10 Best Detox Foods You Should Start Eating

Detoxing has become bit of a trend with all the different fasting formulas and super foods that are out there. Unfortunately, most of the popular “detoxes” really aren’t safe for you and aren’t healthy either. If you want to detox your body, did you know it can be as simple as eating the right foods? Here’s a list of 10 foods you can enjoy if you really want to cleanse your body.

1. Avocados - Do you love avocados so much you would put slices of them on just about any food you eat? There’s no reason to feel guilty about doing this, especially because this is such a great food for you to eat. Avocados are packed full of antioxidants, including glutathione. This detoxes the body by transporting harmful toxins right out of it. By reducing the chemicals and toxins in your body you will be healthier and feel better.

2. Cranberries - These might be great for preventing urinary tract infections, but they can also get rid of toxins inside of your body. These get rid of waste from the body and are antibacterial so they remove toxins.

3. Cabbage – This food has sulfur inside of it, which is essential when it comes to breaking down chemicals in the body. Sulfur can help get rid of everything from pesticides to prescription drugs, which could be harmful if they stuck around.

4. Lemons – These are great in drinks and recipes, but they are also packed full of vitamins and antioxidants. These protect the liver and they get rid of chemicals inside of the body. Consuming lemons on a regular basis can improve health.

5. Broccoli – If you’re the type of person who doesn’t like broccoli, you should try it out once again! It’s full of antioxidants that can cleanse your body. It’s also high in enzymes that help to get your digestive system running efficiently. Raw broccoli is best because it has a high level of nutrients inside of it.

6. Garlic – Packed full of sulfur, this is another great food to use for body cleanses. It also has antibiotic properties so it can help internally heal your body. There are a lot of advantages to eating garlic on a regular basis; it’s even available in supplement form!

7. Beets – These can be incorporated into a lot of different recipes or they can be eaten raw. They are full of betaine and pectin, which help protect the liver and the digestive system. These can cleanse the body so you have fewer toxins.

8. Grapefruit – This fruit helps cleanse the digestive system and it can prevent kidney stones from developing. It’s also low in natural sugars and calories, so it’s great for dieting.

9. Sunflower Seeds – These are great to snack on and can detox the liver so it’s healthier. It can also get rid of harmful toxins floating around in the body. In addition to this, it prevents cholesterol from building up and causing body damage.

10. Lentils – These aid the digestive system to cleanse and detox your body. Lentils also lower the cholesterol and help balance the blood sugar inside of your body.

Making Cayenne Pepper Tea to Boost Immunity

 It is a possibility that Cayenne can make you lose weight.
Cayenne is a spicy tasting herb that is orange or red in color. People sprinkle it onto their food and incorporate it into recipes in order to add some heat and flavor to dishes. Cayenne also has healing properties, and herbalists have been using it for years to build immunity, fight off colds, soothe ulcers and help detoxify the body. Recently, a weight loss diet called "The Master Cleanse" has used a cayenne pepper tea to flush the body of toxins and promote weight loss. Make a cayenne pepper tea with water, lemon, a generous helping of cayenne and any additional ingredients that will help you achieve your health goals.


While previous studies looking into the chili pepper as a possible weight loss supplement had mixed results, a November 2010 study spearheaded by Dr. Richard Mattes, a distinguished professor of nutrition science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, showed eating less than a teaspoon (0.1 to 0.3 grams) of dried cayenne promoted calorie burn and decreased appetites. After a meal sprinkled with cayenne pepper, the participants tended to eat an average of 60 calories less at the next meal and burned 10 more calories on their own. The individuals with positive results did not consume cayenne regularly before the study and reported positive weight loss in as little as three weeks.

Cayenne in medicine
Native Americans have used cayenne for its medicinal and culinary properties as far back as 9,000 years. It's also an herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, as well as in Japanese and Korean medical practices. Cayenne, from the Capsicum family of vegetables, originated in Central and South America but was named after the town of Cayenne in French Guiana. The pepper is the fruit of the plant -- a hollow, long pod that becomes red, yellow or orange when ripe. Cayenne is commonly used in cooking -- the peppers are either eaten raw or cooked or dried and used as a powdered spice.

What more can cayenne do?
Weight reduction is not the only positive benefit you can get from cayenne. This pepper's most active component is capsaicin, which gives cayenne its heat. Cayenne also has vitamin A, vitamin C, phenolic compound flavonoids and the phytonutrient carotenoids that provides the bright color. These powerful antioxidants help your body defend itself from toxic free radicals that can damage cells and weaken the immune system. The antioxidants in cayenne protect the body against many forms of cancer and premature skin aging and brain degeneration. Flavonoids have been found to have antiviral, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet properties, while carotenoids maximize the health-giving activities of vitamin A and promote cell-to-cell communication. It is believed that poor communication among cells lead to an overgrowth which in turn, leads to cancer.

Find out how else cayenne can help:

1. Pain reliever
Applied to the skin, cayenne inhibits the production of Substance P, a short-chain polypeptide which carries the pain impulses from the nerve endings to the central nervous system. Cayenne prevents the pain messages from reaching the brain and provides pain relief, especially in the following disease conditions:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Gout
• Herpes zoster
• Post-surgery pain
• Diabetic peripheral neuropathy

2. Symptomatic treatment for psoriasis
As capsaicin cream, cayenne reduces the symptoms of psoriasis, a chronic skin disease characterized by itchy, raised red patches on the skin with whitish flakes that can become inflamed in more serious cases.

3. Energy booster
Taken internally in powder form or as a drink, cayenne provides an energy boost and has a rejuvenating effect. As a result, it eliminates lethargy and fatigue as a stimulant.

Dosage
Eating cayenne three times a day may be a too much for the average person. Thankfully, a range of cayenne products are available.

• For topical treatment: Apply capsaicin cream (0.025 to  0.075 percent capsaicin) to the affected area up to four times a day. Pain relief is gradual and may be felt in three to four days.
• For oral intake: Capsaicin capsules (30 to 120 milligrams) can be taken up to three times a day. As a powder, place one half to one teaspoon of cayenne in one cup of boiling water and steep for 10 minutes. Drink one teaspoon of the brewed solution three to four times a day, with more water.

Warnings

• Cayenne as a supplement is not recommended for children.
• Taking capsaicin capsules can produce a slight burning feeling in the stomach, which is tolerable and dissipates quickly. If you have stomach ulcers, consult with your doctor first before starting on oral cayenne.
• Do not apply cayenne cream to open wounds. Cayenne applied to the skin may cause a burning sensation. Test it on a small area first before regular use.
• Pregnant women may consume cayenne cooked into food, but should consult their physician before taking the herb in supplement form.