Foods Not to Eat When Detoxing

Detoxification diets focus on removing food items that are difficult for the body to digest or cause the body to fight to remove extraneous material such as high levels of salt, sugar or alcohol. Detox diets focus on fresh, unprocessed food and natural, organic products. When detoxing, there are a variety of foods that should not be eaten.

Meat

• Avoid beef, pork and poultry. If you must have meat, substitute fish like tuna or salmon as meat sources for your recipes. Different detox diet plans disagree on the use of soy proteins as meat substitutes. Soy is a food allergen, so substitute tofu and soy milk with caution.

Dairy

• Avoid milk-based products and dairy substitutes such as margarine. For your morning cereal, use almond, rice, coconut or soy milk. While goat's milk contains lactose, it is easier on the digestive system and may be consumed in small quantities. However, you should try to eliminate all dairy products if possible. The only exception is active culture yogurts. The bacterial cultures break down lactose and contribute to digestive health.

Gluten

• Avoid all wheat products. When on a detox diet, go gluten-free. Supermarkets and organic food stores offer gluten-free options for breads and cereal. However, avoid over-processed items. Use oats, brown rice, barely, buckwheat flour and tapioca when cooking at home.

Salty and Sweet

• Avoid salty snacks like salted nuts and potato chips. Avoid sweets like chocolate, ice cream, cakes and cookies. Use honey, stevia or fruit derived sweeteners for your tea or oatmeal. Reach for rice cakes and unsalted nuts when in the mood for a snack.

Processed Foods

• Avoid overly processed foods. Read the ingredient labels before purchasing any prepackaged food. If the ingredient list contains an item you wouldn't find in your own kitchen, don't buy it. Also, the longer the ingredient list, the more likely it is to contain preservatives and hydrogenated oils.

Alcohol, Caffeine and Fizz

• Avoid alcohol, caffeine and fizzy drinks. A detox diet helps the liver remove toxins from the body by removing extraneous toxins from your diet. When the liver works to remove alcohol and caffeine from the blood stream, the liver is not available to remove other toxins. Fizzy drinks contain carbon dioxide. The body works to remove carbon dioxide from the body as a natural waste product. Drinking fizzy beverages increases the carbon dioxide in the body and cause the body to work harder. For flavored drink choices, substitute herbal and fruit tea.

Don't Avoid Too Much

• The Mayo Clinic warns that no scientific data supports that claim that detox diets improve health. Detoxing results in weight loss due to an extremely limited calorie intake, not a loss of toxins. Maintain a balanced diet and take a multi-vitamin while detoxing. If you experience any dizziness or fatigue, increase your caloric intake. Return to your regular diet if symptoms persist.