You've had a big stretch — more wine than usual, more takeaway, more late nights — and now you want to hit reset. The question I get asked more than almost any other is some version of: "Anthony, how do I detox?"
Here's the good news. You don't need a kit, a powder, or a week of green juice. Your body already has a sophisticated detoxification system. The job isn't to replace it — it's to get out of its way and give it what it needs.
Your body already detoxes — meet the three organs doing the work
When people ask how to detox, they usually picture something being flushed out. In reality, three organs are quietly doing this for you every hour of every day: your liver, your kidneys and your lungs.
Your liver is the processing plant. Your kidneys filter and flush. Your lungs — the one most people forget entirely — excrete carbon dioxide, a waste product of the way your cells make energy. Support all three and you've covered the system properly, rather than fixating on one organ and ignoring the rest.
So a genuine detox has two halves: reduce what's coming in, and support what's going out.
Supporting your liver: eat clean and eat the rainbow
Start by lowering the load. That means cutting back on what your liver has to process in the first place — through the food you eat, the water you drink and the air you breathe. In practice, "eating clean" means whole foods, seasonal foods, and where you can manage it, produce that hasn't been sprayed. Organic is ideal if your budget allows, but whole and seasonal matters more than perfect.
Then give the liver its raw materials. Aim for the colours of the rainbow on your plate — reds, yellows, oranges, purples, greens. A stir-fry or salad that looks genuinely colourful is doing more for you than a beige one.
Two groups deserve special mention. Sulphur-rich vegetables from the brassica family — broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale — support specific liver detoxification pathways. And antioxidant-rich foods matter because as the liver breaks toxins down, it produces intermediate compounds that can themselves be reactive. Antioxidants help counter that. Berries are excellent here, and green tea is a lovely thing to drink through a detox phase. It does contain some caffeine, though not much.
Speaking of which: coffee comes off the list for a proper detox week, as does alcohol and any recreational drugs. Prescribed medications continue exactly as your doctor has directed — never change those without talking to them first.
Go easier on protein, and lean plant-based
This one surprises people. You still need protein to detoxify — some detoxification pathways depend on amino acids. But you don't need large amounts, and protein places a real load on the digestive system. Giving your gut a bit of a break is part of the point.
So keep protein moderate, and lean towards plant sources: nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. Yes, these come with carbohydrates — and that's genuinely useful, because those carbohydrates nourish your gut bacteria. Gut integrity matters more than people realise during a detox. If the gut lining isn't in good shape, toxins that are meant to be leaving can be reabsorbed and recirculated instead. Healing the gut keeps the exit door working.
Supporting your kidneys: water and minerals
Your kidneys need fluid to do their job, so drink your water and actually enjoy it. A squeeze of lemon helps support digestion and makes it more pleasant — just don't overdo the lemon, or your dentist will have words with you about tooth enamel.
Minerals are the other half of kidney support, and in clinic these are often where I see gaps. Magnesium is the standout — it's commonly low in the diets I review, and you'll find it in dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds. Those same foods bring you calcium. Potassium comes from a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. Sodium is the one mineral almost nobody needs to chase; most of us get plenty already.
Notice how much overlap there is. Dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, colourful fruit and vegetables cover liver support and kidney support simultaneously. You don't need two separate plans.
The organ everyone forgets: breathe properly
Your lungs are a detoxification organ. Shallow, chest-high breathing underuses them. During a detox phase, build the habit of deliberate deep breathing — expanding the diaphragm, in through the nose and out through the mouth, for a few cycles at a time, several times a day. It takes two minutes and costs nothing.
Move gently, and sleep like it's part of the plan
Movement matters because your lymphatic system helps carry waste towards the bloodstream, which then filters through the liver. Lymph needs you to move for that to happen efficiently.
But keep it light to moderate. This is not the week for high-intensity training. Hard sessions generate stress hormones, and stress hormones are another load on your liver and kidneys — exactly what you're trying to reduce. Think yoga, tai chi, walking, swimming. Movement and breath together.
Sleep is non-negotiable, and it's the step people skip. Aim for a solid eight hours or so — in bed around 10pm, up around 6 or 7am. Short-changing sleep raises stress hormones, which adds load right back onto the organs you're trying to help. You can't out-salad a week of five-hour nights.
So how long should a detox last?
Honestly? I'd suggest you eat clean forever. But if you want a defined reset period, seven to ten days of clean eating with no alcohol, caffeine or recreational drugs is a sensible window. Long enough to notice a real difference, short enough to commit to.
Key takeaways
- Your liver, kidneys and lungs already detox you — the goal is to reduce their load and give them what they need.
- Eat whole, seasonal, colourful food, with brassica vegetables for liver pathways and berries for antioxidants.
- Keep protein moderate and plant-based to give your digestive system a break and feed your gut.
- Drink adequate water and prioritise magnesium, calcium and potassium from greens, nuts, seeds and produce.
- Practise deep diaphragmatic breathing daily — your lungs are a detox organ too.
- Keep exercise light to moderate and protect eight hours of sleep; both stress and sleep debt work against you.
- Seven to ten days is a realistic reset window. Keep medications exactly as prescribed and check in with your doctor.
What I love about this approach is that there's nothing exotic in it. No expensive products, no suffering. It's the same holistic foundation I come back to with every client at me&my wellness — nutrition, movement, breath and sleep working together rather than one heroic intervention doing all the lifting. Do these four well and "detoxing" stops being something you schedule and starts being how you live.
This article is general in nature and isn't a substitute for personalised medical advice — if you have a health condition or take medication, speak with your doctor or a qualified practitioner before making significant changes.
Want to go deeper on this? Book a free 30-minute discovery call with Anthony at meandmywellness.com.au