Detox: 5 vital foods for an effective detox

Detoxification or detoxification for short is one of the most important functions of the liver. Your liver has to safely break down and eliminate everyday substances that the body produces, such as hormones and metabolic waste products, as well as the more obvious chemical toxins that you consume through our food and water.

It is based on two complicated phases of detoxification that involve enzymatic reactions to break down toxins and make them safe for excretion through bile in the form of feces or urine produced by the kidneys. Research has shown that specific foods and nutrients have either an inhibitory effect or an enhancing effect on these detoxification enzyme systems. Many of these foods should be used for the most effective liver detox diet. These same foods and nutrients can even be used to treat some common toxicity and immune system disorders.

There are two detox pathways known as Phase I and Phase II. Diet can help regulate and balance your activity for a more effective and safe detox. For example, if the Phase I detox is working well but Phase II is slow, the toxins processed by Phase I can build up and cause damage while waiting to be dealt with by Phase II.

Many of these intermediate toxins can be more dangerous than the parent substance and can have adverse effects on the glandular system, the immune system, and the nervous system, causing health problems.

Some of the substances that cause an increase in detoxification in Phase I without the equivalent increase in Phase II are pesticides, cigarette smoke, exhaust and paint fumes, burned or grilled foods, alcohol, intestinal toxins and certain medications.

The best foods to support liver detoxification:

1) Cruciferous vegetables: cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi (Swedish), broccoli, broccoli sprouts, mustard greens, turnips, radish, cauliflower, kohlrabi, kale, daikon.

They contain powerful phytochemicals and antioxidants that support Phase II detoxification activity. They help the liver convert chemicals that could cause cancer into something much less toxic that can be safely excreted. Broccoli sprout extracts inhibit Phase I but stimulate Phase II. This is beneficial for people exposed to a high level of toxins from paint fumes, cigarette smoke, pesticides, and alcohol.

2) Foods with sulfur: fish, meat, eggs, onions, garlic, turnips, radishes, celery, kale, green beans. These foods are beneficial for Phase II detoxification, which uses sulfur for its sulfation pathway.

3) Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: Eating 5 or preferably more servings a day helps supply the amino acid glutathione needed for Phase II detoxification. If you are exposed to a high level of toxins, it is essential to eat foods rich in glutathione. Commercially prepared foods contain very little glutathione. Frozen vegetables appear to retain their glutathione content.

Especially rich in glutathione are cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, avocado, dill and caraway seeds. Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants that help protect the liver from free radical damage caused by toxins. The organic ones are the best.

Grapefruit and its juice is an exception. It contains a substance, naringenin, which if consumed regularly inhibits Phase I detoxification. Drugs and toxins can stay in the body longer before detoxification does any harm. So if you are taking drugs or exposed to a high level of toxins, do not eat grapefruit or drink the juice.

4) High-quality protein: meat, fish and eggs provide the necessary amino acids for the conjugation pathways of phase II detoxification. It is important to eat organically produced or free-range meat and eggs to prevent further toxins from accumulating in the fats of intensively raised products. Fish is best from deep, clean water or organically grown.

5) Essential Fatty Acids: Unfortunately, many diets are lacking in the beneficial fats that are vital for Phase I detoxification. Avoid all hydrogenated fats found in many commercially produced and processed foods and meals, and heated fats that can harm them.

Eat fresh nuts and seeds and their cold-pressed oils without heating. Oily fish can be contaminated with mercury and other contaminants, so it is debatable whether they should now be included.

No matter how good your diet is or how clean your environment is, you will always be exposed to toxins. Strengthening the detox pathways through the specific foods mentioned above will help keep you well or may improve existing conditions. It’s worth it!