice can amplify specific enzymes that support the liver and aid in detoxification.
For more on beets, see our article here.
9. Blueberries
Besides being delicious, blueberries are nutrient-dense and are an abundant source of antioxidants.
They’ve been shown to lower blood pressure, boost vascular health, fight cancer, protect lungs, and prevent Alzheimer’s, among other effects.
As far as fighting toxins, a 2011 study published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism found that the berries enhanced the activity of the body’s natural killer cells, which fight against cancer cells.
For more on blueberries, see our article here.
10. Cilantro
Some plants are actually considered “chelators” — meaning they can bind to heavy metals and help your body excrete them. This flavorful herb is one of them!
A 2013 study published in the Scientific World Journal found that cilantro can enhance mercury excretion and decrease lead absorption. Put that in your guacamole and eat it!
11. Ginger
Rich in phytochemicals — the healthy compounds found in plants — ginger is widely used as a gastrointestinal aid.
Since the intestines perform so much detoxification work, ginger can help boost your body’s ability to process food and eliminate waste.
A 2013 research review published in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine found that ginger protects against oxidative stress, has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects, and offers a wealth of antioxidants.
For more on ginger, see our article here.
Foods To Avoid When Cleaning Out Your Body
As you learn how to get rid of toxins from your body naturally, the first step is to avoid foods and drinks that are sources of toxins. Back to our mopping-the-kitchen analogy: Before you get out the mop and bucket, stop stomping around in muddy boots. Avoid these foods.
Most Fish
Most fish flesh contains high levels of chemical residues, including mercury and synthetic chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Seafood poisoning from marine toxins is an underrecognized hazard for travelers, particularly in the tropics and subtropics.”
And because of plastic pollution in the ocean, almost all fish consume microplastics that end up in your stomach when you eat them.
If you choose to eat fish, the least dangerous options for humans (all fish consumption, of course, is lethal for the fish) are low-mercury fish, such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, and herring. Read our full article about eating fish here.
Meat
Processed meats (bacon, lunchmeat, hot dogs, etc.) have been classified as carcinogenic (cancer-causing) by the World Health Organization, so it’s likely best to avoid them altogether.
Even unprocessed meats are often contaminated with bacteria due to the processes, equipment, and conditions of many farms and slaughterhouses.
Dairy
Cow’s milk contains a whole host of substances, including powerful growth hormones, that can cause health issues in humans.
Dairy consumption has been linked to acne, asthma, heart disease, and many types of cancer.
A 2011 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found up to 20 different chemicals in cow’s milk. These included the anti-inflammatory drugs niflumic acid, mefenamic acid, and ketoprofen (all used as painkillers in animals and people).
If you want to ditch the dairy, you can opt for plant-based milk, such as cashew, almond, soy, or oat instead. (See a doctor’s thoughts on the healthiest plant-based milk here.)
Bioengineered Foods (Also Known as GMOs)
Bioengineered food ingredients, also known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), first hit U.S. grocery store shelves in 1994, and widespread commercial cultivation of GMO crops took hold in the mid-to-late 1990s. Despite industry claims, studies have found that they have led to higher pesticide use and no meaningful improvement in flavor, nutrition, yield, or water consumption.
Instead, what they’ve created are plants that are engineered to withstand massive dosing of toxic herbicides — and plants that function as living pesticide factories. Bayer’s Bt corn, for example, is actually registered with the EPA as a pesticide.
Many credible scientists have significant concerns about the safety of these crops for human and animal consumption.
And GMO crops are typically contaminated with glyphosate, which is a probable carcinogen, a suspected endocrine disruptor, and has been patented as an antibiotic.
The primary GMO foods available in the U.S. are corn, soybeans, canola, sugar beets, papaya, and cottonseed oil. Many processed foods also contain genetically modified corn and soy.
You can avoid GMOs by steering clear of these ingredients unless they are organic or certified non-GMO.
For more on Bioengineered foods, see our article here.
Take Care of Your Body So Your Body Will Take Care of You
Cleansing your body of toxins doesn’t require an expensive program, a proprietary supplement, or a week of eating nothing but grapefruit. Your liver, kidneys, skin, and lymphatic system are already working hard on your behalf every day. The most powerful thing you can do is make their job easier.
That means reducing what comes in by eating less processed food, less alcohol, fewer pesticide residues, and less plastic contact with your food and water. And it means supporting what’s already working with cruciferous vegetables, garlic, green tea, fiber-rich whole plants, and plenty of clean water.
Start with one or two of the foods on this list if you’re not already eating them regularly. Add a second pair the following week. Small, consistent changes to what’s on your plate will probably do more for your body’s natural detoxification capacity over the long run than any cleanse you could buy.
Tell us in the comments below:
- Have you tried any detox diets?
- What are your favorite ways to eat these detoxifying foods?
- Did this article teach you what you wanted to know about food and detoxification?
