The Best (and Healthiest) Ways to Get Rid of Toxins in Your Body

If you’ve done your research, you already know most of the cleanses your favorite celebs swear by could actually kill you. What you might not know is that your body comes equipped with its own detoxification system — you just need to do it a few favors. Here are the healthiest and most effective ways to aid your body in removing potentially harmful toxins every day.

How your body gets rid of toxins

illustration showing male liver anatomy

Your body gets rid of toxins naturally. |

Your liver, kidneys, and sweat glands are the primary players in your body’s ongoing effort to remove toxins and waste products naturally. According to, your blood carries toxins to your liver and kidneys specifically to allow them to filter out waste. Sometimes, toxins diffuse from your blood into your sweat glands, which release them, as you can probably guess, when you sweat.

What you do with and put into your body — and don’t — matters. Here are the things you can do to help your body eliminate toxins as efficiently as possible.

Exercise regularly

Man jumping rope

Always keep it moving. |

According to, exercise improves blood circulation, helps the digestive system function properly, and promotes sweating. Indirectly, all these processes assist your body’s detoxification process. The more efficiently blood circulates throughout your body, the more you can be sure waste products are making it to your liver and kidneys. And sweating really is better for you than you thought.

Eat more fiber

Wheat in field

It’s easy to skimp out on fiber. |

Your digestive system has a number of functions in your body. One of these functions involves extracting the nutrients from what you eat and passing the rest — the waste — on to specific waste-processing organs like your kidneys. Fiber is one important mineral you can’t miss out on if you’re concerned about toxins.

According to Mayo Clinic, a high-fiber diet helps to improve digestion and keeps things moving through the digestive tract. Both soluble and insoluble fiber play important roles in toxin removal.

Drink more water

young woman drinking water

Drinking enough water will also help you get rid of toxins. |

It’s up to your kidneys to filter your blood for the waste products your body doesn’t need. Drinking more fluids — especially water — ensures that your body is working to eliminate as many toxins through your urine as it needs to each day.

How much water every individual needs every day depends on their activity level and overall health. However, Mayo Clinic recommends anywhere from eight to 12 cups per day.

Try green tea

Green tea

There’s nothing wrong with indulging in some green tea. | Kazoka30/iStock/Getty Images

Your liver does a lot of work to keep you healthy. If you don’t take care of it, it might not be able to process and help eliminate toxins as efficiently. Green teas like matcha provide the body with antioxidants, which may be able to help protect your liver from oxidative stress as it processes toxins like alcohol. The tea itself doesn’t detoxify your body, but it might help guard against damage from other harmful effects.

Eat fewer processed foods

cereals at aldi

It would be wise to cut back on the processed treats. | Megan Elliott/The Cheat Sheet

You can’t reduce the amount of toxins in your body if you keep putting more in. Many of the processed foods you might eat every day, like frozen meals and breakfast cereals, contain added sugars and other ingredients that could prove harmful to your body in large amounts. Replace these “toxic” foods with foods that actually offer health benefits.

The best foods to eat instead

Fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge

You have many options to how you start a healthier lifestyle. | Barbara Helgason/Getty Images

One of the best ways to reduce toxins in your body is to eat foods that don’t contain them. Going full organic is the extreme, but it does minimize the amount of unnatural chemicals you’re putting into your body.

Even if you don’t go organic, or eating local isn’t an option, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is just the beginning. Canned white tuna or wild salmon, true whole grains like quinoa and oats, and fresh dairy products without antibiotics are much easier to find now than they used to be. Make an effort to avoid eating out of a box as much as possible.

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