Life Fit with Laura Lewis: Cleansing foods

Being Life Fit is about your total health, including the health of all of your relationships. Life Fit is a journey, not a destination. It is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Check in each Tuesday to Life Fit with Laura Lewis, author of "52 Ways To A Healthy You," as we explore our total life fitness. Then, weigh in with your own thoughts over at Laura's "Life Fit Chat" each Wednesday through Friday for further discussion on the week's topic. For more information visit Laura at www.LauraLewis.com.

This week we are focusing on detoxing the body, mind, relationships, as well as our environment. But, before we can begin to detox anything in our lives, we must first start with our bodies.

Fortunately, eating cleansing food is easier than you may think. Below you will find the ten top foods to assist you in cleansing your body. Remember, it is imperative that the foods you consume in this cleansing process are all organic. Conventional foods are packed full of toxic pesticides, which is obviously counter-productive to the goal of detoxing!

These foods will provide nutritionally dense liquids that will flush nasty toxins out while pouring nutrients in. You will be adding lots of fiber to keep your gastrointestinal tract in shape. These foods will also provide energizing and cleansing enzymes to the liver, which is your body's detox headquarters.

Top 10 Detox-Definites

1. Green leafy vegetables. Eat lots of organic, raw, green, leafy vegetables. Green is the goddess of detox. These veggies will provide the necessary chlorophyll to clean out environmental toxins, as well as protect the liver.
2. Lemons. The most important vitamin for effective detoxing is vitamin C. Fresh lemon-water provides the fluid necessary to keep fluids moving throughout the body. Vitamin C will assist in converting toxins into a water-soluble that our body can easily eliminate.
3. Watercress. Rich in minerals, this fabulous diuretic will keep your intestines in shape so that can keep everything moving and dumping out of your body. An added benefit ... watercress is also rich in minerals.
4. Garlic. This flavor enhancing bulb activates important enzymes in the liver to filter out the junk. Just make sure your honey is getting plenty. If you are going to be stinky, you will want your partner stinking right along with you!
5. Green Tea. Rich in antioxidants, green tea speeds liver activity and will provide another source for healthy fluids. Squeeze some lemon in your green tea and get an added benefit.
6. Broccoli Sprouts. These little organic, broccoli babies provide 20 to 50 times more cancer-fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than a fully grown broccoli..
7. Sesame seeds. Sesame seeds protect the liver cells from effects of alcohol and environmental toxins. Puree sesame seeds to create a tahini paste and mix it into various spreads such as hummus or on sandwiches or even in a stir-fry.
8. Cabbage. Cabbage has both of the two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver. For the best results, eat organic cabbage in its raw form.
9. Psyllium. This plant is rich insoluble fiber. Psyllium is the Mr. Clean for soaking up toxins and cholesterol and is also great as a colon cleanse.
10. Fruits. Fruit provides a multitude of healthful detoxing agents: vitamin C, fiber, nutritious fluids, antioxidants and mouthfuls of nutritious goodness!

Tune in to this weeks The Daily Turn On! and Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis for more detoxing tidbits to keep you Life Fit!