Indispensable "Purifying Foods" for Detox
Change Your Eating Habits
Replace refined foods with natural foods. Fresh fruits are the most powerful purifying foods; pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and pear are all good choices. Additionally, reduce irritating foods and quit the habit of drinking coffee and black tea. You might consider replacing them with fruit and flower teas and green tea.
Eat More Probiotic Products
Drinking yogurt containing probiotics has the same effect, supplementing the gut's probiotics and purifying the intestines.
Brown Sugar Detox This detox method, which has been all the rage in Japan, is scientifically sound. Analysis shows that brown sugar contains a special component called "molasses," which has a powerful "detoxifying" effect. The ingredients it contains, such as carotene, riboflavin, niacin, amino acids, and glucose, have strong antioxidant and reparative effects on cells, allowing skin cells to regenerate rapidly after detoxification and preventing pigmentation rebound. Therefore, you might want to try brown sugar detox. Eating it directly is one method, or you can make a mask with brown sugar, papaya puree, and olive oil to apply to your face and massage your skin, which also yields good results.
Cucumber
Sweet in flavor and neutral in nature, also known as green cucumber, hu gua, or ci gua. It originated in India and has significant effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, promoting the production of body fluids, and quenching thirst. Modern medicine considers cucumber rich in nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, vitamin B2, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotene, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc. It also contains components like malic acid, cucurbitacin, and soft fine fibers, making it a rare detoxifying and beautifying food. The cucumber acid in it can promote human metabolism and expel toxins. Its vitamin C content is five times higher than that of watermelon, which can whiten the skin, maintain skin elasticity, and inhibit the formation of melanin. Cucumber can also inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat and is very beneficial to the lungs, stomach, heart, liver, and excretory system. In the summer, when one is prone to irritability, thirst, sore throat, or excess phlegm, eating cucumber can help alleviate inflammation.
Lychee
Sweet and sour in flavor, warm in nature, it has the effects of tonifying the spleen and benefiting the liver, promoting the production of body fluids and quenching thirst, and detoxifying to stop diarrhea. Li Shizhen said in "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Regular consumption of lychee can nourish the brain and strengthen the body..." "Sui Shen Ju Yin Shi Pu" records: "Lychee is sweet, warm, and fragrant. It benefits the mind and enhances intelligence, nourishes essence and fluids, expels foul odors and relieves pain, nourishes the heart's nutritive qi, and nourishes the liver's blood. It is a fine among fruits, and fresh ones are especially good." Modern medicine believes that lychee contains vitamins A, B1, C, as well as pectin, free amino acids, protein, and various elements like iron, phosphorus, and calcium. Modern medical research has proven that lychee can tonify the kidneys, improve liver function, accelerate toxin elimination, promote cell generation, and make the skin delicate, making it an ideal fruit for detoxification and beauty.
Wood Ear Mushroom
Sweet in flavor and neutral in nature, it has the effects of detoxifying, clearing the stomach and intestines, and harmonizing blood to stop bleeding. Ancient records describe wood ear mushroom as "boosting qi without causing hunger, lightening the body and strengthening the will." Wood ear mushroom is rich in carbohydrates, colloid, cephalin, cellulose, glucose, xylose, lecithin, carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, protein, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and other nutrients, earning it the title "meat among vegetables." The plant colloid contained in wood ear mushroom has strong adsorption power, which can concentrate and adsorb dust and impurities remaining in the human digestive system and then expel them, thereby playing a role in detoxifying and clearing the stomach.
Honey
Sweet in flavor and neutral in nature, it has been a fine product for nourishing the body, detoxifying, and beautifying since ancient times. "Shennong Ben Cao Jing" records: "Long-term use strengthens the will, lightens the body, and prevents aging, prolonging life." Honey is rich in vitamin B2, C, fructose, glucose, maltose, sucrose, high-quality protein, potassium, sodium, iron, natural spices, lactic acid, malic acid, diastase, oxidase, and other components, with significant effects on moistening the lungs to stop coughs, moistening the intestines to relieve constipation, detoxifying, and beautifying. Modern medical research has proven that the main components of honey, glucose and fructose, are easily absorbed and utilized by the human body. Regular consumption of honey can achieve the effects of expelling toxins and beautifying the skin, and it is also very beneficial for preventing cardiovascular diseases and neurasthenia.
