If you went a little overboard and are now feeling the urge to eat clean, you've come to the right place. Since most detoxes are usually calorie-deprivation diets in disguise, it's wise to steer clear of them, but not to worry — there are still ways to get your body back on track [1]. Exercising, cutting out alcohol and refined sugars, and eating a healthy diet do wonders. A little extra help doesn't hurt either.
Here are 10 healthy foods with natural cleansing properties. Include them in your next meal and get rid of that extra junk left over from the big feast.
Watercress
Think beyond delicate tea sandwiches and throw some peppery watercress into your next salad or make this bowl of spicy soba noodles [3]. It keeps free radicals away from your cells, helps energize cleansing enzymes [4] in the liver, and is a natural diuretic.
Lemon Water
Lemons are a great source of vitamin C, which is known to help the body detox and burn fat [5]. Dr. Frank Lipman [6] recommends drinking water with lemon every morning as a way to alkalize the body [7] and help with digestion.
Dark Leafy Greens
There are a ton of ways to get leafy greens into your diet — eat them raw, throw them into a broth, add them to juices [8], or sauté them with a touch of olive oil. Leafy greens boost chlorophyll levels [9] in the digestive tract, which helps the body get rid of environmental toxins like smog and herbicides.
Fresh Fruit
Full of vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and just about any other good thing you can name, fruit is a must for a healthy diet. After filling up your body with butter and booze, we can't think of a better way to make amends than with a big ol' fruit bowl.
Cabbage
Not only is cabbage eaten in many cultures for luck and prosperity [10] around the New Year, but it's also known for its liver-cleansing properties. Mix cabbage, apples, and walnuts [11] for a crisp treat for your palate and your liver.
Artichokes
Numerous studies show that artichokes promote healthy liver and gallbladder function; they're also loaded with cynarin, which helps increase bile production, prevents indigestion, and stimulates healthy digestion. If you're looking for a natural detox food, artichokes are a major winner.
Beets
Fiber in beets helps increase the production of antioxidant enzymes in the liver, which help the liver and gallbladder eliminate bile from the body.
Ginger and Garlic
Ginger and garlic are good friends to the liver because they help it get rid of free radicals that are built up in the body. Make yourself a healthy stir-fry [12], and don't be shy to season it with these two liver-loving foods.
Green Tea
You definitely want to be drinking a lot of liquids right now, and green tea is a great choice. It's high in catechin [13] — a flavonoid — which speeds up liver activity and increases the production of detoxification enzymes [14].
Whole Grains
Choosing whole grains [15] over refined grains should be a part of any diet — detox or not. Besides being full of nutrients and antioxidants, they're incredibly high in insoluble fiber, which helps keep you regular [16]. If you're trying to flush the body of toxins, the last thing you need is to be bloated or constipated.