By: Laura Peill – (Check out her blog Chronicles of Passion & Facebook)
You’ve got your teatox, now it’s time to add some detox foods into your diet and really take your cleansing to the next level.
Here’s a list to get you started, and a detox water recipe to add into your daily cleanse:
Ginger – Ginger has long been used to settle upset stomachs because of its ability to ease gassiness in the stomach and settle down the digestive system. It is also responsible for helping the body absorb nutrients more efficiently. During detox, not only is it important to get rid of unwanted toxins, but it’s also important to make sure your body is absorbing the wanted, necessary nutrients. Ginger helps in the latter, calming down the digestive system so it will take in the nutrients it needs to.
Broccoli – A winner in the detoxing department, broccoli works with the liver to help clean out your body. It acts by working with liver enzymes to turn bodily toxins into a form your body can easily eliminate.
Turmeric – Known most notably for its anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric is very good for detoxing via the liver. Turmeric helps keep the liver clean and functioning properly, which allows it to most effectively complete its tasks involving bodily filtering, cleansing and detoxing. If the liver is properly able to filter everything going through the body, it will be able to expel toxins as necessary, thereby detoxing the body. If you haven’t used turmeric very much, start to incorporate it into your cooking or into your fresh pressed juices. Start with these turmeric roasted chickpeas and this sunshine juice!
Garlic – Slightly sweet when roasted, slightly spicy when raw or gently cooked, garlic has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. Because of this, it acts to boost the immune system, while also working with the liver in its cleansing process. Consume at least one clove of garlic daily to ensure you have enough so it can do all its jobs!
Greens – Greens contain high levels of chlorophyll, a green pigment which binds to toxic metals and prevents them from being absorbed into the body. Greens are also important in detoxing of the kidney, fluid filtering system of the body. They help clean out the toxins from the nutrients as the fluids come through the renal system and send them on their way out of the body!
Lemon – Add lemon to warm water and drink daily to help flush the toxins out of your system. While many foods will help release the toxins out our body, sometimes they need a little help finishing their exit. Lemon water does this, while its acidic properties help neutralize your body
Sauerkraut – Sauerkraut, and other fermented foods and beverages such as kimchi, kombucha and kefir, contain high levels of probiotics. These are the healthy gut bacteria which keep our gut functioning properly and keep toxins out of our intestines. Consume probiotics regularly to ensure his process happens naturally and there is no buildup of toxins within the digestive system.
Ready to get started? Here’s a recipe for you for a warming detox water!
Ginger Turmeric Detox Water
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- Juice of 2 -3 wedges of lemon
Combine water, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the turmeric. Leave on a low simmer for 10-15 minutes (or as long as you like), and then remove from the heat and add the lemon water. Perfect to drink after dinner, or sip throughout the day.
