IPWS annual sponsor, Epermarket, is an online expat supermarket that offers over 7,000 products from reliable brands from around the world at diverse price ranges to be delivered directly to your doorstep. This month, they share with us their expert tips on staying healthy and detoxing our bodies with the help of Superfoods.

Our bodies are truly magnificent. While we are busy running around stressing about reports and projects, what to make for dinner, whether the kids had a bath or not today, while all at the same time wearing about a million other hats at the same time, our bodies are hard at work, taking care of us. But like anything, they require a bit of maintenance and care.

It doesn’t matter how much we try, we can’t completely escape exposure to toxins. From the air we breathe, to the water we drink or even the soil that our food is grown on, there are always toxins that we are exposing ourselves to. Having a high level of toxins in your body can result in a number of conditions such as chronic fatigue, extreme weakness, inflammation, and congestion as well as skin problems such as acne, rashes, psoriasis and excessive skin dryness.

Our bodies naturally eliminate toxins to avoid such health issues, but just like us, sometimes the workload can get a bit much for it to handle. As more toxicants are used in products to increase the “convenience” of our lives, it’s becoming more and more necessary that we take steps to help our bodies detoxify as well, and one of the best ways we can do so is by introducing detoxifying superfoods to our diets.

Detoxing doesn’t have to be a complicated process and can be done by simply making better choices about what we eat. Here are 5 detox superfoods that will help our bodies eliminate harmful toxins and keep our bodies clean and healthy:

5 Detoxifying Superfoods

1. Lemons
Even though lemons are acidic in nature, lemons actually have an alkaline effect on the body, which helps us restore our pH levels. Lemons are high in vitamin C, which is one of the main ingredients for glutathione, which helps your liver in the detoxification process as well as acting as a natural energizer which helps your body fight some of the symptoms of having excessive toxins in the body by aiding our digestive systems.

Use it: Squeeze half a lemon into a glass of warm water and drink it daily in the morning on an empty stomach.

2. Beetroot
Beets contain a unique mixture of natural plant chemicals (phytochemicals) and minerals that make this root vegetable a must in your diet. Not only do they help our bodies fight infection, purify our blood, and help clean our livers, but they also help boost oxygen flow in the body. Like lemons, beets also help stabilize our blood pH levels, which support our bodies’ natural detoxifying processes. Beets are also an excellent source of fiber, which not only aids digestion but helps our bodies eliminate waste.

Use it: Add shredded raw beetroot in your salads or add raw beetroot to a fresh juice.

3. Avocado
Full of healthy antioxidants, avocados help remove harmful toxins from our bodies. Like lemons, avocados also contain glutathione. Not only does glutathione help your liver detoxify your body, but it can block at least 30 different carcinogens! Avocado is also rich in vitamin K, which helps protect your liver from free radical damage, and it’s fiber helps aids our digestive system eliminate waste.  Just half a cup of avocado added to your diet regularly for at least a few days or weeks will be effective in detoxifying your body.

Use it: Have them plain, top them on your salad or blend them into a deliciously creamy smoothie. Our favorite? Skip the butter and have avocado toast instead!

4. Green Garlic (Spring Garlic)
Garlic in general is always a good choice when it comes to your body. Being antimicrobial, garlic helps cleanse harmful bacteria, intestinal parasites, and viruses from the body and also helps clean out buildup from the arteries. Not only does it have properties that help keep you from overeating, but garlic has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties that help detoxify the body of harmful substances and is excellent for helping keep your respiratory tracts healthy.

Use it: Spring garlic has a milder, sweeter taste than regular bulbs you buy later in the season. Enjoy it diced on salad for a fat-fighting side or lunch.

5. Seaweed
Possibly the most underrated vegetable in Western cooking, not only is seaweed a powerhouse of minerals, but studies have shown that seaweed actually binds to radioactive waste in the body for easy disposal. Radioactive waste can find its way into the body through medical testing or by eating foods that have been grown in contaminated soil or water. Not only that, but seaweed also binds to heavy metals to help eliminate them from the body.

Use it: Think outside the sushi box for seaweed. There are several different types of it out in the market, and they’re all delicious. Only familiar with Nori? Try shredding it up and topping it on your salad, mixing it into your next bowl of brown rice, or go a step further and create your own delicious poke bowl at home!

Epermarket is your online expat supermarket, where you can find the products and brands you miss from a place you trust. ISO 9001 certified, they also test their fresh products with SGS, and run their own organic farm, Eperfarm. You can select from over 7,000 products from around the world at diverse price ranges to be delivered directly to your doorstep.