It’s time to clean. Just like cleaning the home, the car, and office space is important; cleaning the body should also be vital. This also another simple way to incorporate a green lifestyle. Starting with yourself to promote health is crucial to the environment. If you’re feeling fatigue, having skin problems, pains and aches, or digestive problems, then it might be time for a detox. Detoxification is about resting, cleaning and nourishing the body from the inside out. It’s about releasing toxins from the body and supplying the body with the proper nutrients. Detoxifying can guard against diseases and replenish energy to maintain good health.

According to medical director of Helios Clinic and coauthor of 7-Day Detox Miracle, Peter Bennett, “The body has its own natural healing system…Detoxification enhances this system.” So how does it work? Detoxification means cleaning the blood, mainly through eradicating impurities from the blood in the liver, where toxins are processed for purging. “Detoxification works because it addresses the needs of individual cells, the smallest units of human life…everyone should detox at least once a year”, says Bennett.

Where to begin? How about starting with food for medicine. There are many favorite household foods that promote cleansing for the body. Here are 12 top cleansing foods for detoxification:

1)      Apples — high in pectin, a type of fiber that unites to cholesterol and weighty metals in the body. They prevent toxic build up and cleanse the intestines.

2)      Beets — a great blood purifier and liver cleanser.

3)      Cabbage — strengthens the liver’s ability to detoxify.

4)      Celery and Celery Seeds – great blood cleansers and contains numerous anti-cancer compounds. Celery seeds include over twenty anti-inflammatory substances.

5)      Flaxseeds and Flaxseed Oil — a great source of essential fatty acids, specifically Omega-3a.

6)      Garlic — known to help reduce blood pressure. It’s best to choose fresh garlic, not the garlic powder.

7)      Grapefruit — known to promote weight loss; it also contains pectin fiber that lowers cholesterol, which cleanse the blood. It’s a great intestinal and liver detoxifier.

8)      Kale – this green vegetable is high in fiber and strengthens liver cleansing.

9)      Legumes — incorporating beans in some meals, you could gain lots of fiber and protection from cancer.

10)  Broccoli Sprouts — extremely high in antioxidants. They help to simulate detoxification enzymes in the digestive system.

11)   Green Tea — purges toxins out of the system, plus it fully load with antioxidants, specifically an antioxidant called catechin, which is known to increase liver function.

12)  Lemon Juice – is known to help the stomach’s digestive ability, plus it’s high in vitamin C.