Proper detoxification is essential for your health. While toxins surround you in the city, they can also enter your body through processed foods. If you eat these foods daily, your body may not handle toxins as well as it should. As a result, you will feel brain fog, fatigue, headaches, and general pains.
In order to improve and support the body’s detoxification pathways, you need at least keep a detoxification diet. It must include special nutrients that will help your liver convert such substances as alcohol, caffeine, medications, and metabolic products before they cause harm. We’ve collected 10 healthy foods containing these special nutrients that will help improve your detoxification and overall health.
1. Broccoli
This superfood is at the top of almost all healthy diets and is great for detoxifying. Like cabbage, broccoli contains glucosinolates and isothiocyanates which support liver health and improve the body’s detoxifying function.
2. Green Tea
There are two primary stages of liver detoxification. During stage one, toxins become water-soluble with the help of such enzymes as the cytochrome P450. During the second stage, some protective chemicals neutralize toxins or allow them to be excreted from your body through urine or bile. Phytochemicals contained in green tea have been shown to provide both stage-one and stage-two activity.
3. Sauerkraut
Like broccoli, sauerkraut contains detoxification enzymes. In addition, fermented cabbage contains beneficial bacteria which also promotes detoxification in the gut and improves the immune system.
4. Tangerines
Tangerine nutrients also provide stage-one and stage-two activity. Tangerines contain D-limonene which is responsible for the chemopreventive activity and for the detoxifying effects. Actually, oranges and lemons also contain D-limonene.
5. Asparagus
The most powerful detoxifying compound is glutathione. It’s a tripeptide that is made of three amino acids (cysteine, glycine, and glutamine). Glutathione promotes both stage one and stage two of liver detoxification. If your body lacks glutathione, you become vulnerable to environmental attacks but consuming glutathione or getting glutathione iv will help replenish your glutathione reserve.
6. Artichoke
Bile helps to transport and remove toxins from your body. But impaired bile flow can lead to toxin buildup and liver damage. Luckily, artichoke contains phenolic derivatives that protect the liver and stimulate bile flow.
7. Beets
Beets contain betalain and betaine which improve liver function. Betaine reduces liver fat, while betalain activates the second stage of liver detoxification and helps glutathione to excrete toxins.
8. Whey
Whey is a unique food that contains glutathione. Whey is the liquid portion that separates from yogurt that is rich in cysteine, glycine, and glutamine. According to one study, whey protein supplementation can inhibit alcohol-induced cell toxicity due to the high content of glutathione.
9. Garlic
Garlic is one of the world’s most used medicinal foods. Garlic contains organosulfur compounds that are associated with lots of health benefits including platelet aggregation and cancer prevention. They also support detoxification by activating glutathione.
10. Chlorella
Chlorella is a great food for those who want to improve diet and overall health. It boosts the immune system, reduces oxidative stress, and normalizes blood pressure. Moreover, chlorella mobilizes heavy metals bound to cells and absorbs metals in the gut removing them instead of stored in the cells.
