These top ten detox foods can help provide some great ideas on how to detox your body - they provide some of the best all round nutrients for a total body detox, and can easily be incorporated into a free detox diet plan. You can include them in part of a raw food detox diet, or juice them for some great tasting detox drinks.

When buying fruit and vegetables, organic produce is always better for you that non organic if your budget can stretch that far. If not, non organic will be OK, as these foods can be used for a very healthy 7 day detox program and as part of your ongoing detoxification regime.

1. An Apple A Day Keeps the Doc Away.

Did you know that scientists in the Ukraine used apples to help clean and purify the area of Chernobyl when they had that catastrophic disaster back in 1986? That says something about the detox power of apples. Their power comes from high levels of vitamin C and quercetin, which is an antioxidant that helps reduce levels of bad cholesterol.

Another useful nutrient we get from apples is pectin, which is a soluble dietary fiber. Pectin is known to bind to heavy metals in the colon to help our body excrete them. It also has properties which help our body eliminate other toxins and food additives like tartrazine which has been linked with asthma and hyperactivity in children.

2. Avocados

Apart from anything else I think avos taste great - the fact that they are good for you is even better. Avocados contain a nutrient called gluthathione, which is a powerful antioxidant. It combines with fat soluble toxins, particularly alcohol, and makes them water soluble.

As with most functions within our bodies, as we age the levels of naturally occurring glutathione start to decrease. Apart from other things, this is one of the reasons hangovers get worse in our older years - as there's not as much glutathione to help eliminate the alcohol from the drink we consumed. Increased levels of glutathione have also been shown to improve overall health and help reduce conditions such as arthritis.

3. Artichokes for Liver Detox

Artichokes are a great tasting zero-fat, zero-cholesterol veg that provide a wealth of vitamins and minerals and phytochemicals including vitamin A, B6, Niacin, folic acid, chromium, potassium, iron and calcium. One powerful detox benefit of artichokes is its ability to increase bile production in the liver. More bile means the body is able to transport more toxins to the bowel for excretion - so a great food for a natural liver detox.

Two of the phytochemical compounds present in artichokes are cynarin and silymarin - these have powerful antioxidant powers and are believed to help regenerate tissue growth in the liver.

4. Beetroot - A Vampires Second Worst Enemy.

Two health giving compounds found in beetroot are methionine and betanin. Betanin helps the liver break down fatty acids, and reduces its workload, so it is able to devote more energy to eliminating dangerous toxins from your body. Methionine works on purifying the body's waste material to help prevent toxin re-uptake.

The use of beetroot for health benefits dates back several thousand years - it was used in ancient Rome as a blood purifying tonic for a total body detox. It also has some chelation properties by binding with heavy metals.

5. Cruciferous or Brassica Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, spinach and cauliflower. All these vegetables are very powerful detox foods. Brussels sprouts have been shown to inhibit the uptake of a toxin called aflatoxin, which is linked to liver cancer. Cruciferous vegetables have also neutralised nitrosamines, which are produced by cigarette smoke.

These vegetables contain a nutrient called glucosinolates, which help the liver to produce vital enzymes.