Now that spring is officially here and Easter has come and gone it's the perfect time to embrace some clean and healthy habits to coincide with the fresh new season -- and to get you on track to have an awesomely fit summer (bikini panic anyone?).

Some people swear by detoxing and doing regular "detox diets" in order to flush toxins out of their bodies, but even if you're not ready to commit to something that serious you can still get some of the benefits just by incorporating certain foods into your diet and boosting your body's own natural detox system: the liver.

The top 10 detox foods(click thumbnails to view gallery)

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Brian's post from a few days ago on the Martha's Vineyard Diet and the promise that you can lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days has been one of ur more popular pages, and rightly so -- who wouldn't be curious at the idea of losing 21 pounds in 3 weeks? As for whether it's legit, well, that's another story.

AOL's fitness team has put together a review of the Martha's Vineyard Diet. In a nutshell, here's what they have to say about it:

• It's not healthy -- the diet doesn't include adequate amounts of protein and fat
• The book makes many false claims -- including the claim that you can build muscle on the diet, which, without protein or resistance training, isn't possible. And anyway, who would have the energy to go to the gym on this type of eating plan?
• The author also makes outrageous and frankly bizarre claims that have nutritionists and doctors confused. An example? She suggests jumping on a trampoline to relieve pressure to your lymphatic system
• The 'science' behind the diet is unsubstantiated
  
• My favourite part of the review: "Take the Cabbage Soup Diet, substitute cabbage with a variety of other veggies and fruits, then throw in an uncomfortable enema and you have the Martha's Vineyard Diet"
  

Hmph. That's definitely some food (or juice) for thought. Do you agree? Disagree?

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I have to laugh at most of the diet commercials these days: lose 30 pounds in a few months! Take a pill and lose weight while eating your favorite (junk) foods! Strap this thing on your tummy and lose weight. Such utter hogwash.

So, when I see a diet purporting that you can lose 21 pounds in 21 days, I am immediately skeptical. In general, weight loss done the healthy way will take time. That means starting weight loss activity in the spring for the summer. Starting now is just going to set most people up for failure since immediate gratification is the name of the game in the U.S. culture these days.

I've not really delved into the science of the Martha's Vineyard Detox Diet, but any "detox diet" -- if radical enough -- will drop pounds very fast. Is it the most healthy way? That is up for debate in my corner. If it has worked for you, please tell me about it. What were the pitfalls?

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Many of us have heard of "detoxifying diets" that are meant yo flush our bodies of all that stored toxic junk in the colon (like red meat and other things), but some of the "detox" diets sound a little messy and inconvenient. How about one that is made up of one rule: just eat plan fruit for three days?

Sounds great, right? Jay Robb, a clinical nutritionist who products are just wonderful (I've used them to great success) has a book titled Fruit Flush 3-day Detox that sounds exciting to me. Although I don't need this book, the mere thought of a detox diet involving only fruit sounds delicious to me.

If you've been thinking of detoxifying your body using some kind of natural method, you probably owe it to yourself to give this book a look (do some research into what it's all about).

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Some of the rage among Hollywood stars these days is a "detox" diet. These are diets that attempt to rid the body of stored contaminants and flush the system out in preparation for a healthier nutrition lifestyle.

Do they work? Yes they do, from my personal experience. Before you make radical (and healthier) changes to your diet, consider detoxing once you've consulted with your physician.

In short, detoxing boosts your body's nutritional intake and sheds toxins such as processed food chemicals and environmental pollutants. Ask a nutritionist what they think about detoxing, but you'll probably know the answer before you ask.

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