Best Detox Foods: The Ultimate List of 20 Foods to Eat

In this post, you’ll find the best list of detox foods to eat.

Detoxification means cleaning out unwanted substances from the body. 

Scientists describe it as the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism. 

The main organ in charge of this process is the liver. 

A body detox can help boost your energy levels, reduce inflammation and boost your immune system, and promote healthy skin.

One of the best ways to detox your body is by eating the right natural foods.

In this post, we’ll list some of the best foods to eat to help you detox your body.

Finally, for each food, we’ll discuss the science behind how they help to keep you healthy.

Let’s dive in!

1. Blueberries

Blueberries are loaded with fiber and are an excellent source of vitamins C, K, and manganese. 

Research suggests that phytochemicals in blueberries give them their detox qualities. 

Phytochemicals help to regulate certain key activities in the detoxifying process and antioxidant process.

But that’s not all.

Blueberries are one of the richest sources of anthocyanin. Anthocyanin is a pigment that gives blueberries their blue ripening color. 

And this pigment acts as a cleansing agent, supporting the treatments of cancers, cardiovascular health illnesses, and other diseases. 

A cup of blueberries (150g) has the possibility of reducing your chances of cardiovascular diseases by up to 15 percent. 

2. Garlic

What does garlic smell like? Pungent? Strong? You guessed right. 

But this off-putting spice is a great detox food to add to your list.

Garlic contains antiviral and antibacterial properties which help the body fight against infections and other toxins that are unwanted in the body. 

Garlic contains certain compounds that make it perfect to help in the detoxification process. 

This compound is the Organo-Sulfur Compound. 

Garlic is best eaten raw if you want its full benefits. Make sure you add some crushed or grated garlic to your salad dressing to help detox your body.

3. Ginger

Ginger is a root stem that has been used in the traditional medicinal culture of the Chinese and Indians to cure nausea, inflammation, and so on. 

It provides antioxidants to the body.

Ginger helps to detox the body by enhancing better digestion, circulation, and sweating.

This cleanses any toxins and waste in the colon and liver.

Also, ginger can help relieve gas in the alimentary tract to prevent dyspepsia, flatulence, and bloating. 

A clinical trial discovered that ginger can significantly increase gastrointestinal motility. 

Another study revealed that ginger could also help accelerate gastric emptying and stimulate antral contractions among healthy individuals.

4. Broccoli

Broccoli has a unique chemical called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane helps the body get rid of chemicals that cause cancer.  

Additionally, broccoli’s high amounts of dietary fiber, glucosinolates, and polyphenols are crucial for a healthy gut. 

These compounds are associated with an altered gastrointestinal microbiota. 

And this, in turn, results in a better proportion of the good and the not-so-good microbes in your gut. 

Broccoli sprouts can alleviate constipation. This is because it contains large amounts of sulforaphane. 

Sulforaphane is a product of glucosinolate breakdown which improves antioxidant systems.

It guards the intestines against oxidative stress and improves intestinal motility. 

Some studies show that broccoli and other greens have negative effects on the body but when cooked before eaten, these effects are minimized.

Related: Juice Cleanses: The Ultimate Guide to Benefits and Side Effects

5. Citrus fruits 

Fruits are found around us in all varieties, tastes, and colors. The amazing thing is almost all fruits do almost the same thing. 

They are packed with fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that help cleanse, rejuvenate and even detoxify the body. 

Be sure you add acid fruits (grapefruits, oranges, pineapples, etc) to your fruit pack because they do the most when it comes to detoxifying. 

Citrus fruits are rich in glutathione, vitamin C, and other antioxidants. 

They play a major role in the production of detoxification enzymes by the liver and the cleansing of it as well.

You could start your day with some fresh fruit smoothies and snack on some fruits when hunger strikes during the day. 

Keep your fruits colored and your body detoxified.

6. Green tea

Though Green teas are not food per se, it is a good agent when it comes to the issue of detoxifying. 

It helps in the generation of detoxifying properties by the liver, boosts its performance, and helps to promote the general health of your immune system. 

It also comes along with antioxidants that do the body a lot of good. To get the whole offering green tea comes with, brew it from loose leaves.

This makes it possible for more antioxidants to be released.

7. Beetroot and carrots

Flavonoids which can be found in fruits, especially in Beetroots can be ascribed to their antioxidant activity. 

They also help greatly with liver disorders. You could either add them to your salads or make a great beetroot juice from them. Tasty!

Carrots contain beta carotene.

Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that also helps in the cleansing of the liver and protecting it against toxins from the external environment. 

