Detox Diet With Barley Green

Detox (short for detoxification) or cleanse diets eliminate toxins from the body and jump-start weight loss with a liquid fast. Green barley juice is a component of one such diet and in recent years has become popular among those seeking an effective but nutritious cleansing agent.

Organic Food Supplement

• Green barley is a natural food supplement extracted from barley leaves in dried and powdered form or as pure juice. Green barley has high amounts of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and chlorophyll, and is 41 percent digestible protein. Barley has been grown since 7000 BC and has long been known for its nutritive and medicinal values. The pure juice of young barley leaves also happens to be one of the richest sources of the anti-aging enzyme superoxide dismutase or SOD. Nothing can prevent aging, but according to Science Digest scientists believe SOD delays it.

  Some medicines and drugs fight disease by killing harmful bacteria. Green barley fights disease by strengthening the body. The juice from young barley leaves contains 30 times as much vitamin B1 as milk, five times the iron found in spinach, and seven times the vitamin C in oranges. When compared to wheat, the barley juice contains five times the protein, 25 times the calcium, 20 times the vitamin E and 26 times the potassium.

  By containing the proper balance of essential nutrients and phytochemicals (compounds that protect against disease, found in plant foods) green barley cleans the body to eliminate environmental and dietary toxins from your system and provides antioxidants the body needs for detoxification.

Cleansing Diet

• If you do not have the ability to pick young tender leaves of barley from the field, you can take the dried leaves in tablets or consume the loose powder by mixing 2 tsp. with 1/3 cup natural yogurt and 1/2 cup cloudy apple juice. You can also drink green barley by mixing 2 tsp. of the powder with a glass of water every morning for two weeks. Green barley is available at most health food stores and is also sold as a beverage.

  Before cleansing the body, know that detox diets should never be continued for long periods. A one-week detoxification diet four times a year is an adequate amount of time to give your body a break from toxic beating and replenish healthful nutrients, alleviate damaging inflammation, fight disease and even slow the aging process. It is also recommended that you consult a doctor before undertaking any detox diet, especially if you are pregnant or have diabetes.