Our air, food and water contain an astonishing variety of chemical substances, some of which are toxic to the body even in moderate quantities, and most of which are hard on your body’s natural detoxification system. In addition to doing several seasonal body detox programs a year, you can keep a healthy, clean body by shifting your normal routine diet toward a clean, natural diet. In addition to supplying year round body cleansing, a cleansing diet will help you maintain better health, improved energy and mood, and a proper weight. Many people have reported long-term weight loss with a diet detox.

The easiest way to switch to a cleansing diet for weight loss and health is to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables and limit your intake of fatty foods, processed foods and sugary foods. Here are some suggestions for which foods to include in your cleansing diet:

2-5 servings of fresh fruit a day. Limit bananas and dried fruits. Dried fruits should be soaked overnight.

2 salads each day, ideally at lunch and dinner.

2 servings of chicken, fish or tofu for your protein. Lean beef occasionally.

A glass of vegetable juice several times a week. The best veggies are cucumber, celery, carrot, beets and parsley. If you don’t have time or equipment to juice vegetable juice at home, purchase it fresh in a sizeable quantity, portion it into 2 oz portions and freeze for future consumption.

And, of course, drink more water. Go for a gallon a day of fresh, spring water. Some of your daily intake can include unsweetened herbal tea. No sugary drinks. Sodas do not hydrate, they merely add more material to your body’s filtration system.