By Jkoi August 15, 2011 - 8:12pm

There are many cleanses out there in the form of a liquid or ginormous horse pills. I even tried the 48-Hour Hollywood Juice Diet one time to lose that guaranteed 10 pounds for an upcoming weigh in. Well all I got was some of the nastiest juice I ever drank, my stomach was cursing me out due to hunger and I didn’t drop one pound. Which was ironic because I felt like I lost my soul (and money) in the bathroom!
Well I did some research of my own to find that there are actually real food that has cleansing properties. 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. The best thing about it, you don’t have to go to a special store to get these foods, just hit up your local grocery!

Apples. Apples are high in pectin, a type of fiber that binds to cholesterol and heavy metals in the body They also help eliminate toxic build up and to cleanse the intestines. The old adage is definitely true about “An apple a day…”

Avocados. This wonderful fatty fruit lowers 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. 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.

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. For the health benefits, choose only fresh garlic, not garlic powder, which contains none of the mentioned benefits.

Grapefruit. Ruby red grapefruit contains pectin fiber that binds to cholesterol, thereby cleansing the blood. Pectin also binds to heavy metals and helps escort them out of the body. Grapefruit is an excellent intestinal and liver detoxifier.

Kale. Kale contains 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. All types of beans are 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 bottled, I mean squeeze a real lemon) to your water to support your cleansing efforts on a daily basis.

Seaweed. Seaweed could be the most underrated vegetable in the western world. Seaweed actually bind to radioactive waste in the body! Seaweed also binds to heavy metals to help eliminate them from the body. They are also 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.

Not sure how to add these into your meal plan? I have used this wonderful website for meal ideas that are not only healthy and detoxifying, but pretty darn tasty. Take a look at WholeBodyDetoxDiet.Com

So if you are desiring to cleanse your body but don’t want to go through the pain, starvation, and an empty wallet, incorporate these tasty foods into your meal plans and I’m confident you will not be disappointed.