Food to Eat

• Focus your food plan around organic vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Vegetables and fruits may be eaten raw, juiced or lightly steamed. Eat only one food at each meal to ease digestion and increase the detoxification effects of the food. Good choices are grapes, apples and watermelon. In his book "Staying Healthy With Nutrition," Dr. Elson Haas suggests miso and garlic be consumed daily for their detoxifying effects. Drink at least eight to 10 glasses of purified water each day.
  
  

Foods to Avoid

• Animal products of any sort should not be eaten during a detox. Avoid foods and drinks that contain caffeine, sugar, preservatives and chemicals. All foods consumed during a detox should be organic. Don't smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol while completing a detox program.
  
  

Vitamin & Mineral Supplements

• Dr. Haas suggests avoiding all vitamin and mineral supplements in pill or capsule form while following a detoxification program. The pills and capsules add stress to the digestive system and reduce the effectiveness of the program. However, "super foods" like spirulina, chlorella and blue-green algae and other green chlorophyll powders can be added to freshly extracted juice. Get plenty of antioxidants while detoxing. These can be taken in tea form. There are several good antioxidant teas on the market. Do not sweeten the tea with sugar or chemical sugar substitutes. Stevia is a good sweetener.
  
  

Detox Herbs

• There are many herbal detox formulas available. It is more cost effective to come up with your own blend. Dr. Haas recommends combining equal parts of echinacea, garlic, goldenseal root, licorice root, parsley leaf and yellow dock root. Add 1/2 part cayenne pepper. Mix well. Use the mixture to fill 00-sized capsules. You can find these at health food stores and online. Dr. Haas recommends taking two capsules two or three times throughout the day between meals.
  
  

Laxatives & Enemas

• While completing a detox program, you should have one or two medium to large bowel movements each day. It is helpful to take one teaspoon psyllium husks in a large glass of water. This will usually provide enough bulk to achieve the desired effect.
  
  Enemas are helpful during detox. Some practitioners consider enemas essential to a good detox program, while others feel they are optional. Use your own judgment based on what works for you.
  
  

Duration

• It is possible to follow a detoxification program for too long, but it's uncommon unless you're fasting. Stop the detox if you experience illness or pain that does not go away in a few hours. For the most benefit, keep an eye on your tongue. While detoxing, your tongue will most likely develop a white or gray coating. When detox is complete, your tongue will take on a light pink color, and food will have a more complete flavor.