These two antioxidants help the liver with its cleansing activities and rejuvenation.

Related: 5 Best Ways to Keep Your Liver Healthy (Science-backed)

8. Apples

They come in red and green and they are juicy, aren’t they? 

The good news is that apples are rich in a soluble fiber called pectin. Pectin helps in body cleansing and releases toxins from the body. 

Just imagine, with fewer toxins in your body, the liver has little or no problem in managing the toxin load present. 

Thus, it can do a thorough cleansing of the body. This pectin also helps to lower cholesterol. 

A study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that pectin can aid in the excretion of toxins such as mercury and lead. Wow!

9. Cilantro

Some plants do a good job binding themselves to some metals that may have found themselves in the food we eat. 

This is why cilantro is on our list of best detox foods.

When this binding occurs, the plants help the body to excrete them. Amazing right? A plant that does this is called Cilantro. 

A study published in The Scientific World Journal, states that cilantro enhances the excretion of mercury too.

10. Turmeric 

This yellow spice has been used for medicinal purposes for over four thousand years and it is still in that trade. 

There is a review that turmeric has the following properties:

• antibacterial
• antiviral
• anti-inflammatory
• cardioprotective
• hepatoprotective
• nephroprotective
• radioprotective, and
• digestive 

That’s a lot of work for some golden powder. But that is what nature is good at.

Be sure not to eat turmeric alone; nothing happens. But mixing it in your salad and soups make the most out of it.

11. Leafy green vegetables

Our best detox foods list cannot be complete without vegetables.

Leafy green vegetables are wonderful to add ups to foods of all kinds. 

Some vegetables rank high on the list such as spinach, kale, moringa leaf, parsley, and other cruciferous vegetables.

These vegetables contain minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and certain vitamins which come together to help in the detoxification process.

Related: Cruciferous Vegetables: The Ultimate List of 55 Foods To Eat

12. Chlorella

This freshwater algae, native to Taiwan and Japan top the list of highly nutritious foods.

Chlorella has amino acids, chlorophyll, beta carotene, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and many more nutrients. 

It has the primary function of aiding in detoxifying the body of lead, cadmium, mercury, and uranium.

Also, it also reduces the chances of these metals being reabsorbed.

13. Spirulina 

This is closely related to Chlorella. It offers detoxification support to the body. 

One way it does this is a result of the compound called phycocyanine. This compound has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

All of this helps in oxidizing and detoxifying the body.

14. Omega- 3 Oils

In detoxifying, you can also use flaxseed, avocado, olive, and hemp oils in the process.

This helps to lubricate the intestinal walls. It absorbs toxins and is removed from the body.

15. Watermelon

A bulgy fruit with a bulky amount of goodness; the Watermelon. 

It contains lycopene which has been found to raise glutathione levels in the body. 

Lycopene is also known for its ability to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases and cancers. 

We all know glutathione helps in the detoxifying process, don’t we?

16. Water

Why is water on the list of best detox foods? Here’s why. Drinking water is life.

In addition to the liver in the detoxification process, the two kidneys also support the liver in discharging its duties. 

Kidneys flush out a lot of unwanted substances including toxins from the body and water helps greatly in this. 

Drink lots of water to flush out all the unwanted substances from your body.

17. Tomatoes

It is believed to be the leading fruit (yes, fruit) packed with powerful antioxidants including lycopene which help in the detoxification process. 

Also, lycopene protects the liver from damage thereby allowing it to function fully.

And this helps to remove toxins and cleanse the body. 

18. Almonds

A few handfuls of almonds a day can go a long way to help clear the fats and toxins that have built up around your liver over time. 

So with these fats and toxins present, the liver does not work at optimal capacity. 

Cleansing your body with almonds sends your liver back to its natural healthy state.

Related: Eating Peeled Almonds Benefits Your Health in These 7 Ways

19. Yogurt

One of my favorite detox foods (and best really) on this list is yogurt. Here’s why.

For a toxin-free body, you’ll need a healthy digestive system. 

This is because toxins kill certain healthy bacteria in our guts known as probiotics which help in effective digestion. 

Moreover, yogurt provides a good source of probiotics that help to fight these toxins in the body.

With a good amount of it in our bodies, toxins stand little chance at survival.

20. Watercress

Finally on our list of best detox foods is watercress.

Watercress helps in releasing certain enzymes that provide cleansing benefits and rids the body of toxic blocks.

The list is endless. But these are a few foods that do a great job of detoxifying the body.

Eat well to detox your body. In doing so, you’re making your body a haven for growth too.