Every minute of your life, your body is detoxifying — breaking down hundreds of hazardous chemicals that you breathe in or ingest. To do this, your body relies on specific nutrients. Yet even if your everyday diet is reasonably healthful, your body faces an enormous toxic load.

Problem: The world is filled with synthetic toxins — industrial pollutants and car exhaust… fumes from copy machines and dry cleaning… foods grown with pesticides or processed with potentially harmful additives. Chemicals in tobacco and alcohol increase the liver’s burden. Theory: Toxins in the body may lead to cell damage, increasing the risk for disease.

Solution: A one-week detoxification diet, followed four times a year, can give your body a break from the toxic onslaught… replenish healthful nutrients… alleviate cell-damaging inflammation… combat disease… even slow the aging process.

Get your doctor’s approval before beginning the one-week detox diet. This regimen may not be appropriate for people with certain chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, a kidney disorder, cancer or anemia. Do not follow the detox diet if you are pregnant or breast-feeding or if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia.

WHAT TO EAT

The majority of the body’s self-cleansing takes place in the liver, which uses enzymes to break down hazardous toxins. The dual goal of a one-week detox is to boost intake of nutrients that these enzymes may need… and to lighten the liver’s workload by limiting ingestion of additional toxins.

Choose a week when you don’t expect to be under stress or eating out a lot. Plan on three meals a day plus two snacks. Eat until satisfied — there’s no need to go hungry.

Important: The main components of the detox diet are vegetables and fruits. Buy organic to avoid pesticides that make the liver work harder.

  • Eat a variety of vegetables. These are loaded with antioxidants and may fuel liver enzymes. Choose any veggies you like — carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, salad greens, spinach, sprouts, tomatoes. Include sulfur-rich vegetables — asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, onions — which are especially supportive of detoxification enzymes. Fresh is best, but frozen or canned vegetables are all right if they have nothing added. Eat vegetables raw, steamed or sautéed in a bit of olive oil. Try a salad or crudité platter for lunch… and a medley of cooked vegetables for dinner.
  • Focus on fruit. Most fruits are rich in antioxidants. Try something new — boysenberries, guavas, kumquats, passion fruit — plus familiar favorites, such as apples, blueberries, cherries and raspberries. Mix up a fruit salad for breakfast… have a pear or an orange as a snack… drink juice with lunch or dinner. Choose fresh or frozen fruits and juices with no added sugar or syrup.
  • Enhance flavor. Many ready-made salad dressings, dips and sauces contain unhealthful oils and too much sugar and salt. Better: Make your own using monounsaturated oil, herbs and other healthful ingredients. For salads: Toss greens with one teaspoon each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar plus a pinch of oregano… or one teaspoon of olive oil plus a splash of lemon juice. For dipping: Try hummus, made from chickpeas and tahini (ground sesame seeds)… and baba ghanoush, made from eggplant and tahini. For cooked vegetables: Sprinkle with clove, turmeric or other spices.
  • Add a little protein for energy. Many people feel energized during a detox week, but others feel tired because they are eating less protein than usual. Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of protein. Choose unsalted varieties to avoid bloating. If energy remains low after the first three days, once or twice a day have a poached or hard-boiled organic egg… four ounces of fish, such as wild Alaskan salmon (try it poached with dill)… or four ounces of baked or broiled free-range chicken.
  • Have eight glasses of filtered water daily. Staying hydrated helps your body excrete toxins.
  • Drink tea. Green and white teas are rich in antioxidants. Drink tea hot or over ice. Add a wedge of lemon or lime — this improves absorption of antioxidants.
  • Try “green drinks.” Typically these are made from powdered dehydrated wheatgrass, green barley, vegetables and herbs. Some include the naturally sweet and calorie-free herb stevia. Once a day, stir the label-recommended amount of green drink mix into one cup of water or unsweetened diluted juice.

WHAT NOT TO EAT

Throughout your detox week, avoid foods with a high glycemic index (GI). The GI is a ranking system that indicates a food’s potential to cause rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn promote cell-damaging inflammation and hinder detoxification. Helpful: To find the GI of various foods, see www.glycemicindex.com.

Sugar has a very high GI — so avoid foods such as cakes, cookies, donuts, honey, soda and syrup. Other potentially high-GI foods include those made with white flour (bread, crackers) and all types of rice.

Even some vegetables and fruits have a high GI. Avoid or limit consumption of beets, parsnips, potatoes and pumpkin… as well as watermelon, raisins and dates.

Also stay away from dairy foods. Milk contains sugars and proteins that can be difficult to digest.

Many people do not realize that they are sensitive to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and many other grains. During detox week, stick to gluten-free grains that have a relatively low GI, such as quinoa and buckwheat.

Avoid alcohol, preservatives, and artificial colorings and sweeteners. These can tax the liver.

DETOX SUPPLEMENTS

Throughout your weeklong detox, continue taking whatever supplements you normally take. Also take the three supplements below to enhance detoxification activity (continuing even after the detox week, if desired)…

  • Alpha-lipoic acid. This antioxidant may help maintain normal liver function and improve glucose metabolism. Dosage: 100 mg daily. Avoid if you have thyroid problems.
  • Milk thistle extract. Studies show that this herb protects the liver from toxins… and can lower blood sugar levels. Dosage: 100 mg to 200 mg daily.
  • N-acetylcysteine (NAC). This antioxidant is so effective at protecting the liver that hospitals use it to treat overdoses of acetaminophen (Tylenol), which can cause liver failure. New finding: NAC may help the body excrete mercury, often found in fish. Dosage: 500 mg daily.

When detox week is over, gradually reintroduce whole grains, lean beef and other healthful foods into your diet, while continuing to eat lots of organic fruits and vegetables. Your liver will benefit — and your whole body will, too.