Spring is finally here and it's the perfect time to think about a detox cleanse incorporating more ‘detox foods” into your diet.  Detox foods are often foods with insoluble fiber (like raw veggies) or have a diuretic effect (like green tea) all promoting speedy digestion, eliminating toxins and essentially detoxing your body by replenishing the body with optimum nutrition.

These foods detox your body and cleanse your liver. Think of your liver as an air filter. All the toxins we eat, drink and breathe in get clogged up in this hard-working organ. Even though our body has it's own natural detoxification system, there is a lot we can do to give it a helping hand, largely by eating the right kinds of foods.

Your health will benefit from adding more detox foods to your daily diet. Along with deflating your winter body, the detoxifying properties in these foods will give you give a boost in your overall energy, eliminate cravings, wake up the digestive system, and prepare the body for a new healthier way of eating.

Here are our top 15 picks.

Onions

This kitchen staple is as healthy as it is tasty. It’s brimming with sulfur-containing amino acids, which efficiently detox the liver.

Ginger and garlic

Ginger and garlic are good friends to the liver because they help get rid of free radicals that are built up in the body. Make yourself a healthy stir-fry and don't be shy to season it with these two liver-loving foods.

Pineapple

This tropical delight contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme that helps cleanse your colon and improve digestion.

Beets

Beets are a great source of betacyanin, which has cancer-fighting properties, and full of magnesium, iron, zinc and calcium to help flush out toxins.

Avocado

Avocado has a bounty of insoluble and soluble fiber, and healthy fat, which makes it a perfect detox food.

Green Tea

Green tea is high in catechins, a flavonoid that speeds up liver activity and increase the production of detoxification enzymes.

Dark Leafy Greens

Leafy greens boost chlorophyll levels in the digestive tract, which helps the body get rid of environmental toxins like smog and herbicides.

Seaweed

Seaweed binds to heavy metals to help eliminate them from the body. It’s also a powerhouse of minerals and trace minerals.

Parsley

Those pretty green leaves don’t just make your plate look great. Parsley contains plenty of beta-carotene and vitamins A, C and K to protect your kidneys and bladder.

Watercress

Give your liver a big boost with cleansing action of watercress. Great in smoothie and a spicy addition to salads.

Basil

Basil is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s anti-bacterial properties, are it full of antioxidants to protect the liver.

Fennel

If you’re going through Twizzlers-withdrawal, chomping on some fennel might help. It’s a root vegetable that tastes like licorice, and it’s packed with dietary fiber that will help you flush out toxins and boost digestion.

Artichokes

Artichokes help the liver function at its best. It increases bile production, which helps break down foods using the nutrients inside them.  It’s also filled with fiber, protein, magnesium, foliate, and potassium. It’s a great detox food to add to your diet in order to stay regular, stay healthy, and keep your liver happily doing its job.

Cabbage Cabbage helps your liver with a byproduct that lowers cholesterol, as well as aiding in digestion.

Grapefruit & Lemons

Grapefruit contains over 70 milligrams of liver cleansing glutathione. Grapefruits also contain a special kind of pectin that has been shown to lower cholesterol. Lemons have high amounts of vitamin C also containing glutathione and believed to help balance the body’s pH levels. The fiber and the nutrient-rich juices in the citrus siblings pack a nice detox punch which them a detox food stars.