Last year, there was a major increase, about 108 percent, in foods making detox claims. According to the market research firm Mintel, detoxing will be a major trend in consumer packaged goods in 2010.

Detoxifying has been present in recent years, but it has only been making rounds recently. The theory said that the body becomes overloaded with “toxins,” which we must get rid of. Toxins came from our food and environment, and it then leads to weight gain, cellulite, dull skin, allergies and tiredness.

And although the liver does an awesome way of cleaning our bodies of toxins, there is no harm in trying to find some other ways of detoxification like cutting junk food intake such as sugar, processed foods, alcohol and caffeine.

Here are some few tips for detoxifying safely:

* Focus on eating fresh whole foods, rather than opting for a liquid-only cleanse.
* Don’t go any lower than 1,200 calories per day.
* Don’t use laxatives or detox supplements.
* Drink lots of water.
* Take some exercise every day.
* Make sure you have a long-term plan in place before you begin.
* Listen to your body–if it’s telling you that something isn’t right, contact your doctor immediately.

In fact, even Dawn Jackson Blatner, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says that detoxifying will even be beneficial since it will retrain your taste buds, and it will push you to start cooking again.