Carrot
Sweet in flavor and cool in nature, it has the effects of nourishing blood for detoxification, strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the stomach, and is known as "little ginseng." Carrot is rich in carbohydrates, fats, volatile oils, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, anthocyanin, carotene, calcium, iron, and other nutrients. Modern medicine has proven that carrot is an effective detoxifying food. It not only contains abundant carotene but also a large amount of vitamin A and pectin. After combining with mercury ions in the body, it can effectively reduce the concentration of mercury ions in the blood and accelerate their excretion.
Bitter Melon
Sweet in flavor and neutral in nature. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bitter melon has the effects of detoxifying, expelling toxins, and beautifying the skin. "Compendium of Materia Medica" says bitter melon "eliminates pathogenic heat, relieves fatigue, and clears the mind and brightens the eyes." Bitter melon is rich in protein, carbohydrates, crude fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, carotene, calcium, iron, and other components. Modern medical research has found that a protein with significant anti-cancer activity exists in bitter melon. This protein can stimulate the body's immune system's defense function, increase the activity of immune cells, and clear harmful substances from the body. Although bitter melon has a slightly bitter taste, its aftertaste is sweet, and it has gradually become popular on dining tables in recent years.
Kelp
Salty in flavor and cold in nature, it has the effects of resolving phlegm and calming asthma, detoxifying, and promoting bowel movements. Kelp is rich in alginic acid, mannitol, protein, fat, carbohydrates, crude fiber, carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, niacin, iodine, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other components. It is particularly rich in iodine, which is very beneficial to the human body and can treat goiter and other diseases caused by iodine deficiency. The protein it contains includes 8 amino acids. After the iodide in kelp is absorbed by the body, it can accelerate the excretion of lesions and inflammatory exudates, has the effect of lowering blood pressure, preventing arteriosclerosis, and promoting the excretion of harmful substances. At the same time, kelp also contains a substance called fucoidan, which can absorb cholesterol in the blood and excrete it, keeping the cholesterol content in the blood normal. In addition, there is a slightly sweet white powder on the surface of kelp, which is mannitol with great medical value. It has a good diuretic effect and can treat drug poisoning, edema, and other ailments, making kelp an ideal detoxifying and beautifying food.
Tea
Cool in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, it has the effects of clearing heat and relieving vexation, promoting digestion and resolving food stagnation, clearing heat and promoting weight loss, and promoting urination. China is the hometown of tea and has always attached great importance to it. Ancient records say: "Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered seventy-two poisons in one day, and was cured by tea." This shows that tea has a good detoxifying effect. Tea is rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin B1, niacin, amino acids, and various enzymes. Its effects of refreshing the mind, clearing the head, relieving summer heat, and quenching thirst are particularly significant. Modern medical research shows that tea is rich in a substance called tea polyphenols, which have a detoxifying effect. As a natural antioxidant, tea polyphenols can scavenge reactive oxygen free radicals, which can strengthen the body and delay aging.
Winter Mushroom
Sweet in flavor and cool in nature, it has the effects of tonifying qi and strengthening the spleen, detoxifying, and moistening dryness. Winter mushroom contains 18 amino acids including glutamic acid. It contains 7 of the 8 essential amino acids for the human body. It also contains more than 30 kinds of enzymes, as well as glucose, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, iron, phosphorus, calcium, and other components. Modern medical research believes that winter mushroom contains polysaccharides, which can improve the body's immunity and detoxification ability, inhibit the growth of cancer cells, and enhance the body's anti-cancer ability. In addition, winter mushroom can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent arteriosclerosis, strengthen the heart and protect the liver, calm the mind, promote metabolism, and strengthen the excretion of waste in the body, making it the best edible fungus for detoxifying and strengthening the body.
Mung Bean
Sweet in flavor and cool in nature, it has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and eliminating fire. It is a traditional Chinese medicine often used by Chinese medicine to relieve various food or drug poisonings. Mung bean is rich in vitamin B group, glucose, protein, diastase, oxidase, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and other components. Drinking mung bean soup often can help expel toxins from the body and promote the body's normal metabolism. Many people easily develop symptoms like itchy skin, acne, and heat rash after eating greasy, fried, or "heaty" foods, which is caused by dampness and toxins overflowing onto the skin. Mung bean has a powerful detoxifying effect and can remove various toxins. Modern medical research has proven that mung bean can lower cholesterol, protect the liver, and has anti-allergic effects. In the summer and autumn seasons, mung bean soup is an excellent product for detoxifying and beautifying.