Eating for Your Health:
The 10 Best Cleansing Foods

With every bite of food you eat, you have the power to help cleanse your body. The key is getting enough fiber and antioxidants. Fiber -- found in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains -- helps absorb and eliminate toxins from the bowel. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals (highly reactive molecules that can damage cells) and reduce oxidative stress, which has been linked to many degenerative diseases and certain types of cancer. Antioxidant vitamins and minerals are readily available in the same foods that are high in fiber and helpful phytonutrients (the disease-resistant nutrients found naturally in plants).

Because organic food is grown without pesticides or herbicides and is fed with natural fertilizers, you should eat organic foods whenever possible. In addition, studies have shown that organic food often contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals than food grown using conventional farming methods.

The USDA recently ranked foods in order their antioxidant properties in a report released in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. After investigating more than 100 different foods, the following were found to contain the highest concentration of antioxidants. They are also high in fiber.

1. Small red beans (dried)
2. Wild blueberries
3. Red kidney beans
4. Pinto beans
5. Blueberries (cultivated)
6. Cranberries
7. Artichokes (cooked)
8. Blackberries
9. Prunes
10. Raspberries

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