by A. South

Created on: April 07, 2009

Every day we're exposed to a host of toxins in the air we breathe, the food we eat and things we drink. You can't necessarily see toxins, and they aren't listed on the nutrition label, but they don't go without notice in your body. Toxins can come in the form of food additives, pesticides, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine and can cause bloating, indigestion, headaches, fatigue, weight gain and low immunity.

In a way, your body works as a 24-hour cleansing machine. Your circulatory system, lymphatic system, liver, colon, and urogenital tract all work around the clock gleaning nutrients from food and breaking down toxins and cleaning them out of your system. A detox diet will give all those systems a well-deserved break.

Before you start a detox plan, make sure to research it fully. Learn about the benefits, the potential side effects, and consult a doctor or nutritionist if you still have questions.

Here are a few quick and easy steps to detoxifying your body. You should feel and see changes in your body from these small changes.

Step 1: About thirty minutes before you eat breakfast, drink a glass of warm water and freshly squeezed lemon juice. This drink will aide the liver in breakdown of excess fats by helping increase the flow of bile.

Step 2: Chlorophyll, derived from alfalfa, is an effective detoxifier because it is an antioxidant that supports cellular health and increases the production of red blood cells, effectively boosting energy. Incorporate chlorophyll into your diet by adding it to your tea or water.

Step 3: Make sure you're getting enough fiber in your diet. Fiber helps to stimulate bowel movements, which eliminates excess toxins. It's easy to add fiber to your diet, eat oat bran, raw fruits and vegetables, sprinkle flax seed on your food and make sure your bread is whole wheat.

Step 4: When it comes to detoxing, your liver does the lion's share of the work, so adding liver-friendly food to your diet will help it do its job. Incorporate foods including beets, carrots, celery, lemons, turmeric, rosemary, cumin and curries to help your liver function normally.

Step 5: For about 4-10 days, eliminate or at least limit potentially allergenic foods from your diet. This includes refined sugars, MSG, dairy, oranges, chocolate, soy, peanuts, yeast, caffeine, alcohol and simple starches (most white carbs). Wheat should also be avoided. During this time, you can substitute with 100% rye bread, Ezekiel bread, brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats and millet.

Like any eating plan, the benefits of the detox diet will disappear if you go back to your normal diet after the detox. To maintain benefits, choose wisely what you put into your body. Make sure you're getting enough fiber in your diet, stay well-hydrated and exercise regularly. When possible, add locally grown and organic foods to your diet and add probiotics, healthy bacteria found in food like yogurt, which boost your digestive system.

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