The average person’s diet includes many unhealthy substances that can build up in the body over time. A detox diet attempts to remove the unwanted substances through a program that stresses health foods like fruits and vegetables and minimizes the intake of fat and carbohydrates.
Detox, short for detoxification, diets often promote foods that are high in fiber. These foods, including whole wheat bread and oatmeal, help regulate the body’s digestive system and prevent constipation. If it persists, constipation can lead to an impacted colon and high toxin levels in the body.
One popular detox diet method is the liquid detox, or juice diet. People can go onto a liquid only diet for a couple of days, a week or much longer in an effort to purge the body of toxins. Tomato, spinach, orange, carrot, beat and apples juices are popular parts of the liquid detox plan. This method of dieting rids the body of free radicals and helps cleanse the colon and improve digestion.
Detoxification diets can also help energy levels, improve skin condition as well as brain functioning. Common foods that are high in antioxidants and nutrients that are often part of a detox plan include Gazpacho soup, fruit juice drinks, ginger tea and olive oil.
A vegan diet also has detoxification abilities. This is a diet free of all animal by-products, including milk and cheese. Vegans consume fruits, vegetables and grains and avoid any kind of artificial or processed additives. Less energy is required to break down these foods, so the body can put more energy toward eliminating toxins and building new tissue. Vegan should drink between eight and 10 glasses of water every day to help prevent constipation.