--- title: Best Ways to Detox Your Body description: Drinking lemon water and doing yoga can help the liver's natural function of filtering canonical: https://time.com/4323264/detox-body-lemon-vegetables/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-11T14:00:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:39.084Z article:section: Health og:title: 4 Little Ways to Help Your Body Detox og:description: From drinking lemon water to doing yoga og:url: https://time.com/4323264/detox-body-lemon-vegetables/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 4 Little Ways to Help Your Body Detox twitter:description: From drinking lemon water to doing yoga twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 4 Little Ways to Help Your Body Detox > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=d008065b-4b9e-47e0-b1ab-c673cbaeafe2&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Why Eating Healthy Won't Cost You More [Watch (HLS stream): Why Eating Healthy Won't Cost You More](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/NSr5rmbB.m3u8) (2:39)  _Published 2015-01-05. One study found that you’d only have to spend a few quarters more each day on a meal that’s good for you than you would for cheaper, less healthful food_ by [Aviva Patz / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Aviva Patz / Health.com Contributor May 11, 2016 2:00 PM UTC by [Aviva Patz / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Aviva Patz / Health.com Contributor May 11, 2016 2:00 PM UTC What do the healthiest people have in common? For starters, they limit the junk that enters their body. This means cutting back on irritants to the gut (alcohol, coffee) and foods that trigger inflammation, like sugar and [processed foods](http://time.com/4322930/how-junk-food-wrecks-your-body/), according to integrative medicine physician Dr. Frank Lipman, founder and director of Be Well, a wellness company. But even if you don’t eat perfectly 24/7, you can do simple things to help the liver—your body’s natural filter—do its job. “Boosting liver function helps to decrease the accumulation of toxic products in the tissues,” Dr. Lipman says. Here are cleansing moves you can do on the regular—no juice-fasting or salt-cave-dwelling required. **1\. Wake up with lemon** As soon as you wake up, drink a glass of [warm water with fresh lemon](http://news.health.com/2015/02/24/why-you-should-start-your-day-with-lemon-water/) squeezed in. “It will provide your body with hydrating electrolytes in the form of potassium, calcium and magnesium,” Dr. Lipman says. “We get dehydrated overnight as the body takes care of its detoxification processes, so it’s important to hydrate and replenish first thing.” Lemon juice also helps your liver produce more enzymes, which aid digestion and prompt the liver to purge toxins. The vitamin C in lemon juice, a powerful antioxidant, protects against free radicals, strengthening the immune system. **_Health.com:_** [_6 Ways to Get More Veggies Into Your Diet_](http://www.health.com/food/add-more-veggies?xid=time) **2\. Get bendy** Twisting yoga poses—think, a [seated spinal (or torso) t](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20688619%5F4,00.html)[wist](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20688619%5F4,00.html)—helps with the detox process by stimulating digestion and elimination. “A lot of digestive discomforts come from stress,” Dr. Lipman says, “so by releasing gripping and holding in the belly and taking [deep calming breaths](http://time.com/4101180/how-to-breathe-better-to-relieve-stress/?iid=sr-link2), we can relax the muscles and diaphragm, allowing the GI system to do a better job.” **3\. Eat your broccoli** Reduce chronic inflammation—which has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer—by filling your plate with sulfur-rich foods, such as onions, garlic, and cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower. “These foods are high in antioxidants, which support the body’s ability to fight off toxins,” Dr. Lipman says. A 2014 study revealed that women who ate the most cruciferous vegetables had [substantially less inflammation](http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672%2813%2901891-1/abstract) than those who ate the fewest. **_Health.com:_** [_The Best Meal Kit Services for Healthy Eaters_](http://news.health.com/2016/04/06/best-meal-kit-services/?xid=time) **4\. Sip tea** Teas containing dandelion or milk thistle may boost liver function, helping to decrease the build-up of toxins in the tissues. In a study review on milk thistle commissioned by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, researchers found that the herb may help [enhance liver function](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11896/), possibly by protecting against cell damage and stimulating repair of liver tissue. And [cancer studies](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0032776/) suggest that milk thistle may strengthen cell walls to prevent toxins from getting in, stimulate enzymes that make toxins less harmful and block free radicals from attacking cells. A word of warning though: Avoid “detoxing” teas that also promise to curb appetite or rev metabolism, because they can be laced with herbs delivering unwanted side effects such as agitation and headache. (We like [The Republic of Tea Organic Milk Thistle Superherb Tea](http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Tea-Organic-Thistle-Superherb/dp/B01C361N7M/ref=as%5Fat?tag=healthcom04a-20&linkCode=as2&s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1462458252&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=republic+of+tea+milk+thistle&psc=1) and [The Republic of Tea Organic Dandelion Superherb Tea](http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Tea-Dandelion-Superherb-Caffeine-Free/dp/B00IKH2Z6M/ref=as%5Fat?tag=healthcom04a-20&linkCode=as2&s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1462459034&sr=1-8&keywords=dandelion+tea)). **_Health.com:_** [_6 Iron-Rich Food Combos—No Meat Required_](http://www.health.com/nutrition/vegetarian-iron-food-combos?xid=time) _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/mind-body/healthy-detox-moves?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] As a mother, I would like to feed my kids healthy foods that are good for them. That's not always the case. Because it's, it's faster and less expensive if I go to a fast food restaurant or if we're eating while we're out. It's become conventional wisdom that healthy foods cost more which is often cited as a reason that many people choose things like this over this. But in fact a healthy diet can be quite affordable, depending on which foods it includes. A review of twenty- seven studies from ten countries concluded that the healthiest diets consisting of foods like veggies, fish, and nuts... Cost on average about $ 1. 50 more per day per person than unhealthy diets high in processed foods and refined grains. But within specific categories of foods, healthier options aren't necessarily more expensive. For example, one study found that 100 % fruit juice costs the same as fruit drinks with added sugars. And that whole grain cereals were actually cheaper than less nutritious cereals. Then costly products, marketed as healthy, with labels like natural, bulky grain or organic aren't really any better for you and even when they are, you don't need to buy these designer foods to have a healthy diet. Instead, go for basics like beans, whole grains, low fat dairy, vegetables and fruit. A healthy meal for four made up of these items would run about $ 14. Now compare that to an unhealthy meal consisting of chicken fried steak, french fries, soda and store bought chocolate cake. It would cost about $ 5 more. Make that fast- food fried chicken with sides, biscuits and soda, and the price is nearly twice that of the healthy meal. Now granted, certain healthy foods like fresh fish can run up your grocery bill. But by sticking to a mostly plant diet and choosing carefully, you can keep costs in check. And you may even save money by shelling out less for processed foods. Speaking of which even though the bag of chips cost less than the bag of carrots, you get more servings of carrots so they actually cost less per serving. Plus the carrots are much more filling which means I'll eat less later. Now, that's what I call a good deal. 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