What is a safe detox diet?

With all the pollution we have around today, detoxing your body should be an important part of your health regimen. However, detoxing should not be taken lightly and care should be taken to follow a safe detox diet. That's not to say that detoxing is dangerous, but just like anything else, common sense should prevail.

The effects of Detoxing

Detoxing can be a shock to your body. All the toxins and heavy metals that are hanging around are suddenly dredged up and purged from the body. This can cause all kinds of strange side effects and, depending on your level of toxicity, it can make you feel quite ill.

Be moderate

When it comes to safely detoxing, fasting is a much debated subject. Many people say that fasting will help knock the toxins out of your body quicker. But the other side of the coin is that if you are cleansing organs like the liver, it can easily become overwhelmed with the amount of toxins that are being flushed out. This is particularly true if you haven't done any detoxing before as all the toxins that have been stored in your body for years or even decades will now come rushing out. In order to follow a safe detox diet, moderation may well be the key.

Eat fresh fruit and vegetables

First of all you want to make sure that you are eating properly - no processed foods and try to stick to only organic foods when possible. Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is important. Garlic, onions, broccoli and kale can all be important vegetables to start eating a lot of just before your detox diet. Fruits can help you detox too, but they are full of sugar so you want to stick with eating them in the morning and make sure that you eat fruits by themselves and not with any other types of food.

Water

While you should get plenty of vegetables and at every meal, you also want to drink lots of water. Get a good water filter, not only for your drinking water, but for the water you shower in.

Detoxing herbs

Make sure you take some herbs that support detoxing and are healthy for your liver, lungs and kidneys. Two of the best detoxing herbs are dandelion and milk thistle. Other herbs you might consider include parsley, turmeric, chamomile, marshmallow, slippery elm, goldenseal and ginger.

 Your liver and other organs also need important amino acids and protein in order to function so make sure to eat some lean organic protein at each meal as well. Including some nuts and vitamin supplements will help round out any of the vitamins and minerals you might be missing. Following a safe detox diet is really a matter of eating healthily and trying to avoid foods that you know are loaded with toxins or foods that have low nutritional value.