No matter what time of year you begin an herbal detox diet plan to be on it for at least three days in order to allow enough time for your body to adjust to the diet.

When is the right time to go on a Detox Diet?

Anytime you have a prolonged feeling of lethargy, are overly tired or sluggish.  Other appropriate times are directly after feasting (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, even post-Superbowl).  Detox diets are designed to rid the body of toxins and invigorate the organs responsible for waste elimination.  If you feel overly tired as a result of poor diet, this is the time for you to start.

Warning:  Always consult with a doctor prior to embarking on any diet.

What to eat on a Detox Diet

The best things to eat, not only on a diet but in general, are fruits and vegetables that have high water content. Examples are citrus fruits, apples, pears, melons and berries.  Examples of vegetables to include are lettuces, spinach and other greens, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, onion, carrot, celery, beet, fennel, cabbage, zucchini and summer squash.

These can be lightly steamed, made into salads or cooked into soups.

If you don’t get a full feeling from vegetables alone, add brown rice, beans, or lentils – no more than 1/2 cup per meal.

What foods to avoid

Meat, dairy and sugar are to be avoided completely.  Processed foods and all manner of refined sugars in addition to alcohol are off the menu, as well.  (Natural honey may be used in moderation.)

How to begin your Detox Diet

For the first one to three days, drink as much herbal tea and freshly made fruit and/or vegetable juice as you wish.  If you have never done so in the past, you might be surprised to find how filling fresh vegetable juice can be.  Beet, carrot, apple, pear and ginger is a favorite.  (Be sure to indulge yourself if you wish.  Fresh pineapple, carrot, orange juice for breakfast is a staple in our house.)

For dinner, a hot vegetable broth (with pureed vegetables, if you wish) is a tasty way to end the day and adds a little textural and temperature variety to the rather restricted food choices.

This beginning phase is designed to give your digestive system a day or more to rest and you should as well.  Refrain from exertion.  Light exercise (yoga, walking) is fine but you don’t want to burn through too many calories.

The Next Phase of your Detox Diet

Re-introduce solid food in the form of fruits and vegetables and whole grain starches like brown rice, beans and lentils.

Drink plenty of herbal teas designed to enhance the functions of you detoxifying organs – liver, lungs, skin and kidneys/bladder.

When to stop your Detox Diet

Ending your diet is completely up to you.  You should aim for a minimum of three days (when only fasting for one day) to five days (when fasting for three days).

Stopping your diet can be as gentle as stopping your tea regimen and increasing your food intake.

If you plan on maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle, learn the proper food pairing necessary to ensure you consume enough complete proteins.

In order to get the most out of an herbal body detox program, it is essential that you follow a good diet for the duration of the program.  Basic detoxification begins with diet.

Avoid eating anything that will add toxins to your system or in any way tax your digestive abilities.  This means eliminating alcohol and tobacco.  Eat as close to a vegetarian diet as you can.  If you must eat meat, eat extremely small portions gently prepared – steamed or poached are the best methods.

Increase your intake of water.  Either in its pure state or as an herbal tea.  Also increase your intake of fiber in the form of unprocessed fruits, vegetables and grains or, if needed in a supplement like psyllium.  This is done to increase bowel evacuation and urination which will eliminate toxins from the body.

The two other means of toxin elimination should also be enhanced.  Sweat often through exercise or a steam room/sauna.  Take time to practice deep breathing.  Respiration is a vital way of releasing toxins as well.

The main organs for detoxification in the human body are the skin, the liver, the lungs, the bowels and the kidneys.

Therefore, all herbal detoxification programs aim to enhance their function while eliminating the ingestion of foods and beverages which trigger digestive problems (such as wheat gluten and dairy products – often allergenic,  sugars which have no function but can bring on hypoglycemia, meats which contain hormones and are extremely difficult to digest and caffeine as it has many negative effects on digestion).

Herbs that enhance liver function:

• Milk thistle
• Dandelion Root
• Ginger
• Nettle
• Rose hips

Herbs that enhance kidney and bladder function:

• Hydrangea root
• Marshmallow root
• Ginger
• Parsley
• Juniper
• Golden Seal

Herbs that enhance lung and respiratory function:

• Astragalus
• Aster
• Bupleurum
• Licorice root
• Mullein Leaf
• Ginger root

Herbs that enhance skin function/perspiration

• Angelica
• Blessed thistle
• Camphor
• Cayanne
• Chamomile
• Hyssop
• Rosemary
• Peppermint
• Yarrow