Why to eat them:

Proteins are essential to detoxification. They’re made of amino acids that bind the transformed toxins in the liver—so they can be carried out of the body! Proteins also stabilize blood sugar, which cuts down on hunger and cravings.

Serving size:

It’s less about ounces and more about frequency here. Try to include some in every meal for ongoing support of liver detox.

Therapeutic foods:

• Wild Alaskan salmon
• Mackerel (Atlantic)
• Sardines
• Cod
• Venison
• Beef (grass-fed)
• Lamb (grass-fed)
• Buffalo/bison (grass-fed)

Special tips:

• When shopping or dining, look for labels like: grass-fed, organic, and non-genetically modified organism (GMO).
• For fish, remember to choose wild-caught sources, as farmed fish may contain hormones and toxic chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In particular, avoid shellfish: they’re often contaminated with high levels of mercury.
• Vegetarian? You can still get lots of protein from miso, natto, tofu, tempeh, rice/hemp/pea protein powders, and plant-based burger alternatives.

Why to eat them:

They’re the perfect way to get quality dietary protein and fiber—both of which help with detox in the liver and elimination of toxins from the body through the gut.

High-protein foods are especially therapeutic for detox. But in this legume category in particular, black soybeans and edamame are highlighted as therapeutic foods: not just for their protein content, but also their fiber and isoflavone content (a soy phytoestrogen which has many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory qualities).

They’re also a healthy alternative to animal protein and an important source of the B vitamin, folic acid.

Serving size:

Try to eat at least one serving a day.

Therapeutic foods:

• Black soybeans
• Edamame

Special tips:

• Try them in the form of soup, cooked beans, dips, or hummus
• They’re a great complement to a non-starchy vegetable (which is another one of your recommended foods).

Why to eat them:

Dairy itself is not included in your plan. Why? Quite simply, most commercially available dairy products contain toxins and hormones (what you’re trying to avoid). Secondly, dairy is often involved in gastrointestinal symptoms related to leaky gut.

Seek out soy products instead. They’re highlighted as therapeutic foods for you based on their high methionine (essential amino acid) and isoflavone (a soy phytoestrogen which has many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory qualities) content.

Serving size:

Limit yourself to no more than one serving a day.

Therapeutic foods:

• Organic unsweetened soy milk
• Soy yogurt
• Soy kefir

Special tips:

• Go unsweetened. Many soy and other dairy alternatives come in sweetened versions. Look for that “unsweetened” label on the front of the box.
• Go organic. This is essential in order to minimize your toxin intake—and avoid GMOs, too.

Why to eat them:

Good news: All nuts and seeds (and their respective butters and pastes) are therapeutic foods for detox because they provide anti-inflammatory oils, quality protein, and even phytonutrient compounds like lignans (which support ongoing detoxification). It’s time to get nutty!

Serving size:

Try to eat at least two servings a day.

Therapeutic foods:

• Almonds
• Chia seeds
• Coconut
• Walnuts
• Flaxseed
• Hemp seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds

Special tips:

• Don’t buy nuts that are salted or roasted in oil.
• Add nuts to snacks, meals, smoothies, and salads. (You want to get those daily servings!)

Why to eat them:

Good-quality fats help keep inflammatory processes in balance (which is great news, since fats and oils are so key in cooking techniques—from stovetop to salad prep).

Serving size:

Aim for several servings a day.

Therapeutic foods:

• Avocado
• Olives (black or green)
• Olive oil (extra-virgin, cold-pressed)
• Flaxseed oil
• Coconut oil (organic and virgin)
• Ghee (clarified butter)
• Pumpkin seed oil
• Sesame seed oil

Special tips:

• Get used to using a variety of oils in your cooking in order to benefit from the unique phytonutrients in each. Your keywords in evaluating oils are: “minimally refined, cold-pressed, organic, and non-GMO.” They’re the best quality and least toxic.
• Store your oils in dark glass (not plastic!) containers to help them from growing rancid too quickly. (Smell them before using them to make sure they haven’t grown rancid.)
• For medium to high heat cooking, use avocado oil, coconut oil, or ghee. They’re less likely to oxidize than other oils because of their high smoke point.

Why to eat them:

Non-starchy vegetables are your treasure trove of the phytonutrients needed for detoxification! In other words, this specific category of veggies helps with liver detox and the elimination of toxins from the gut.

There are plenty of veggies to choose from, but for maximum impact, we recommend you choose from:

• Cruciferous veggies (or bassicales), which includes spinach, broccoli, and more
• Leafy greens
• Thiols (found in garlic, onion, cabbage, and more)

(On the other hand, there’s a category of vegetables you should not focus on so heavily: the starchy ones, like potatoes, corn, peas, and lentils. These vegetables give you fiber and foundational nutrition, but are not necessarily therapeutic for detox. Choose wisely when you choose veggies!)

