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Top 10 Detox Foods
Top 10 Detox Foods
With 2008 just around the corner, there's no better time than now to give your body a healthy, fresh start! Plus, if you're thinking about lowering your weight -- and your RealAge -- "eating clean" is a great first step. Add these 10 foods to your grocery cart and you'll get three terrific benefits:
1. Liquids to flush out the body while pouring in the nutrients.
2. Fiber to keep your GI tract fit.
3. Foods that energize cleansing enzymes in your liver, the body's built-in detox center.
The Top 10:
1. Leafy green vegetables. Eat them raw, throw them into a broth, or add them to juices. Their chlorophyll helps swab out environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides) and is an all-around liver protector.
2. Lemons. You need to keep the fluids flowing to wash out the body, and fresh lemonade is ideal. It has vitamin C -- considered the detox vitamin -- which helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that’s easily flushed away.
3. Watercress. Put a handful into salads, soups, and sandwiches. The peppery little green leaves have a diuretic effect that helps move things through your system. And cress is rich in minerals, too.
4. Garlic. Add it to everything -- salads, sauces, spreads. In addition to the bulb's cardio benefits, it activates liver enzymes that help filter out junk.
5. Green tea. This antioxidant-rich brew is one of the healthiest ways to get more fluids into your system. Bonus: It contains catechins, which speed up liver activity. Here’s another beverage your liver loves.
6. Broccoli sprouts. Get 'em at your health-food store. They pack 20 to 50 times more cancer-fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the grown-up vegetable.
7. Sesame seeds. They're credited with protecting liver cells from the damaging effects of alcohol and other chemicals. For a concentrated form, try tahini, the yummy sesame seed paste that’s a staple of Middle Eastern cooking.
8. Cabbage. There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver; this potent veggie helps activate both of them. Coleslaw, anyone?
9. Psyllium. A plant that’s rich in soluble fiber, like oat bran, but more versatile. It mops up toxins (cholesterol, too) and helps clear them out. Stir powdered psyllium into juice to help cleanse your colon, or have psyllium-fortified Bran Buds for breakfast.
10. Fruits, fruits, fruits. They're full of almost all the good things above -- vitamin C, fiber, nutritious fluids, and all kinds of antioxidants. Besides, nothing tastes better than a ripe mango, fresh berries, or a perfect pear.
Ultimate Detox Recipe
Easy Wilted Garlic-Sesame Salad
Toss dark green leafy vegetables in hot, garlicky oil for a cleansing -- and delicious – dish.
4 servings, about 65 calories each
1 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. spinach, stemmed,
or 1 lb. swiss chard, stems sliced, leaves torn
or 1 lb. mixture of spinach and watercress
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp. sesame seeds for garnish
Warm oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir until lightly browned, about 45 seconds. Add greens (do in two batches if necessary) and toss until just wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Find more healthy recipes at the RealAge Recipe Center.
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: Comments (12)
Comments
I've been taking Metamucil (psyllium), or store brands of psyllium, since I was 6 years old. The doctor made me start taking it daily due to intestinal problems. I'm in my 50's now and my cholesterol levels are good. I got my mother to start taking 1 teaspoon daily and she lowered her high cholesterol to within normal ranges without drugs. (Her doctor was amazed.) Over the years, I've also not only found it to be good to take for constipation, but it also stops diarrhea.
I believe the instructions say to mix it in water or fruit juice, but I don't like it in water and can not tolerate juices. My mother got me to take it as a child in 7-UP. Now, I mix it in my favorite soda, Diet Mountain Dew. Just be careful when mixing in soda as it bubbles up some when you first start to mix it. It's easier to take and won't get thick on you, if you mix it in only 3 or 4 ounces of fluid, and then drink a plain glass afterwards to make sure it all washes down. I usually take 1 heaping teaspoon a day unless I'm having problems, then I take 1 heaping teaspoon up to 3 times a day. You can also now buy it in capsule form. Start slow as it can cause bloating until your system gets used to it. Posted by: Chris | May 27, 2008 at 02:43 AM
Is there any diet good for low protein and what can you eat thats good for your kidneys? Posted by: lori | April 21, 2008 at 01:56 PM
Is there any diet good for low protein and what can you eat thats good for your kidneys? Posted by: lori | April 21, 2008 at 01:56 PM
Is there any diet good for low protein and what can you eat thats good for your kidneys? Posted by: lori | April 21, 2008 at 01:55 PM
We need to get the word out, and create an alliance of like-minded folks to SHARE THE CAUSE and find out what we can do about UNSEEN KILLERS wreaking havoc on our bodies. Jump on this bandwagon and follow this initiative of forward-thinking scientists, doctors and passionate individuals on a mission to share a SOLUTION to our body's POLLUTION. Watch www.share-the-vision.com and know that this will benefit even the next generation. Posted by: Eugenio G. Alcazaren, M.D. | April 12, 2008 at 02:58 PM
i love to have a bowl of cereal and milk before bed but I find it starts my stomach roaring and by morning, I have loose stools.
I wonder which is the best cereals to eat then? I have
diverticulosis and IBS. Posted by: olive | March 31, 2008 at 05:39 AM
"There's no better time than now to give your body a healthy, fresh start!
This is absolutely true! Along with a healthy balanced food intake, conventional and alternative therapies like foot detox is one effective way of flushing toxin out of the body. Posted by: foot detox | February 13, 2008 at 02:44 AM
Does green tea really work? I drink tea any way so it seems like an easy thing for me to do Posted by: Dawn "foot detox" Reservitz | February 06, 2008 at 11:05 AM
Psyllium is particularly good for anyone who want to go through a detox process. It helps the colon cleaning process and is very effective when you combine this with fresh juice. Posted by: Anthony | January 29, 2008 at 01:35 AM
How much psyllium should be used? Posted by: Nina | January 21, 2008 at 06:38 PM
How much psyllium should be used? Posted by: Nina | January 21, 2008 at 06:37 PM
I love ur articles but could u pliz also quote the quantities? eg how many lemons r required daily? Should Psyllium b used daily or occasionally? Posted by: Elizabeth | January 11, 2008 at 01:48 AM
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