No matter how careful you are, no one can avoid all chemical exposure. One downside to modern-day living is our surplus of modern-day chemicals, many of them highly toxic to human health. Thankfully, we possess a powerful advantage against today’s toxins that’s as old as humankind itself: our body’s natural, built-in ability to detoxify.
Some of the most effective detoxifying habits include boosting how long or how often you exercise, improving sleep, and adopting active ways to manage stress. But for now, I’m going to focus on one of the most effective ways to increase your body’s natural detoxification processes: Consuming specific foods and supplements that have been shown to speed the rate and efficacy at which your body can eliminate toxins.
Here are my top eight detoxifying foods:
Cruciferous Vegetables
These vegetables, a group that includes more than three thousand species, are loaded with glucosinolates, the amazing sulfur-rich compounds that increase the liver’s production of detoxifying enzymes, in addition to helping curb inflammation and preventing and slowing cancer growth. When you eat lots of cruciferous veggies, especially broccoli and broccoli sprouts, you’ll up your intake of sulforaphane, a by-product of glucosinolate shown to induce the liver to undertake its most effective detoxifying phase, known as the conjugation, when toxins are neutralized and excreted.
Cruciferous veggies also contain compounds that regulate natural estrogen metabolism. This is key to preventing and treating hormone-dependent cancers, while negating certain harmful effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. What’s more, these veggies are packed with fiber — one cup of chopped broccoli (cooked or raw) contains 5 grams of fiber — which can speed toxin elimination by increasing how quickly the body excretes chemicals and other waste products.
Alliums
This class of flowering plants, which includes onions, garlic, scallions, shallots, leeks, and chives, is packed with sulfur-rich molecules known as organosulfur compounds, which help give these veggies their strong odor and flavor. Like sulforaphane, organosulfur compounds stimulate the liver to break down toxins, then neutralize them during the organ’s more effective conjugation phase.
Similar to cruciferous veggies, alliums have been studied for their potential to fight cancer. Onions are also one of the best dietary sources of quercetin, an antioxidant shown to reduce cancer risk and protect the body from certain chemicals like mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls.
Aim to eat alliums daily, and for increased health benefits, mix them with extra-virgin olive oil, which makes the healthy compounds more usable by the body for anti-inflammatory health benefits.
Foods That Increase Glutathione
Quercetin is an antioxidant and flavonoid, a class of plant chemicals shown to have anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. According to research, quercetin in particular helps increase glutathione production and prevents oxidative stress, which occurs when there’s an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body. When it comes to detoxifying from environmental chemicals, the research on quercetin is impressive, with studies showing it helps chelate (extract from the body) heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury. Additionally, the antioxidant may reduce liver damage from polychlorinated bisphenols (PCBs), according to animal studies.
I suggest patients with asthma, allergies, hives, or other allergic reactions consume more quercetin-containing foods, as the antioxidant has also been shown to curb histamine, a chemical released by the immune system and responsible in part for triggering allergic responses.
To eat more quercetin, choose red onions, one of the best dietary sources of the nutrient, followed by white onions, red-leaf lettuce, capers, apples, hot green chiles, black plums, cranberries, herbs like cilantro and dill, and a handful of other plant-based foods.
Foods High in Quercetin
Quercetin is a flavonoid antioxidant with anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. It increases glutathione and helps neutralize free radicals. It’s especially effective at detoxing heavy metals like lead and mercury and may reduce liver damage from chemical exposures like PCBs.
Quercetin may also ease allergies and asthma by reducing histamine levels. Top sources: red onions (best), capers, apples, red-leaf lettuce, cranberries, cilantro, dill, and dark chocolate.
Selenium-Rich Foods
This essential mineral helps regulate thyroid hormones, reduce oxidative stress, repair DNA, and eliminate toxins like mercury and cadmium. Studies even suggest that high selenium intake can offset mercury exposure risks. Selenium may also reduce complications from autoimmune disease and air pollution.
The richest source: Brazil nuts — just one provides your daily selenium needs (and possibly more, so limit to one or two per day). Tuna, sardines, halibut, beef, poultry, rice, and eggs also contain selenium. Don’t overdo it—excess selenium can be toxic.
Foods Containing Turmeric
If you’ve ever had South Asian or Middle Eastern food, you’ve likely tasted turmeric, a pungent, bright orange spice made from the root of Curcuma longa, a flowering plant native to Southeast Asia. Turmeric is found in curry powder and some mustards, and is used on its own to flavor many classic Moroccan, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, and Indonesian dishes. Not only flavorful, turmeric is also incredibly healthy, thanks to the active compound curcumin. Research shows that curcumin is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and it can help prevent conditions related to chronic systemic inflammation, like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, and depression. When it comes to detoxification, research shows that curcumin helps counter oxidative stress, neutralize free radicals, and increase enzymes that assist the body in metabolizing toxins. The compound may also counteract the effects of mercury toxicity and protect brain cells from the damaging effects of lead and cadmium, according to animal studies. Curcumin may also increase glutathione, boosting its anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects, per research.
To consume more turmeric (and curcumin, as a result), use the spice liberally, adding 1 to 4 teaspoons of a USDA organic product to increase flavor and provide a deep yellow color to eggs, tofu, roasted vegetables, salad dressing, or smoothies. You can also try making tea from ground turmeric, lemon, and honey; if you add milk, you’ll have the popular Indian drink known as golden milk tea. For ideal absorption, season your food or tea with a moderate amount of black pepper, which contains piperine, shown to increase the bioavailability of curcumin by 2,000 percent.
Artichokes
This popular Mediterranean vegetable is a great way to boost liver health and function, both which can help increase the body’s ability to detoxify. According to research, extracts from artichoke leaves and roots help protect the liver and can even trigger the regeneration of liver cells. Artichoke extract has been found to significantly increase bile production for several hours, helping speed liver detoxification and lower blood cholesterol. The vegetable has also been shown in animal studies to decrease liver inflammation and prevent liver disease. Aim to add five or more artichokes to your diet per week by steaming, roasting, grilling, pan-frying, microwaving, poaching, or stuffing them. Or include chopped artichoke hearts in salads, pizza, pastas, sauces, sandwiches, and dips.
Dandelions
This weed with a bright-yellow flower is one of the most detoxifying foods you can consume. The plant is rich in antioxidants, helping to counter the oxidative damage caused by environmental toxins. Dandelion has been used for centuries as a liver tonic, but research supports the belief that dandelion helps protect and support liver function. The herb is also a strong natural diuretic, helping the body move water and waste quickly and effectively from the cells. Compounds in dandelion may also fight chronic inflammation and lower blood sugar and cholesterol.
I tell my patients to try to consume dandelions at least three times a week by stir-frying the plant’s greens or adding them fresh to salads, or using the flowers to make tea.
Dr. Aly Cohen is a board-certified rheumatologist and integrative medicine physician, recognized nationally for her expertise in environmental health, and medical education. She is the author of Detoxify: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them and continues to teach, lecture, and practice medicine in Princeton, New Jersey.
Excerpted from Detoxify: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them by Aly Cohen, MD ©2025 Dr. Aly Cohen. Reprinted by permission of Simon Element, An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC. All rights reserved.