Serving size:

Aim for a minimum of 8-10 servings a day—ideally, you want to increase this to 10-12. (Keep in mind: a serving is ½ cup of most cooked vegetables or 1 cup of raw leafy greens.)

Therapeutic foods:

• Brassicales (cruciferous vegetables) including arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and radishes
• Leafy greens, including Bok choy, Swiss chard, endive, collard greens, kale, spinach and radicchio
• Thiols, including chives, garlic, leeks, onion, scallions, and shallots
• For liver and kidney support: artichokes, asparagus, bets, celeriac root, celery, and sprouts
• Carrots
• Fennel
• Tomato

Special tips:

• Eat the rainbow! While you should go after your therapeutic foods, you should also strive for high variety and color on any given day. That’s easy to achieve with non-starchy vegetables, like red peppers, orange pumpkins, green asparagus, purple cabbage, and white onions. (The list goes on and on.)
• Buy fresh, and seek out organic produce. When it’s not possible to purchase an organic option, take special care in washing and peeling the vegetable prior to eating.
• Wondering how to get (what looks like) such a large number of daily servings? The answer is to include veggies in every meal. You can stir-fry leftover veggies from the previous night’s dinner as part of breakfast; include a hearty vegetable soup or leafy salad for lunch; and make vegetables the star of dinner, versus just a side dish.

Why to eat them:

While you should focus the majority of your vegetable intake on the wide rainbow of non-starchy options, your food plan also contains a few starchy options. These are squash (acorn and butternut), plantain, potatoes, parsnips, and rutabaga.

Serving size:

You can have up to 2-3 servings of low-glycemic fruits per day.

Therapeutic foods:

• Apples
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Grapes (purple)
• Grapefruit
• Mandarin
• Oranges
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate seeds
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries
• Tangerines

Special tips:

• Eat the rainbow! While you should go after your therapeutic foods, you should also strive for high variety and color on any given day.
• Avoid fruit juices—they’re dense with sugar. (Want to get around that by making your own juice at home? Be sure to add some vegetables—to increase the fiber content—and use a blender or extractor that keeps the fiber and particulates in the juice, rather than squeezing out the liquid and losing them.)
• Try to couple your fruit with a source of protein (like nuts or nut butter), to offset any blood sugar spikes.
• Buy organic and non-GMO when possible.

Why to eat them:

The fruits in your food plan are bursting with phytonutrients. This means they offer antioxidant protection: a key thing for detoxification. As another big bonus, they also provide an easy way for you to satisfy any sweets cravings!

Serving size:

You can have up to 2-3 servings of low-glycemic fruits per day

Therapeutic foods:

• Apples
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Grapes (purple)
• Grapefruit
• Mandarin
• Oranges
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate seeds
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries
• Tangerines

Special tips:

• Eat the rainbow! While you should go after your therapeutic foods, you should also strive for high variety and color on any given day.
• Avoid fruit juices—they’re dense with sugar. (Want to get around that by making your own juice at home? Be sure to add some vegetables—to increase the fiber content—and use a blender or extractor that keeps the fiber and particulates in the juice, rather than squeezing out the liquid and losing them.)
• Try to couple your fruit with a source of protein (like nuts or nut butter), to offset any blood sugar spikes.
• Buy organic and non-GMO when possible.

Why to eat them:

Here’s a piece of nutritional trivia you’re about to become an expert in! What qualifies as a certified gluten-free (GF) whole grain? A grain with an intact bran outer coat. Why does this distinction matter? These are the grains that provide excellent sources of dietary fiber to help with detoxification in the body.

Serving size:

Try to eat no more than 1-2 servings weekly (that’s weekly, not daily).

Therapeutic foods:

• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Certified gluten-free oats
• Quinoa

Special tips:

• Learn to identify where gluten lurks, like sauces, dressings, or seasonings.
• Make efforts to replace your grain (carb) cravings with fruit and vegetable substitutes.
• When purchasing oats, look for “certified gluten-free.”

Why to drink them:

Hydration (particularly in the form of clean, filtered water) supports all the good food you’re eating—and makes you feel even better. Quite simply, by staying hydrated, you rid the body of toxins, build resilience to stress, enhance your metabolism, and promote your satiety (feeling of fullness).

Serving size:

Water: To calculate this, divide your body weight (in pounds) in half. The resulting number is how many ounces of water you should consume each day. (So, for example, if you weigh 160 lbs, you should drink at least 80 oz of water daily.)

Therapeutic foods:

• Dandelion tea

Special tips:

• Your main source of hydration should be clean, filtered water—but you can also enjoy vegetable and bone broths and cold-pressed vegetable juices.
• Seek out herbal teas. The nutrients present in dandelion tea, in particular, have been shown to aid in the detoxification process.
• Kombucha, a fermented tea, offers a variety of health benefits and can be made at home. If you’re purchasing it at the store, be careful to read the label to avoid brands with added sweeteners and artificial flavors.
• Good news: Coffee’s also allowed!