Detox plans promise to defeat inflammation, boost fat-burning and eliminate toxins from your body. There’s limited research behind many of these claims and most are dangerous -- especially if followed for a prolonged period of time. The purpose of our organs like the skin, kidneys, intestines, liver and lymphatic system are to naturally detoxify your body. As such, there’s no need to drop lots of dough on potentially dangerous cleanses, pills or teas.

I recently had a conversation with friend who does a popular detox plan. He claimed (as many of my clients do), that he wasn’t sure it really detoxed his body but it was more of a mental and psychological overhaul for him. It’s a way to gain control of what you eat and perhaps even gain control over other aspects of your life. If you feel the need to detox, then do so safely.  Here are three suggestions:

When’s the last time you cleaned out your fridge, freezer and pantry? Take a few hours to go through your inventory and keep a running list of healthy essentials to stock up on. Toss expired foods and donate foods you tend to mindlessly indulge in (get them out of the house!).

Instead of running into the store and choosing your usual items, start shopping smarter. This means preparing a shopping list based on healthy recipes and snacks. Oftentimes stores send out circulars with weekly sale items—save money by finding recipes that include those items. For example, if plain nonfat Greek yogurt is on sale then make a smoothie for breakfast one morning and snack on Greek yogurt topped with granola or fresh fruit another day. Smart shopping can help you make budget-friendly healthier choices!

A healthy diet and weight loss plan includes all food groups including whole grains, fruit, veggies, dairy, healthy fats and lean protein. However, some folks wish to eliminate not-so-healthy choices as a way to detoxify. If you choose to do so, here is a list to choose from:

• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Added sugars
• Processed foods

Most folks can’t go cold turkey forever—and once you fall off the wagon, you’ll feel bad about yourself. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, choose a reasonable time frame to eliminate that item (such as 1 week or 1 month). Once you accomplish your goal, you can choose to reintroduce the food in small amounts or keep it off of your menu.