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Simply put, our body is filled with a lot of garbage that it digests and just ends up sitting around. This thick plaque clings to the inside of your intestines, preventing nutrients from being absorbed, and literally choking you off from the inside. Right now, many people are walking around with 20 pounds or more of this dense fecal matter tightly packed to their insides.

This fecal matter is a breeding ground for bacteria, and if you don’t remove it you can slowly poison yourself. It is no wonder that our body has so much of this needless waste considering what we put in it:

• Processed Foods
• Saturated and Trans Fats
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Alcohol and other ‘vice’ toxins

as well as other artificial products that the body simply doesn’t know what to do with. Too much of this garbage can have many negative side effects on your health and it is important to help the body to rid itself of this junk.

This is where detoxification comes in, and why you need to cleanse your body.

Doing this will not only make you healthier, it will also lead to increases in energy levels, make you more able to get rid of bad habits, cleanse the body of harmful toxins, and promote weight loss through the increased energy levels and smoother, stronger metabolism rate that will accompany it. Truly, a detoxification diet essentially enables a person and their body a fresh, new start.

Cleansing is the prime act that helps shed stubborn weight once and for all and when it comes to cleansing your body of harmful toxins, food really is the best medicine. You’ll be amazed to learn that many of your favorite foods also cleanse the body’s detoxification organs like the liver, intestines, kidneys, and skin, preventing harmful toxic buildup. Help ward off the harmful effects of pollution, food additives, second-hand smoke, and other toxins with delicious fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, and beans.

Fueling up on cleansing foods will not only cleanse the body,  but will promote weight loss, healthy glowing skin, strong hair and nails and improve your overall health.

Here are my top favourite cleansing foods.

Apples. Because apples are high in pectin, a type of fiber that binds to cholesterol and heavy metals in the body, they help eliminate toxic build up and to cleanse the intestines. Apples also help break down buildup that can lead to kidney and gallbladder stones.

Avocados. We rarely think of avocados as a cleansing food but these nutritional powerhouses lower cholesterol and dilate blood vessels while blocking artery-destroying toxicity. Avocados contain a nutrient called glutathione, which blocks at least thirty different carcinogens while helping the liver detoxify synthetic chemicals.

Beets. They contain a unique mixture of natural plant compounds that make them superb blood purifiers and liver cleansers.

Blueberries. As one of the most powerful healing foods—blueberries contain natural aspirin that helps lessen the tissue-damaging effects of chronic inflammation, while lessening pain. Blueberries also act as antibiotics by blocking bacteria in the urinary tract, thereby helping to prevent infections. They also have antiviral properties and help to block toxins from crossing the blood-brain barrier to gain access to the delicate brain.

Cabbage. Cabbage contains numerous anticancer and antioxidant compounds and helps the liver break down excess hormones. Cabbage also cleanses the digestive tract and neutralizes some of the damaging compounds found in cigarette smoke (and second-hand smoke). It also strengthens the liver’s ability to detoxify.

Celery. Celery and celery seeds are excellent blood cleansers and contain many different anti-cancer compounds that help detoxify cancer cells from the body. Celery seeds contain over twenty anti-inflammatory substances. It is particularly good for detoxifying substances found in cigarette smoke.

Cranberries. Cleanse your body from harmful bacteria and viruses that may be lingering in your urinary tract with cranberries since they contain antibiotic and antiviral substances.

Flaxseeds and Flaxseed Oil. Loaded with essential fatty acids, particularly the Omega-3s, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil are essential for many cleansing functions throughout the body.

Garlic. Eat garlic to cleanse harmful bacteria, intestinal parasites and viruses from your body, especially from the blood and intestines. It also helps cleanse build-up from the arteries and has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties that help detoxify the body of harmful substances. Additionally, garlic assists with cleansing the respiratory tract by expelling mucous build-up in the lungs and sinuses. For the health benefits, choose only fresh garlic, not garlic powder, which has virtually none of the above properties.

Grapefruit. Add a ruby red grapefruit to your breakfast to benefit from pectin fiber that binds to cholesterol, thereby cleansing the blood. Pectin also binds to heavy metals and helps escort them out of the body. It also has antiviral compounds that cleanse harmful viruses out of the body. Grapefruit is an excellent intestinal and liver detoxifier.

Kale. Steam some kale to benefit from its powerful anti-cancer and antioxidant compounds that help cleanse the body of harmful substances. It is also high in fiber, which helps cleanse the intestinal tract. Like cabbage, kale helps neutralize compounds found in cigarette smoke and strengthens liver cleansing.

Legumes. Add a handful of cooked beans to your next meal since they loaded with fiber that helps lower cholesterol, cleanses the intestines, and regulates blood sugar levels. Legumes also help protect the body against cancer.

Lemons. Excellent liver detoxifiers, lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C, a vitamin needed by the body to make an important substance called glutathione. Glutathione helps the liver detoxify harmful chemicals. Start your day by adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to pure water to support your cleansing efforts on a daily basis—you will be shocked at the difference in your energy levels.

Who knew cleansing could be so fresh and delicious? Add your favorites to your next shopping list. Making simple diet changes by switching from processed and artificially made foods, to whole, fresh options make a world if a difference in your health and body shape, so what are you waiting for?

Owner of eatingpretty.com, Angela McNally, is a Nutritionist, Wellness Expert, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist and Fitness Model. She has a passion for life, love and creating new opportunities.