Diet Plans Other Diets Foods to Avoid on a Detox Diet By Cathy Wong facebook twitter Cathy Wong is a nutritionist and wellness expert. Her work is regularly featured in media such as First For Women, Woman's World, and Natural Health. Learn about our editorial process Cathy Wong Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Richard Fogoros, MD on June 29, 2016 Richard N. Fogoros, MD, is a retired professor of medicine and board-certified internal medicine physician and cardiologist. He is Verywell's Senior Medical Advisor. Learn about our Review Board Richard Fogoros, MD Updated on March 22, 2020 Print Jupiterimages/Stockbyte/Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Dairy Products and Eggs Wheat and Gluten Foods Sugar and Sweeteners Beverages Meat Fish and Seafood Condiments Other Foods to Avoid Looking for a list of foods to avoid as part of the detox diet plan? You've come to the right place. Replace these foods with these detox-friendly foods (see the list). To get more information on some key ingredients, like how to use them, check out our top 20 detox foods and get meal-by-meal suggestions. Here are various foods that you're better off without if you're looking to detox. Dairy Products and Eggs Instead of the dairy products on the list below, opt for organic, probiotic-rich kefir and yogurt. Butter Cheese Cottage cheese Eggs Ice cream Mayonnaise Milk Sour cream Wheat and Gluten Foods Give your system a break for a week and experiment with some alternate grains. Avoid wheat and products containing wheat, such as: Bagels Bread Breakfast cereal Crackers Pasta Besides wheat, avoid other gluten-containing foods such as barley, bulgur, rye, triticale, wheat bran, wheat germ, couscous, einkorn, farina, emmer, faro, graham flour, kamut, matzo, spelt, and semolina. Although oats don't contain gluten, they are often processed in plants that produce gluten-containing grains. People with a gluten allergy or sensitivity should avoid them or opt for gluten-free oats. Sugar and Sweeteners Opt for fresh fruit and spices that have a sweet taste like cinnamon. Use natural sweeteners sparingly, such as honey, maple syrup, fruit jams, and fruit compotes. Sweeteners to remove during your detox are: Artificial sweeteners Brown sugar High-fructose corn syrup Refined sugar White sugar Beverages Cut back on caffeine from coffee, energy drinks, and soft drinks. Instead, try green, matcha, oolong, or white tea, which generally have less caffeine. Or enjoy caffeine-free herbal tea. Rooibos tea and spice tea are good non-caffeinated options. If you are used to drinking coffee and are finding it difficult to cut back, try black tea instead. Avoid the following beverages during your detox. Alcohol Coffee Energy drinks Soft drinks Meat Beef Canned meats Deli meats and cold cuts Pork Sausages and hot dogs Veal Fish and Seafood Foods that tend to have moderate-to-high mercury levels, such as king mackerel, orange roughy, swordfish, tuna (bigeye, ahi, albacore, yellowfin), tilefish, bluefish, grouper, and mackerel (Spanish, gulf). Shellfish Condiments Avoid any condiment not made with the allowed ingredients. Barbeque or steak sauce Ketchup Mayonnaise Non-dairy creamers Regular chocolate (with sugar and dairy) Salad dressings not made with allowed ingredients Spreads not made with the allowed ingredients Other Foods to Avoid Food additives, color, and preservatives Margarine Shortening Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Looking to lose weight? Our nutrition guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get yours! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit