leanmeantoned:

1. SKIP THE SODA

Plain and simple, soda provides nothing but empty calories, so it’s best to strike it from your diet entirely. Thinking of just switching to diet or low-cal soda? Think again. Studies have shown than the artificial sweeteners in diet soda may cause cancer. So just skip the soda altogether.

2. GO ORGANIC… A LITTLE

Organic food is expensive, but in some cases, well worth the extra expense when you’re trying to detox your diet. There are 12 foods that are so loaded with nasty pesticides and fertilizers and such they’re actually called the Dirty Dozen. It’s worth spending the extra cash on organic versions of these if you want to detox your diet. The Dirty Dozen are: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, grapes, bell peppers, blueberries, potatoes, lettuce, and kale. Note that there are also a number of foods you don’t necessarily have to buy organic, and just need a good washing, and they’re called the Clean Fifteen. They include foods we peel before we eat, like corn, avocados, and such.

3. FORGET FAST FOOD

Did you know that one fast food meal can contain all of the calories you should consume in an entire day? And that most of those calories are from fat? Not to mention that many outbreaks of deadly e coli contamination originate in undercooked or poorly handled fast food… play it safe and healthy and detox your diet by forgetting fast food.

4. BAN THE CAN

Prepared foods can also be very unhealthy, because they’re loaded with sodium and chemical preservatives to keep them tasting fresh and to keep them from spoiling on the store shelf. Prepared foods, like canned pasta and boxed meal kits are the worst offenders, so if you want to detox our diet, ban the can… and the box!

5. GO FOR GRAINS

White bread is not only tasteless and flimsy, it’s also been leeched of its nutrients, literally, with bleach. Yuck! Whole grain bread, on the other hand, is made with the nutrient-rich whole grain (as the name implies) and is not bleached. It’s also filled with fiber, a dieter’s friend, which makes you feel fuller, longer, and aids in healthy digestion. Bonus! So swap your nasty white bread for wholesome, tasty whole grains instead. Instant detox!

6. TEST YOUR WATER

My tap water is tasty, but I recently found out that it’s got unhealthy levels of certain contaminants, so I now use a filtering system. When you think about it, safe drinking water is another great way to detox your diet, because we use it for so much more than drinking… like cooking, cleaning, washing… you name it! If you haven’t done so recently, have your tap water tested, or buy a kit and do it yourself.

7. RINSE WELL

Speaking of water and detoxing, it’s a good idea to wash your hands before and after you handle food, and to wash the food itself before you use it! Rinsing and washing well, and often, will help prevent the spread of nasty food-borne contaminants.