Spring Clean Your Body With These 5 Detoxing Foods

Spring is fast approaching! We all know about spring cleaning for the home, but have you considered the need to spring clean your body, too?

It’s a great season to take a look at what you’re eating and add some healthy, detoxing foods perfect for springtime. So here are the top five healthy, cleansing foods to help you feel and look your best this year.

1. Green Juices or Smoothies

Eating more foods rich in antioxidants (fruits and vegetables) is a fantastic way to support your body’s natural detoxing capabilities.

Antioxidants are powerful substances that help prevent oxidation in the body. If free radicals aren’t addressed, they can lead to disease and illness.

Supercharge yourself with antioxidants by adding green juices or green smoothies to your routine. You can buy them at your nearest health food store if you’re out and about, or save money by making your own at home with a juicer or blender.

In-season spring fruits and vegetables good for green juices or smoothies include:

• Apricots
• Arugula
• Beets
• Carrots
• Swiss chard
• Cherries
• Dandelion greens
• Kale
• Lemons
• Parsley
• Spinach
• Strawberries

2. Anti-Cancer Vegetables

Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who has written extensively on the most health-promoting foods on the planet, uses the acronym GBOMBS for these top anti-cancer foods:

• Greens like kale, spinach, broccoli, bok choy and brussels sprouts. Eat as many leafy greens as possible, preferably raw but steamed is good, too.
• Beans like black beans, chickpeas, navy beans, lentils or peas.
• Onions and other veggies in the Allium family like garlic, leeks, shallots and chives.
• Mushrooms (just make sure you eat them cooked, as raw mushrooms contain a potentially carcinogenic substance).
• Berries like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
• Seeds (and nuts) like sesame seeds, flax, chia and hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds and pistachios.

Support the spring cleaning of your body by seeing how many of these you can add to your day!

3. Fiber-Rich Foods

Of course, cleansing the intestinal tract starts with the diet: generally, the more fiber, the better.

Foods rich in fiber include:

• All beans and lentils
• Vegetables like broccoli, artichokes and brussel sprouts
• Avocados
• Berries
• Whole grains like oatmeal, bran cereals and whole wheat rices or pastas

4. Herbal Detox Teas

Not only do herbal teas, which contain no tannins or caffeine, help keep you hydrated, they contain herbal and other ingredients that help detox your system. Some great cleansing herbal teas include:

• Ginger
• Lemongrass
• Milk thistle
• Dandelion

Each of these contain properties that help support the liver, which is the true powerhouse detoxifier in your body.

Black and green teas can be good choices, too, as they contain antioxidants. For the best green tea, try matcha. It’s more than 100 times richer in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)—an antioxidant that has many disease-preventing benefits—than standard green tea, according to a study published in the Journal of Chromatography.

5. Plain Ol’ Water!

And don’t forget about the magic of a simple glass of water. Drinking lots of water helps flush the body and support its detoxing and fat burning processes. Plus, it’s common to feel hungry when you’re actually thirsty—so drinking water regularly can also help you tune into true hunger signals to prevent overeating.

Have a glass as soon as you wake up and drink throughout the day to stay hydrated. For more detox power and to add some flavor, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a couple slices of cucumber.

The Bottom Line

Overall, being mindful of what you eat and focusing on foods rich in nutrition and fiber will make spring cleaning your body a breeze this year.